Christopher J. Arndt fights a never ending battle for truth and justice...


Syndication





Blogroll Me!

the Tour De France 2008

FNC Alert 7/27/2008 11:49 AM

CARLOS SASTRE OF SPAIN WINS THE TOUR DE FRANCE

I have no idea who that is.

Labels: Fox News, sports

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/27/2009 11:49:00 AM | |

American wonder

Labels: politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/24/2009 08:39:00 PM | |

SFLA responds to DHS memo on pro-life being terrorism

The following is from two different Students for Life of America e-mail newsletters and presented non-chronologically.


Pro-Lifers = Terrorists? 5/6/2009 9:25 PM

Labels: abortion, politics, reprints

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/24/2009 07:21:00 PM | |

Statism can be Tempting

Lawrence W. Reed writes on the dangers of banning secondhand smoke, smoking, and overriding the private property rights of citizens simply for comfort.

Labels: link dump, Michigan, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/21/2009 01:15:00 AM | |

Merrie Melodies - I Taw A Putty Tat (1948)


Public Domain
April 2, 1948
Director: Friz Freleng
Producer: Edward Eddie Selzer
Production Company: Warner Bros.
Audio/Visual: mono, color

Tweety is a male as I recall.

Ignore Cartoon Network.

Labels: embedded media

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/20/2009 07:37:00 PM | |

the system or the people?

In Michigan (like many states) we've had debates and conversations for years regarding full-time legislature versus part-time legislature, term limits, and other technical and constitutional bits regarding the very structure of our state government. I have often argued that term limits were against the Founding Fathers' vision of a Democratic Republic where citizens are allowed and encouraged to elect representatives as often as they preferred; it is embarrassing that I argued that term limits were "unconstitutional" before I remembered that term limits are literally Constitutional in the state of Michigan. Yet having term limits does not change that the leftist and/or statist politicians can inflict great damage on liberty and that a part-time legislature can certainly contain destructive part-time legislators introducing destructive legislation. The structure of the political arena does not create these villains insomuch as the people choose to elect them.

Labels: Michigan, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/20/2009 05:58:00 PM | |

Alabama versus Michigan

Alabama is a Right-to-Work state. My state, Michigan, is one where the laws tend to favor unionists and labor unions, even at the expense or detriment of the individual who desires to work and to be employed. Mackinac Center analyzes the differences, especially as to the contrast of the Midwestern state's myth that the Southern states are backward when at least in one respect (probably among many) Alabama could be said to be more advanced than Michigan.

Labels: link dump, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/20/2009 05:50:00 PM | |

Paul Weyrich tributes and obituaries

Paul Weyrich died Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at 1 AM. He was 66 years old. There are Weyrich links at first and then a reprint of a tribute to Paul Weyrich by Morton Blackwell.

• Fox News obituary - Conservative Icon Paul Weyrich Dies
• Paul Weyrich was the first leader and co-founder of the legendary Heritage Foundationand they used their blog to tribute the man.
• Paul Weyrich's Newsmax column - the final column
  

The following, I suppose, is copyright Morton Blackwell or the Leadership Institute. From the word tense it is obvious it was written when Mr. Weyrich was still alive, ironically a month or so before his unfortunate passing.

A Tribute to Paul Weyrich
by Morton C. Blackwell
Fall 2008

View PDF File

---

Next to Ronald Reagan, no single person has achieved more to advance the cause of American conservatism than Paul Weyrich.

Paul came to Washington 42 years ago to work as press secretary for conservative U.S. Senator Gordon Allott of Colorado. At the time, liberalism was riding high.

There were very few conservative op-ed writers. There was no talk radio as we know it today. Fox News and conservative blogs like Townhall and RedState did not exist.

Lionel Trilling wrote at the time that “liberalism is not only the dominant ideology; it’s the only ideology in America.”

Some of the few conservatives who worked in the D.C. area didn’t dare call themselves conservatives.

After Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, the Nixon/Agnew ticket resulted in another disappointing setback for conservatism. But beginning in the early 1970s, conservatism was on the march. The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 constituted a major triumph for conservative principles.

... And none of it would have happened without Paul Weyrich. Now it’s time to honor him.

As a congressional staffer, Paul watched the powerful, liberal coalition of academics, think tank analysts, members of Congress, White House aides, interest-group officials, and journalists running America and wondered: “Why can’t we put together an operation like that?”

There was, for example, no comparable conservative alternative to the Brookings Institution, the catalyst for many of the legislative successes of the liberals during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Paul Weyrich had been inspired by Barry Goldwater’s principled run for the presidency in 1964. Paul called himself a "movement conservative."

You see, Barry Goldwater’s landslide loss in 1964 taught many of us young conservatives a valuable lesson that I still focus on at my Leadership Institute: “Being right, in the sense of being philosophically correct, is not sufficient to win.”

Paul keenly understood this.

When he and I first met in 1968, I saw immediately that Paul was very special: principled, articulate, creative, tenacious, fearless, and wise—in a unique combination.

Over the years I have had the good fortune to know almost all of the most effective conservatives in America. No one else has come close to being as effective as Paul in building the conservative movement. In an astonishing range of activities, Paul’s achievements are spectacular.

Let me start by sharing with you the little-known story of one of Paul’s most important institution-building successes.

Paul and I had been friends for about three years. I was on the senior staff of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), then the D.C. area’s largest conservative think tank.

When I learned that AEI had deliberately withheld the publication of a powerful study regarding a bill under consideration by the Congress, I privately discussed the matter with Paul. It seemed AEI policy at the time was not to publish studies which might be seen as attempts to affect the outcome in Congress.

After the Senate narrowly defeated the conservatives’ bill, AEI published the study.

When the tardy AEI study arrived at Sen. Allott’s office, Paul himself called AEI president William J. Baroody, Sr., and said, “This is a great study. Why didn’t you publish it when it could do some good?”

Bill Baroody replied that publishing studies which appeared to be attempts to affect pending legislation might endanger AEI’s tax-exempt status.

At that moment, Paul decided that conservatives needed an independent research institute to influence the policy debate as it occurred in Congress—before decisions were made. He envisioned an activist think tank, separate from Congress and not officially tied to any political party.

You’ll be highly interested in what happened next.

Paul contacted Joseph Coors, whom Paul had known when he was a TV newsman in Denver. Joe was president of the Adolph Coors Company in Colorado and one of the best known conservative business leaders in America.

Paul told Joe Coors about AEI’s policy of delaying the publishing of policy studies which might affect pending legislation.

Joe said, “I think I can handle that.” But he got the same story when he phoned AEI’s president.

Joe Coors then called Paul back in Sen. Allott’s office and said, “I want to spend money on the conservative movement. I want to do something.”

Not missing a beat, Paul essentially said, “Have I got an idea for you!”

Later, Joe visited Washington and met with Paul. Casting about for help, Paul arranged for Coors to talk with fellow conservative Lyn Nofziger, who was then President Nixon’s deputy assistant for congressional relations.

Along with Coors and Paul, in Nofziger’s large pastel-blue office in the Old Executive Office Building next to the White House, was Paul’s friend Edwin J. Feulner, Jr.

Ed Feulner was then administrative assistant to Congressman Phil Crane, a staunch conservative from Illinois. Paul and Ed frequently breakfasted together in the basement cafeteria of the U.S. Capitol.

Paul was then age 28, and Feulner was 30.

“So what about AEI?” Joe Coors asked Nofziger.

“AEI?” repeated the curmudgeonly White House aide.

Lyn Nofziger then strolled over to a bookshelf and blew some dust off an AEI study. “That’s what they’re good for—collecting dust. They do great work, but they’re not timely. What we need are studies for Congress while legislation is being considered.”

Coors later told Paul that two things made him decide to go with Paul’s idea, despite the obvious youth of its principals: Lyn Nofziger’s dismissal of AEI as too academic and Paul’s “tremendous business plan.”

And that was the beginning of something big. Paul became the first president of a new conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation. Ed Feulner later succeeded Paul as president and built Heritage into the conservative powerhouse we know today.

If there had been no Paul Weyrich, there would, in all likelihood, have been no Heritage Foundation. And had there been no Heritage Foundation—and the many other new and improved conservative organizations Paul created or made possible—Ronald Reagan would not have been elected in 1980.

Keep in mind that Goldwater’s humiliating defeat occurred just 16 years prior.

And while Reagan clearly appealed to a wider audience than Goldwater, the rise of conservative organizations allowed Reagan to win by a landslide while Goldwater had lost by a even greater margin in the popular vote. That’s just the start of my story of Paul’s impact.

Paul, Ed, and I were among an informal group brought together by conservative fundraiser Richard Viguerie in 1972. We were determined conservatives who began to discuss how to build a powerful base of conservative activists and leaders who could eventually win in American politics.

Central to our plan was to create new, effective, conservative groups. Paul Weyrich turned out to be, by far, the most successful creator of new organizations. Below is only a partial list of the conservative organizations he engendered or was key in starting:

• Heritage Foundation
• Free Congress Foundation
• Free Congress PAC

• Coalitions for America
• House Republican Study Committee
• Senate Steering Committee

• Council for National Policy
• International Policy Forum
• American Legislative Exchange Council

• American Association of State and Local Officials
• Conservative Leadership PAC

Paul sparked many people to create and lead a wide variety of other effective, new conservative groups. Our informal group met frequently throughout the 1970s to brainstorm new ideas and put them into effect.

In one of our discussions, I described theologically conservative Americans as “the largest tract of virgin timber on the political landscape.” All the liberal pastors were already up to their necks in politics, but conservative religious leaders thought any such participation was no part of their calling.

At the time, conservative pastors sat back and allowed the leftists to remove prayer from school, legalize abortion-on-demand, and, in general, make government the active enemy of traditional values.

Conservative evangelicals were non-combatants in the political aspects of the culture war. Yet government was successfully assaulting almost everything they held dear.

Paul took the initiative to organize a group of conservative leaders to visit a successful, religious broadcaster in Lynchburg, Virginia—to recruit him to lead conservative Christians into political participation.

During their discussion, Paul told the Rev. Jerry Falwell, “Out there is what one might call a moral majority.”

Jerry Falwell suddenly exclaimed, “That’s the name of the organization!”

Many people know what happened from there. (And now you know what Paul Harvey would call “the rest of the story.”) Not long after that, Ronald Reagan became the first presidential candidate to benefit from the support of millions of newly activated, theologically conservative Americans.

Here’s another thing most people don’t know about: Paul’s central role in overturning the defeatist Republican leadership in the Congress.

For decades the House and Senate Republican leadership contentedly accepted their government limousines and gave little thought or effort to overturning the Democrats’ congressional majorities.

Paul saw that only a new generation of conservative Republican congressional leadership could wrest control from the leftist Democrats in charge of both Houses.

Key to that achievement was creation of the House Republican Study Committee and the Senate Steering Committee. Paul and Ed Feulner persuaded some solidly conservative U.S. Representatives and Senators to take on that project. But that was only the important, first step.

Paul then led the bigger and more complex task. It required many steps:

1. To recruit and train a new generation of conservative candidates all across America.

2. To generate political and financial support for those candidates so they could win nomination and election.

3. To identify, recruit, and train conservative Members of both Houses who could eventually become the congressional Republican leaders.

4. To work quietly and systematically to line up support in the House and Senate Republican conferences for action-oriented challengers against the content-free incumbent party leaders.

5. To build up an efficient network of trustworthy conservative congressional staff who would have to do much of the work of advancing conservative principles in congressional activities.

Paul did all of that and more. It was both a massive and complex task.

Paul began a weekly strategy luncheon which he hosted in his office. He recruited as a luncheon regular a very bright new congressman named Newt Gingrich. I was there as Paul first explained to Newt what a “wedge issue” is.

Paul took the lead in an astonishing variety of tasks:

• training a new generation of grassroots conservative activists and leaders

• recruiting solidly conservative candidates

• generating support for conservative candidates in nomination and general-election contests by introducing them to conservative donors and to the leaders of new conservative organizations

• helping newly elected conservatives hire solidly conservative staff

• lining up support for activist conservatives in party leadership contests in both Houses of Congress

Of course, most of these activities necessarily take place behind the scenes, so people not directly involved never have learned of Paul’s leadership role in them. Now you know.

Most effective conservatives do know that Paul is the “go to” guy when you want to make something happen. Paul’s effectiveness is famous.

Over the last 40 years, I’ve been in uncounted thousands of conservative meetings, large and small, where everyone looked to Paul to put the heat on specific people to do the right thing.

You probably remember the children’s story where some mice were troubled by a cat who was catching and eating many of them. One mouse came up with the great idea of tying a bell around the cat’s neck so they could hear him coming. Another mouse raised the question, “Who shall bell the cat?”

Belling the cat is dangerous business.

Fortunately for all of us, Paul Weyrich is fearless and ready to do whatever must be done to advance conservative principles. He has never aspired to win a popularity contest. Regardless of the consequences to himself, Paul keeps his commitments, and woe unto anyone who breaks his word to Paul.

The truth is that many people are (wisely) afraid of him. Many a waverer has been brought back to the "straight and narrow" for fear of angering Paul.

Serious conservatives treasure Paul’s judgment, and the smartest ones often follow his advice. If one wants support from conservatives, earning Paul’s respect is very, very valuable.

Next, let me tell you one of the best things Paul ever did for us. Having once been invited by mistake to a left-wing coalition meeting, Paul studied how the left operated. Then he adapted for conservatives the techniques for building powerful coalitions.

Paul organized the first successful conservative coalition meetings. Soon Paul’s model began to produce major results in a wide variety of policy areas. Briefly, here’s how it works:

1. Invite people who share common interests and who will commit to take actions to further those causes.

2. Invite people who have the personal ability to make things happen, through their financial resources, their communication vehicles, their grassroots following, their network of contacts, or their expertise.

3. Avoid inviting people who are merely note-takers for others.

4. Prepare an interesting, action-oriented agenda of topics for coalition meetings.

5. Brainstorm ideas for appropriate actions regarding the topics discussed.

6. Call for volunteers to take specific actions.

7. Note those who volunteer to take actions and hold them accountable for doing what they agree to do.

8. Have the meetings chaired by someone who has resources to commit, who has considerable prestige, and whom participants would fear to disappoint.

The beauty of this model is that each person in the coalition remains independent. No one is required to do anything by a vote of the gathering. Yet an enormous amount of action can result.

People are dropped from the meeting if they come only to promote their own projects, never volunteer to take actions to help the projects of others, or consistently fail to do what they volunteer to do.

That all sounds simple, but in practice, conservative coalitions pioneered by Paul Weyrich multiplied the effectiveness of conservatives in the public policy process.

Paul created a number of different coalitions and still personally chairs his famous Wednesday luncheons when Congress is in session. About sixty people regularly attend.

Other conservatives have replicated Paul’s model effectively for national coalition meetings. Now such coalitions operate locally and do important work in many states.

A little-known aspect of Paul’s career is his huge effort to identify and train pro-freedom activists and leaders in the former Soviet empire.

He understood that the fall of communist regimes would amount to nothing unless anti-communists there learned how to operate successfully in the democratic process. From the Iron Curtain to far Siberia, Paul brought expert, American, conservative faculty to teach practical political skills to grassroots activists.

Over several years, Paul personally made more than 40 trips over there.

He identified good people and brought first-class training to them. Conditions were often primitive, and there was more than a little personal danger. But as usual, Paul poured his talent and resources into doing the right thing.

We should thank God that Paul remains active in politics. Today, through his principal organization, the Free Congress Foundation, he continues to do tremendous work on behalf of our country and our conservative principles.

He is writing and publishing more now than ever. Hardly a day passes without powerful, interesting, current quotes from Paul in the print and broadcast media on the hot issues before our country.

Several years ago, Paul had a nasty accident when he slipped on the ice. This left him crippled and in constant pain. Ultimately, doctors removed his legs. In spite of the resultant disability, Paul labors on, always courageous and highly effective.

Still an inspiring movement conservative, Paul is an outspoken critic of Republicans and Democrats who don’t advance our economic and social values.

Without Paul Weyrich, there would likely have been no conservative movement worthy of the name—and no Ronald Reagan presidency.

If there were a Mount Rushmore for conservative leaders, Paul’s face would have to be on it.

Labels: Fox News, link dump, politics

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/20/2009 04:28:00 PM | |

theology?

Yes one of the things this weblog is supposed to cover, as I purposed it, is theological topics and of course my favorite obsessions the parallels between Scriptures, history as told in the Bible, and modern life. There are ways of the modern sociopolitical system, American customs, economics and just how the went down between sin and redemption.

What does it mean when Americans treat government institutions as those filling the singular role of savior, in one manner or another, and as important as that, why see the present President as a, (or the) messiah.

Labels: meta, politics, theology

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/19/2009 04:01:00 PM | |

back from Indianapolis for the Young Republican National Convention

I passed out cards, created a business plan/model in four days with a partner, networked, flirted with attractive women, acted along with the rest of Team Renewal to defeat Team Next Level, helped my friend Stuart Foster become Midwest Vice Chair and had a lot of fun.

I will give a full report at a later date.

The only reason this post is off-topic is because I am a topic of the article.

One does hope those young college students I met at the Rock Bottom will actually follow through and visit this site and await a reading list.

I know Derek Moss would want them to.

Labels: Michigan, off-topic, politics, Republicans

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/13/2009 01:06:00 AM | |

4th of July



purported actress Rachael Leigh Cook

more:

Labels: holidays, images

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/04/2009 04:39:00 AM | |

Tweet Aggregator



a good Tweet Aggregator is Tweetdeck, comes highly recommended

Labels: link dump, Twitter

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/01/2009 05:52:00 PM | |

a visit from NASA

Thank you Shamus Young

Apologies Demanded By Referrals > Visit Detail Visit 91,077
		[<<] [>>]
Domain Name		nasa.gov ? (U.S. Government)
IP Address		128.157.160.# (National Aeronautics and Space Association)
ISP		National Aeronautics and Space Association
Location		Continent : North America Country : United States (Facts) State : Alabama City : Huntsville Lat/Long : 34.6325, -86.6527 (Map)
Language		English (U.S.) en-us
Operating System		Microsoft WinXP
Browser		Firefox Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.11) Gecko/2009060215 Firefox/3.0.11
Javascript		version 1.5
Monitor		Resolution : 1440 x 900 Color Depth : 32 bits
Time of Visit		Jul 1 2009 4:20:18 pm
Last Page View		Jul 1 2009 4:26:10 pm
Visit Length		5 minutes 52 seconds
Page Views		2
Referring URL		http://www.shamusyou...ntysidedtale/?p=3799
Visit Entry Page		http://apologiesdema...eing-mainstream.html
Visit Exit Page		http://apologiesdemanded.blogspot.com/
Out Click
Time Zone		UTC-6:00
Visitor's Time		Jul 1 2009 3:20:18 pm
Visit Number		91,077

Makes me wish all that stuff I have on space rockets for today was not in draft mode.m

Labels: link dump, meta

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/01/2009 05:49:00 PM | |

Michigan Dept of Corrections releases sex offenders by mistake

State Representative Rick Jones (Republican, Grand Ledge) released the following on his Facebook page in the past 70 minutes. I promise no updates as the situation continues. As usual I blame the Democrats.

Rick Jones Today I discovered that the Michigan Department of Corrections has released 44 inmates from prison who are sex offenders. And they released them by MISTAKE.

Michael DeRyder at 4:09pm July 1

Rick Jones MDOC told me that 44 sex offenders had been released from prison by mistake. Then they told the Detroit Free Press 55. Now we have reports that they are admitting to 62! There is NO excuse for releasing a sex offender by mistake.

Labels: Democrats, Facebook, Michigan, Michigan 7th District, politics, reprints, Republicans, Rick Jones

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/01/2009 04:55:00 PM | |

will the rule of three come in threes?

Rule of Three no. 1 - Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson

Rule of Three no. 2 - Billy Mays, Fred Travalena, Karl Malden


I expect three more famous people dead for a total of nine by July 12th

Labels: Jerry Doyle, link dump

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/01/2009 04:32:00 PM | |

Canada Day

Happy Canada Day

Since this is Canada's version of our Independence Day, I point to an old article excoriating the other North American anglo-descendant country.

Labels: holidays, link dump

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/01/2009 03:21:00 PM | |

Christmas in July

I hate this stupid trick gimmick to sell crap and hold sales in the middle of the summer. From a commercial standpoint it makes sense, because apparently "just because" or our nation's Independence Day does not quite work.



For me I will simply use it as an excuse for a Star Wars pun comic.

Labels: holidays, Star Wars

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/01/2009 02:39:00 PM | |

Al Franken definitively and legally defeats Norm Coleman

FNC Alert BREAKING NEWS 6/30/2009 2:12 PM

MINNESOTA COURT CLEARS WAY FOR AL FRANKEN TO FILL VACANT SENATE SEAT

FNC Alert BREAKING NEWS 6/30/2009 4:24 PM

NORM COLEMAN CONCEDES MINNESOTA SENATE RACE TO AL FRANKEN

That the people of Minnesota voted for that ex-funny comedian to represent them as their US Senator does not change the basic essential nature of the United States Senate when it comes to voting blocs or resulting politics.

On the other hand, if Conservatives did seek to eventually establish a majority within the US Senate, or even allow politically Conservative Minnesotans to be adequately represented from the state to that particular federal legislative house, then it would have been a better assertion and protection of candidate principle if Senator Coleman had fought a better campaign up until November 2008. I am certain people are asserting that the Democrats stole this election but given the make-up of the Senate now I cannot say that I care. If I was to dictate expenditures for a Conservative majority voting bloc in the Senate then this matters.

Labels: Democrats, Fox News, Minnesota, politics, Republicans

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/01/2009 02:00:00 PM | |

some Facebook "Favorite" Quotations

Some quotes located on Facebook, but accurate as I understand them.

"If you have not accomplished every single thing then you have not accomplished anything." -- Red Whitaker

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares about more than his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." -- John Stuart Mill

"The heart of man is deceitful without cure, who can understand it" -- Jeremiah 17:9

"There is a right and wrong in the Universe, and the distinction is not hard to make"

"I want to die peacefully, in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming, terrified, like his passengers."

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” -- 1 Samuel 16:7

"Everywhere, unthinking mobs of 'independent thinkers' wield tired cliches like cudgels, pummeling those who dare question 'enlightened' dogma. If 'violence never solved anything,' cops wouldn't have guns and slaves may never have been freed. If it's better that 10 guilty men go free to spare one innocent, why not free 100 or 1,000,000? Cliches begin arguments, they don't settle them." -- Jonah Goldberg

"Sometimes it is better to be known for one's enemies!"

"If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball."

"There is no try."

"Writing about politics is usually miserable, pointless, and time-consuming. It would be just as productive for me to sit by the road, giving the finger to people with the wrong bumperstickers." -- Shamus Young

"Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends!"

The above were copied from mine and I did not find them on Facebook, but source them from a variety of other places. For example, Jonah Goldberg's quote about cliches was created for a coffee cup series that Starbucks created for conversation pieces. Most of them I leave for others to guess where I got them, especially as I thought that attributing the phrases/quotes/statements on Facebook itself would rob from their own dignity, standing, and distract from their respective crucial truths. Creating context in the "Favorite Quotations" section on Facebook is tempting but never demanded nor really useful given the audience. I have no need to avoid those burdens on my own venue here.

These come from Dana Ritterbusch. She is quite young, very smart, and very attractive.

♥♪♥♪♪♥♥♪♥♪♪♥
---------------------------------------------------------
"Dana, you are grade A ass real estate."
-Karen
---------------------------------------------------------
"Why do these straight edge people keep joining faire cast?? Just stay at Discovery Zone where you belong!"
-Paige
---------------------------------------------------------
"I think the ball is always intended for me, they might not throw it directly to me, but if you're in my area, it's my ball.
- Champ Bailey
---------------------------------------------------------
"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"
-Barry Goldwater
---------------------------------------------------------
"If Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella had a love child, you would definitely be it."
-Anne
---------------------------------------------------------
"A kiss that is never tasted is forever and ever wasted."
-Billie Holiday
---------------------------------------------------------
"Women love danger, if they could they would date a fire."
---------------------------------------------------------
"Some people throw in the towel. Real champions hang it back up."
-Sesame Street
---------------------------------------------------------
"Love is the only game never postponed due to darkness."
-Anonymous
---------------------------------------------------------
"This is our culture -- fight for it.
This is our flag -- pick it up.
This is our country -- take it back."
- Congressman Tom Tancredo
---------------------------------------------------------
"You're only given a speck of madness. You mustn't lose it."
-Robin Williams
---------------------------------------------------------
"There is no God. Only Staph!" - Kyla Andrew
---------------------------------------------------------
"That's the beauty of argument, if you argue correctly, you're never wrong."
-Nick Naylor, Thank You For Smoking
---------------------------------------------------------
"Which way is the train going?" -Dana
"North like a little bitch!!" -Kayla
---------------------------------------------------------
"God will not look your over for medals,
degrees or diplomas, but for scars."
-Elbert Hubbard
---------------------------------------------------------
"Taken out of context I must seem so strange."
-Ani DiFranco
---------------------------------------------------------
"Let's look death in the face and say 'whatever man'."
-Hurley, LOST Season 3
---------------------------------------------------------

She followed her Congressman Tom Tancredo even into the Presidential Primary campaigns, I presume. I know not if she followed his endorsement of MItt Romney for President, but I doubt it.

The following are taken from Joe Townsend, whose politics mirror mine in many ways, but his assertions and choice of time use is often wiser e.g. he speaks less so people take him more seriously.

"Those guys are so liberal with that call they must be in the socialist party" - Mickey Redmond commenting on an icing call during the Red Wings and Panthers game, 11/14/08

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule." - H.L. Mencken
"Freedom is not empowerment. Empowerment is what the Serbs have in Bosnia. Anybody can grab a gun and be empowered. It's not entitlement. An entitlement is what people on welfare get, and how free are they? It's not an endlessly expanding list of rights -- the "right" to education, the "right" to health care, the "right" to food and housing. That's not freedom, that's dependency. Those aren't rights, those are the rations of slavery -- hay and a barn for human cattle." - P.J. O'Rourke
One of the consequences of such notions as "entitlements" is that people who have contributed nothing to society feel that society owes them something, apparently just for being nice enough to grace us with their presence.
-Thomas Sowell
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
-C.S. Lewis
The most fundamental fact about the ideas of the political left is that they do not work. Therefore we should not be surprised to find the left concentrated in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to survive
-Thomas Sowell
"Compassion is no substitute for justice."
"...There's no such thing as a good gun. There's no such thing as a bad gun. A gun in the hands of a bad man is a very dangerous thing. A gun in the hands of a good person is no danger to anyone except the bad guys..."
"The beauty of the second amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it."
- President Thomas Jefferson
"All of us need to be reminded that the Federal Government did not create the States; the States created the Federal Government."
- President Ronald Reagan
"[Taxes pay for] everything! Policemen, trees, sunshine. And let's not forget the folks who just don't feel like workin', God bless 'em!"
- Ned Flanders
"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have ... The course of history shows that as a government grows, liberty decreases."
- President Thomas Jefferson
Nowhere at present is there such a measureless loathing of their country by educated people as in America
-Eric Hoffer
A ruling intelligentsia, whether in Europe, Asia or Africa, treats the masses as raw material to be experimented on, processed, and wasted at will
-Eric Hoffer
...mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent...
-Adam Smith
There is no safety for honest men but by believing all possible evil of evil men.
-Edmund Burke

Thomas Sowell purportedly is often attributed for that CS Lewis quote as he quotes CS Lewis those words. Mr. Townsend does not repeat that error. (Joe Townsend supported Senator Fred Thompson's bid for US President, as did I).

I feel the temptation to wipe the quotes clean from my page and simply replace them with CS Lewis's, likely with the fullest context I have quickly available.

The following is from Lindsey Michele Houser's Facebook page.

" Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action."

-The Bible, 1 John 3:18 NRSV

I will not assert the context or raise dispute based on context but the message as taken straightforward is a fair summary of a Christian's mission and could perhaps be taken as an indictment of certain folk. It certainly denies the notion of "love" as an emotion. I cannot tell what version of the Bible it is from. Three versions of that same verse can be found here.

The following is from my friend and fellow former activist Dennis Bentley.

"If we lose this war, history will record with the greatest astonishment, that those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent it from happening."
-Ronald Reagan

"It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning."
- Henry Ford

“I don’t care what mindless puppet they put on the throne of England so long as I control the money.”
-Nathan Rothschild

"When you boys come home and see an anti war protester walk up to him and shake his hand and be very polite, and then turn to his girlfriend and wink, because she knows she is dating a pussy."
-General Tommy Franks

“I look at Governor Romney, Mayor Giuliani, my good friend John McCain. Governor Romney joined with Bill Clinton for the 1994 gun ban when I was fighting that. Mayor Giuliani stood with them at the White House on that. Governor Romney has passed what I consider to be a major step towards socialism with respect to his mandated health care bill. John McCain is standing strong with Ted Kennedy on this Kennedy-McCain-Bush border enforcement bill. I think the guy who has got the most influence right here with these three gentlemen is Ted Kennedy. And I think we need to move away from the Kennedy-wing of the Republican Party.”
-Representative Duncan Hunter, Presidential Candidate 2008, at the NH Debate

“There is an old saying which I learned from the coach at Ohio State (Woody Hayes) and that was, 'when people start saying a lot of nice things about you, look out!'”
-Bo Schembechler commenting on his upset over the 1969 Buckeyes

Duncan Hunter's turn of phrase regarding Governor Mitt Romney, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Senator John McCain (who unfortunately ended up as the Republican Presidential candidate for 2008) has the ring of truth. While he may be speaking broadly his assessment of the three men is more-or-less accurate. The former Governor of Massachusetts and the former Mayor of New York are both products and reflections of the political culture of their respective former constituencies. New York City is a Sanctuary City; Mayor Giuliani is a member of the New York Liberal Party; Massachusetts elected and continues to elect John Kerry as their Junior Senator and has elected Ted Kennedy to his post in the US Senate continuously even after the lake incident. I rant because Mitt Romney attempted a run to the left of Ted Kennedy on issues. Senator McCain simply is independent in his American Progressive beliefs. Never mind the details and contexts right now.

It is fitting that Dennis Bentley supported Duncan Hunter for US President in 2008, right until the bitter end.

This is the only time, with General Franks' quote, that I knowledgeably print or reprint a certain level of profanity or vulgarity on this weblog.

Only with proper opportunity will a follow-up to all of this occur.

Labels: Christianity, Duncan Hunter, Facebook, Fred Thompson, John McCain, Mitt Romney, politics, theology, Tom Tancredo

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/01/2009 01:33:00 PM | |

Detroit Tigers Postgame - Detroit at Oakland 2009-06-30


Detroit Tigers Postgame Alert

---

June 30, 2009

Detroit 5, Oakland 3 at Oakland Coliseum
Detroit Record: (43-34)
Oakland Record: (32-44)

Winning pitcher - Armando Galarraga (5-7)
Losing pitcher - Gio Gonzalez (0-2)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
DET	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1		5	12	2
OAK	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2		3	5	1

GAME LINKS:
Recap | Full Box Score | Photo Gallery | Highlights

Game Recap & Box Score »
Visit tigers.com for more information »
Standings »
Game Notes »
Video Highlights »
Photo Gallery »

Next Detroit Game: July 1, 2009 12:35 PM PT vs. Oakland Athletics

Upcoming Detroit Home Games:
vs. Kansas City Royals, July 6, 2009 07:05 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. Kansas City Royals, July 7, 2009 07:05 PM ET Purchase Tickets
vs. Kansas City Royals, July 8, 2009 07:05 PM ET Purchase Tickets

Labels: Detroit Tigers, reprints, sports

posted by Chris Arndt at 7/01/2009 01:15:00 AM | |