Phelps’ Cult Veers Into Further Irrationality

August 27, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Family, Frederick Meekins, Media Bias, News, Religion, Society/Culture | 1 Comment

-By Frederick Meekins

To those of us whose vocations consist largely of commenting on the momentous trends and events going on all around us, it can be easy to fall for the delusion that ultimately the world itself orbits those of us observing it.

Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church has gained for himself and his congregation a degree of notoriety for his insistence that “God Hates Fags”.

One can at least argue with this proposition as either incorrect or for at least failing to remember the distinction of God hating the sin but loving the sinner. However, it is from this oratorical peak that Phelps descends into rhetorical irrationality.
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Reuters

August 26, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Budget, Congress, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, Socialism, Society/Culture, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Reuters thinks that tax breaks and loopholes “costs” government its tax receipts. This is a perfect example of class hatred ginned up by the media to further class warfare between Americans. The absolute truth is that if people use the tax code to limit their tax burden they are not costing the government anything, but are using legal means to avoid a higher tax burden. Further, our money is NOT the government’s property in the first place so a lower tax take is in no way “costing” the government anything. Yet, Reuters still uses this class warfare rhetoric to report its story revealing its attack-the-rich agenda.

The Reuters headline employs the class warfare rhetoric right off the top screaming, Tax loopholes seen costing billions annually. “Costing”? No, if tax receipts are lower it isn’t because people are depriving government of due receipts. Again, it is because taxpayers are obeying the law and properly using the tax code as crated by Congress. If there are loopholes in the tax code they were placed there by Congress, whether wittingly or unwittingly, but still it

Union Disses the Kids

August 26, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Communism, Democrats/Leftists, News, Socialism, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

The kids at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill feel like they’ve been used and discarded by Andy Stern’s Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and they aren’t happy about it. They are so upset they’ve issued an open letter to the SEIU to air their grievances… not that it’ll matter much.

It seems that the SEIU swooped onto several college campuses and encouraged student activists to organize college foodservice workers and then, assuring the kiddies that all their work was a worthy effort, quietly worked with the colleges NOT to organize the same workers that the kids thought they were enrolling in a union.

At that point the student groups got a tad upset that all their energies went for nothing and who can blame them? After all, they thought that they were striking a blow for “the workers” against those evil “corporate slave masters” in their typically naive, young idealistic enthusiasm.

Some of you readers out there may be a tad confused at this point. Why would the SEIU, one of the most powerful unions in the county, seem to mislead these naive kids and refuse to organize supposedly willing new members? Well, its all a piece with SEIU President Andy Stern’s newest tactic wherein the union works closer with the employer to determine who will be “allowed’ to organize and who will not.

Stern’s process has been to act a little less antagonistic with potential new corporations that might find their employees come under the SEIU’s wing. The SEIU has made many closed door, back room deals with potential corporate members, deals that few of their potential or existing members are allowed to be a part of because these deals are made at the highest level of the SEIU.

Thomas Paine and the Values of 1776

August 26, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Communism, Constitution, Democrats/Leftists, Government, Corruption, History, News, Patriotism, President, Security/Safety, Socialism, Society/Culture, Thomas Brewton | Comments Off

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Paine’s ideology was the antithesis of the ethos that produced our Constitution.

Responding to A View From the Left, Kenneth T. Ellis wrote:

Mr. Brewton,

As a member of the Thomas Paine Assn. I am appalled when I see what has happened to the U.S. and its downtrodden masses.

These words by Thomas Paine should ring out loud and clear to every American that today is in want.

The Artificially Inflated Self-Esteem of Barack Obama

August 26, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Frank Salvato, News, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture | Comments Off

-By Frank Salvato

As we wind our way ever further down the agonizingly long road to the 2008 presidential elections one thing has become glaringly clear: Barack Obama has a pretty healthy ego. It goes without saying that most people who become politicians have a penchant for self-aggrandizing. It does take a certain amount of self-confidence to engage in the American political process and that process requires one to effectively market oneself. But there is a considerable difference between self-confidence and narcissism. Barack Obama has crossed that line.

It was during his “fact-finding trip” to the Middle East and Europe that all doubt was removed with regard to whether Obama was confident or egocentric. The first red flag — and admittedly, this could have been the doing of his handlers but as they say, the buck stops… — was that even though he went to great pains to indicate that he was traveling overseas as part of a “Senatorial fact-finding mission” he traveled with campaign signs, signs that appeared in Israel as well as in Germany.

The first question that entered my mind was, why would someone engaged in a governmental fact-finding mission, as part of a group of elected officials — presidential candidate or not — have the audacity to even think about campaigning overseas…to foreign nationals…who cannot vote in an American presidential election?

Barack Hussein Obama Will Make History Alright…

August 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Abortion, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Now, About Those Houses, Barack…

August 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Portland: Union Workers Physically Attack Worker Free Choice Rally

August 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Democrats/Leftists, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

With more on the card check battle, we have a rally against Unions set up in Portland, Maine where members of the SEIU and the AFL-CIO confronted the pro-choice advocates in a typically uncivil, even threatening, union manner. One union thug even turned over a display table, trying to prevent the pro-choice folks from setting up their displays.

From reports from the scene (video here), the union thugs spat upon the pro-choicers, swore at them and generally impeded their ability to engage in free and fair debate.

John Henke, From a participant at the rally, described what was endured.

Energizing the Base

August 25, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Abortion, Dan Scott, Elections, GOP, Media Bias, News, President, Religion, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror | 1 Comment

-By Dan Scott

While John McCain is considering his choices for Vice President (the lucky one to be named on his birthday) he still has not energized the base of the Republican Party. Within my memory, there has not been a GOP nominee that has so created an environment of malaise in the base as this current election season. So far, John McCain’s only saving grace in this campaign is the hatred that Obama and Clinton supporters feel for each other. Essentially, whether John McCain wins on November 4th will almost entirely depend on which group of Democrats are the most offended by the other’s favorite nominee so they either stay home on election day or vote for McCain out of spite for the other. That’s not saying much for McCain since he doesn’t really seem to be capitalizing on the energy issue the Democrats basically gifted him with a nicely wrapped present, bow tie and card saying congratulations, you’ve won!

To say the least, it seems John McCain so far has approached this election with the intent of fighting with one arm tied behind his back. He has taken the conservative base for granted thinking they won’t vote for a Democrat or consider staying home on election day so they’re stuck with me. Well John, right back at you! This perceived attitude of McCain is a serious lack of leadership on his part. Whether the perception is real or imagined, the point is John McCain hasn’t demonstrated leadership to the conservative base otherwise they would follow his lead. Eisenhower laid out some basic principles of leadership:
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Cartoon Calls America Racist

August 24, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Race, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The latest Chris Britt political cartoon in the State Journal-Register from the Capitol of Obama’s home State, Springfield, Illinois, already seems to be making excuses for the Democratic Party candidate’s falling poll numbers. In the wake of several high profile polls showing that Republican John McCain has come roaring up in the polls in the last few days, it seems that the Journal-Register is trying to lower expectations for Obama’s chances, blaming it all on that good old standby racism.

Like most in the Old Media, Chris Britt sees racism at the root of everything, so it isn’t surprising that in a week when Democrat operatives are expressing worry over Obama’s poll numbers along with McCain’s recent closing of the gap we see this cartoon assuming that Obama’s biggest “hurdle” is racism in America.

We all know that Barack and his wife — as well as their “spiritual mentor” Reverend Wright –have injected racism into this campaign at every turn. But the curious thing is, no one else really has. Certainly his early support in states that have a small black population seems to auger that Obama’s race is not being held against him. No, except to the Obama’s and the media, his race has mattered little to anyone.

Yet, here we get this political cartoon selling the idea that Obama is having difficulty overcoming the race issue. Sounds to me like they are preparing the grounds to explain away his loss if it should occur.

This brings to mind a great little quip by comedian/commentator Dennis Miller:

“I could care less about the color of Barack Obama’s skin, but the thinness of it is starting to wear on me.” —Dennis Miller

What do you think?

More On Union Thug Tyrone Freeman

August 24, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Media Bias, News, Socialism, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By The Heritage Foundation

With continuing coverage of the Tyrone Freeman investigations (see Here and Here) in L.A., here is an entry from the Heritage Foundation Daily Bell updating us.

Can Our Economy Afford More Union Corruption?

The president of California’s largest union local, the 160,000-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Los Angeles, yesterday announced he would take a leave of absence and the local would be placed in a temporary trusteeship. Tyrone Freeman’s departure comes after an in-depth series of Los Angeles Times articles detailing how Freeman fleeced union members — who make about $9 an hour caring for the infirm and disabled — of over $1 million in 2006 and 2007 alone.

Dictatorship we can believe in

August 24, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture | Comments Off

-By Michael M. Bates

Barack Obama wants to be president. Given his authoritarian tendencies, will that be enough for him?

My suspicions were roused last winter when his wife spoke and announced:

“Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed.”

Require? Demand? Never allow? Such actions generally aren’t accomplished solely by a president. They almost always necessitate legislative sanction.
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LATimes Brooks Thinks Russia/Georgia War is Funny

August 23, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Communism, Democrats/Leftists, Foreign Policy, Media Bias, Military, News, President, Security/Safety, Socialism, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

The L.A. Times’ Rosa Brooks has done it again, taken a serious subject and made an uninformed romp of it. One wonders how the old Georgian lady seen in news photos standing wounded among the ruins of her apartment building, or the Georgian Mother running down the street, infant in her arms, trying to escape Russian tanks might feel about the humor with which Brooks brings to bear upon their plight? But, there it is for all to see in Brooks’ “The Cold War, reheated” wherein Brooks puts the funny back in war. It’s been too serious for too long for Brooks, apparently. We need the sunny side of ethnic cleansing, brutal invasion, and crushing occupation, don’t we?

Oh, and let’s not forget the skewed history, incorrect conclusions, and partisan inanities that Brooks blurted out with her little attempt at “Springtime for Gorbachev.” Only with this production, Brooks is seriously trying to absolve the U.S.S.R.

Forced Unionism at UPS Being Fought

August 23, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Media Bias, News, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Forced unionism is one of the issues that galls right to work advocates the most. How can we, as a free people, be forced by state laws to join a union just to keep a job? Worse, how can one be forced to pay union dues without even joining a union just to keep a job? Is this not America where one has free choice?

Well, the National Right to Work organization has been asking that question for some time and is now attempting to put the question to the courts. At UPS facilities in Dayton, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky, NRTW is assisting several drivers for the United Parcel Service to sue the Teamsters and UPS for having been forced to pay dues to a union they do not wish to support.

Louisville, Kentucky, and Dayton, Ohio (August 19, 2008) – With free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation, three UPS employees in Kentucky and two UPS employees in Ohio filed federal lawsuits Friday and Monday, respectively, against national and local Teamsters officials for illegal extraction of forced union dues.

In the lawsuits, the nonmember employees claim that the national and local unions breached their duty of fair representation and violated the employees’ First and Fifth Amendment rights by charging and collecting fees used for organizing nonunion workers throughout the United States and financing a members-only “Strike and Defense Fund.”

This is a situation where these drivers are forced to pay union dues and are also forced to be represented by the Teamsters despite their personal wishes, preventing these employees from being able to represent themselves before their employers.

The fees paid by these drivers also seem to have violated Federal laws.

Since March 2006, the union charged and collected from the nonmembers compulsory fees greater than 80 percent of the full dues and fees paid by union members. Union bosses failed to provide a required notice of Beck rights and disclosure detailing the basis of the fees until this year. The financial disclosure reveals that Teamsters’ compulsory fees include disallowed expenditures for the national union’s efforts to help organize nonunion employees in both the private and public sectors nationwide. The employees have also been forced to contribute to the “Strike and Defense Fund,” which bars benefits flowing to nonmembers.

“It’s bad enough that employees who exercise their right to refrain from union membership are forced to pay fees to a union they do not want,” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “But Teamsters bosses are violating the law by compelling nonmembers to fund strikes and organizing activities which seek to corral even more workers into forced unionism.”

Good luck to these brave drivers for taking on the Teamsters, well known for their violent tendencies.

Can Senator Obama Talk Us Out of This One?

August 23, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Foreign Policy, Media Bias, News, Security/Safety, Socialism, Society/Culture, Thomas Brewton, War on Terror | Comments Off

-By Thomas E. Brewton

Talk, they say, is cheap. And generally worth no more than it costs, when confronting international military aggression.

Senator Obama’s eagerness for face-to-face meetings with foreign dictators, without preconditions, echoes Senator John Kerry’s “sensitive” foreign policy enunciated in the 2004 presidential election campaign:

Last Thursday, Kerry told minority journalists at the Unity 2004 conference in Washington that “I believe I can fight a more effective, more thoughtful, more strategic, more proactive, more sensitive war on terror that reaches out to other nations and brings them to our side.

That approach failed in the 1930s with the League of Nations and failed repeatedly with the UN after World War II. Why should we be surprised that it makes no impression upon the Russians today?
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Teamsters Dumps Old Union Boss Family

August 22, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Media Bias, News, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

James Hoffa, Jr. is trying to make it look like he is reforming the Teamsters by forcing out Robert Hogan, former President of Teamsters Local 714, a member of a long time, corruption prone union family.

The IRB alleged that Hogan had acted against the best interests of union members by hiring Robert Riley as a business agent and organizing director, even though Riley had been barred from the union. The IRB also charged that the local union was failing to represent its membership, had corrupt relationships with companies where members worked, and was using favoritism and nepotism to secure jobs for associates of the Hogan family.

Hogan’s family have been union thugs since the Depression era, but he has at last signed an agreement with the Independent Review Board (IRB) of Teamsters National that he will leave all union activities behind and never again attempt to become involved with the Teamsters.

Naturally, Hogan claims he is a victim of Hoffa’s political triangulation and that he is totally innocent.

Local 714 has been under the control of the national union since June of this year, with Hoffa claiming he is making inroads into eliminating the corruption of this long-time, troubled local.

Time will tell, but it would be shocking if it turned out to be true instead of just a turn over from one group of corrupt officials for the newest set of corrupt union officials. Here’s the new boss, same as the old boss.

Liberals Hold Off China in Propaganda All-Around

August 22, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, China, Communism, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Foreign Policy, Lee Culpepper, Media Bias, News, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror | Comments Off

-By Lee Culpepper

Spanning the globe to bring you a constant variety of pretense! The make-believe thrills of socialism…and forsaken agony of actual consequences! The human drama of presumptuous politics! This is LIB’s Wide World of Programming!

Even with all the scandals hovering over the Beijing Olympics, communist China continues to trail liberals in the art of propaganda and masquerade. China, like the left, pretends to be champions of the common man, yet history and facts prove the opposite.

When it comes to exploiting, pillaging, and deceiving downtrodden people, China and liberals are battling for the title, but both easily dominate the rest of the competition.
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Obama Gave $14 Million to Convicted Felon

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Government, Corruption, Media Bias, News, President, Socialism, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Obama’s Terrorist Pal

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Obama on Time’s Cover AGAIN!

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, News, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | 2 Comments

Via Drudge we get the recognition that Time Magazine has once again placed the Obamessiah on its cover. This makes the 7th time in the space of a year that Obama has graced the cover of Time Magazine.

Thus far, McCain has found the favor of the front cover precisely two times.

In the tank much?

Naahhh! Can’t be.

It MUST be just a coinkiedink.

Dem Mantra of More Deaths By Terror Under Bush Disproven

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Foreign Policy, Media Bias, Military, News, President, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | 4 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

A new independent study shows that deaths from terrorism have actually declined by more than 40 percent since 2001. This flies in the face of the constant Democrat mantra that states the opposite, that terrorism has increased since Bush initiated the War on Terror. It is a mantra that the media have helpfully spread for their friends at the DNC.

We’ve heard it again and again from the left in this country; deaths by terror have increased under George W. Bush and his War on Terror has failed. Along with so many on the left side of the aisle in the U.S., Barack Obama has said this several times in the past, too. At the Democratic debate at Saint Anselm College on Jun 3, 2007, for instance, Obama said that Bush’s war has failed. “We live in a more dangerous world,” Obama said on that stage, “partly as a consequence of Bush’s actions…”

Of course, this talking point ignores one small bit of common sense. When a battle is joined, casualties are sure to rise until an end is declared. After all, when both sides are joined in battle (as opposed to but one), deaths are sure to rise before they fall, it being always darkest before the dawn, and all.

But that bit of common sense aside, the Democrats have been fond of using a study by Peter Bergen and Paul Cruickshank, research fellows at the Center on Law and Security at the NYU School of Law, to prove that terrorism is worse under Bush. In fact, this study appears right on Obama’s own website in an entry by one of his bloggers, Deb Henry.

Web a Leading News Source, Papers, TV Decline, Younger Ignoring ALL News

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Business, Democrats/Leftists, Education, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Congratulate yourselves as being among the leading edge in Americans interested in the news. According to a recent Pew survey 37 percent of America’s news consumers go to the Internet for their news. But it isn’t all good news for our sources of news. For one thing, this survey also shows that many of us are logging on at work. This is the sort of thing that could be hurt if more and more businesses ban Internet use, as some have.

Of course, there is more bad news for newspapers as well as TV viewers here, too.

Orlando Magazine ‘Duped,’ Publishes Artist’s Fake Biography as Fact

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Media Bias, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Orlando Magazine (FL) published the amazing life’s story of Florida artist Mark Pulliam in their August issue. It was an amazing story of a man who seemingly did everything. Played Major League Baseball, hobnobbed with the likes of Paul McCartney, Madonna, and Tiger Woods as well as finding great success as a local artist. Oh, it seemed a whirlwind life. One little problem. Little of it was true and Orlando editor Mike Boslet want you to know he’s sorry.

Unfortunately for Orlando Magazine, they simply took Mark Pulliam’s word for it all, ran with the story, and were informed by readers that many of the details didn’t seem to pan out. So, on second look, the editors of Orlando sent an investigator to track down the various factoids that Pulliam told them about his personal history. It turned out little of what Pulliam claimed was true.

Union Thugs Beat Member for Disagreeing With Party Line

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Crime, Democrats/Leftists, Media Bias, News, Security/Safety, Society/Culture, Unions, Warner Todd Huston | 1 Comment

-By Warner Todd Huston

Members of the carpenters union in New York City have ruined any chance that authorities there will take their union out of government oversight by beating unconscious William Davenport, a union dissident running for office in the union.

After an August 5 candidates forum, the candidate was beaten by members of the carpenters union audience outside a church. Outside a CHURCH!

This thuggery along with continued Mob involvement, indictments and convictions on corruption of union members convinced Judge Charles S. Haight, Jr. not to release the union from government oversight.

How This Music Flew WAAAY Over my Head at First

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Entertainment, Media Bias, News, Patriotism, Society/Culture, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | 2 Comments

-By Warner Todd Huston

A few weeks ago, I published my first review of Tony Carey’s new Planet P album titled “Levittown.” In that review I made no bones about the fact that I hated it. I felt it was entirely anti-American, especially in context with today’s tumultuous times. I felt the political ideology underlying the lyrics was a sad, boring holdover from 1960s hippie culture, a blast from the past that seemed to have missed everything that has happened in the last 30 some years and one that certainly ignored the war that “radical” Islam had launched against America and the west since its biggest victory on 9/11. But since I wrote that review I have had cause to doubt my initial interpretation. In fact, I have realized that my reaction was based more on my own prejudices than in a closer examination of the album on its own merits.

So, here is my mea culpa. I have to admit that the true context and purpose of the album might have flown right over my head and I allowed my prejudices take over to fill in the blanks.

First of all, I have to say that I was not very proactive in linking “Levittown” with the previous album, “1931″ (from 2003). I vaguely knew they form two parts of a trilogy, but I just didn’t take enough time to study the progression from one to the next. Taken together, they present a sort of history lesson of human made misery (is there any other kind?) and, of course, a warning of human stupidity. That, I did get, but what I didn’t get is that Carey wasn’t positing that this was only a fault found in western civilization. His is a story of human failings, not solely western ones. This trilogy was also supposed to be semi-autobiographical, so it is natural that it be set in the west of his experience. I was not aware of the semi-autobiographical intention with this project until now, though.

Before I go on with my changed impression, I feel compelled to reveal the prejudices that caused me to break bad on this one the first time ’round.

Civility at Saddleback

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, David Huntwork, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Family, GOP, Media Bias, News, President, Race, Religion, Society/Culture, Taxes | Comments Off

-By David Huntwork

I watched a good portion the Saddleback Civil Forum on Saturday evening. It was a decent showing for both candidates but McCain probably did the best in what was viewed by many conservatives as a possible ambush by a pro-Obama evangelical pastor at a forum conceived by a variety of ideologically questionable characters. Instead, McCain really fumbled only once and came across as a decisive, determined, focused, relaxed, and informed man of integrity.

If you missed it here is a good recap.

McCain and Obama civil, not too revealing at church forum

“Rick did an amazing job of asking the questions most of us would ask the candidates if we could,” said Jill Frick, 47, of San Clemente. “I just really liked how John McCain gave well-stated answers. He didn’t even have to think. He takes a stand. Barack has a charming personality. He didn’t always give the direct answer.”

As a good orator and a person with definite charisma, Obama almost always does well no matter what the venue though he is less sure of himself without a TelePrompter in front of him. That said, he did flub the ’evil’ and ‘abortion’ questions.
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Flight 93 Update…

August 21, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Flight 93, Islam, Islamofascism, News, Security/Safety, War on Terror, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

Big DC Fundraiser Canceled

Canceled as well the urgent action alert that was going to be the subject of today’s blogburst post. The Memorial Project has just abandoned the “gala” tribute and fundraiser they were planning for almost a year. The event was to be held in Washington DC on September 11th, and yes, they actually called it a “gala,” until Flight 93 family members said NO WAY.

Last month’s announcement of the event promised big:

An impressive Honorary Host Committee has been assembled consisting of over 200 members of Congress and the leadership of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Special state delegations from Pennsylvania and California are also being organized for the event.

Assembled where? In the imaginations of Memorial Project personnel? If there really were 200 Congressmen on board, including the leadership of both parties, what could possibly prompt cancellation?

Has word gotten out that the memorial is actually a terrorist memorial mosque?

Fuggedaboudit. We are a long ways from Congress being alert to the facts. It is possible, however, that there is a growing awareness in Congress that the Flight 93 families are divided over the crescent design (now called a broken circle). Thank Tom Burnett Sr., whose efforts to stop the desecration of his son’s grave drew national television coverage in May, and extensive Pittsburgh coverage this month:
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Another Time Mag. McCain Computer Smear

August 20, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, Inernet, Media Bias, News, Society/Culture, Technology, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

I thought this whole McCain as Computer illiterate meme had finally faded, but Time Magazine comes to the rescue of this pointless attack once again. The last time we saw this attack it was by the chief geek over at PCmag.com, Lance Ulanoff. This time it is Lev Grossman from Time Magazine in one titled “The Off-Line American.” Painting McCain as “behind the times” and “way behind” Grossman also takes the occasion to link McCain with “recently indicted Alaska Senator Ted Stevens.” Lots of slams yet much ado about nothing. But, anything to try to make McCain look bad, of course.

First of all, it is a bit humorous that Time and Grossman’s goal is to make it look like McCain is Internet illiterate, yet with the very first use of the word, in the first sentence of the very first paragraph of the story, Internet is misspelled by splitting it into two words.

It’s hard to tell exactly how much or how little John McCain knows about the Inter net.

Time publishes an article about the Internet, calling it the “Inter net,” and they have the gall to make fun of McCain, or President Bush for saying “The Google”? Now THAT is irony.

What is Faith?

August 20, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Family, News, Science, Society/Culture, Thomas Brewton | Comments Off

-By Thomas E. Brewton

It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. (Romans 4:13)

Rev. Josh Hanson preached Sunday’s sermon at Black Rock-Long Ridge Congregational Church (North Stamford, Connecticut).

Using the familiar story of Noah building the ark, Rev. Hanson emphasized that Noah did everything just as God commanded him. (Genesis 6:22) This is why Genesis 6:9 states that Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.
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The NYT’s Most Anti-McCain, Misleading Headline of the Week

August 19, 2008 | Filed Under 00Publius Contributor, Democrats/Leftists, Elections, GOP, Media Bias, News, President, Society/Culture, Warner Todd Huston | Comments Off

-By Warner Todd Huston

Many of you are aware of the kerfuffle surrounding the “cone of silence” complaint being ginned up by the Obama campaign after the recent Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency on Saturday, August 16. The claim made by Obama and his willing accomplices in the Old Media (like Andrea Mitchell, not to mention the DailyKos) is that John McCain “cheated” by hearing the questions proffered to Obama, who was first up to be questioned by moderator Rick Warren. McCain’s answers were just too glib, the Obama meme posits, so he must have heard the questions ahead of time instead of being placed in an area off stage where he could not hear the proceedings. Yes, they are saying he cheated.

On Sunday, August 17, The New York Times did its level best to assist the Obama campaign to further that mistaken conception — well, all right, that outright lie — even as they debunked the story. How? By making their headline seem to support the Obama claim that McCain cheated, that’s how.

Now, remember, that the claim from the Obama camp is that John McCain somehow snuck out of the “cone of silence” he was supposed to be in while backstage. This so-called “cone of silence” was supposed to be an area backstage where McCain was not able to hear the questioning. Keep in mind that the Obama camp is saying McCain left this area unauthorized and that he, therefore, cheated. Now check out the New York Times headline:

Despite Assurances, McCain Wasn’t in a ‘Cone of Silence’

Now, if you were to read only this headline and skip the story, it would seem to verify that the Obama campaign was right. McCain was not in this “cone of silence.” It would be very easy to conclude that McCain then did hear the questions and did cheat.
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Tags: Publius+Forum, Warner+Todd+Huston, Media+Bias, New+York+Times