You will wear a seat belt.
You may not smoke.
You will wear a helmet.
You will buy and install a low flow toilet.
You will restrict the flow of your shower head.
You have broken no laws but may not carry a gun.
You can not cut down your tree on your property with out a permit from the city.
You cannot burn your wood stove or fireplace.
You cannot use your barbecue.
You cannot bring asprin or tylenol to school.
You cannot protect yourself from a bully.
The city can claim your property under eminent domain for a more preferred use even if it is not a public use.
Watering your lawn is only permitted on odd or even days.

This is a partial list of the encroachment of liberal dominated government on individuals. Nearly every aspect of our lives in this "free country" is impacted by those who make it their life's work to tell others how they should live.

Humans are reaching the limits of their ability to cope, and simply going nuts. Perhaps we should be surprised how few are going crazy!

A woman died on an American Airlines flight after being refused oxygen, according to a Foxnews.com account.

The woman was complaining of being thirsty and having breathing problems. She was given water but refused oxygen by the flight crew. After consultation with the cockpit, oxygen was offered, but the portable tanks aboard the aircraft were empty. The woman died before an emergency landing could be completed.

Flying gets worse all the time. This is a new low.

Can Hillary Clinton find anything that will work to unseat Barak Obama as the front runner in the Democrat Party's Presidential nominee sweepstakes?

So far she cried, twice, so that one is used up. She trotted out Bill, and his big yap sent things downhill. She has used sexism, but women are deserting her for Barak's irresistible charm, and the race card has backfired badly sending African Americans running towards Obama.

Hillary, running out of money and support and sounding increasingly desperate is trying a new tactic, righteous indignation. Claiming Barak Obama has aggrieved her badly by distributing what she calls misleading policy mailers on health care and free trade, she angrily attacked him.

"Shame on you, Barack Obama," Clinton said during a campaign rally in Ohio, which along with the southern state of Texas holds key Democratic nominating contests on March 4.

"It is time you ran a campaign consistent with your messages in public. That's what I expect from you. Meet me in Ohio. Let's have a debate about your tactics and your behavior in this campaign."

Is that like "Obama, meet me after school behind the gymnasium"? She is calling him out! Did Hillary Clinton ever exhibit this much anger when it became public that her husband the President caroused around the Oval Office with Monica Lewinsky? Did she say "Monica, meet me behind the White House and I will kick your ass!"?

One could say Bill's behavior didn't rise to the level of "distributing misleading policy mailers on health care and free trade", or one could say that Hillary Clinton's chance of becoming the first female President can be viewed at this point in the rear view mirror.

The real reason Hillary is losing appears to be, well Hillary.

Berkeley blinked last night, deciding to soften a council resolution to kick the US Marine Recruiting station out of town. Was it common sense, pressure by real Marines who spoke before last night's marathon council meeting, or the threat to cut off Federal Funds to the City of Berkeley?

It was probably the fear of losing Federal funds. Even Socialists need money, and since Berkeley already bleeds its citizens to a turnip complexion, the loss of milk from the Federal tit trumped principles.

KCRA 3 in Sacramento outlined the arguments in coverage this morning. A Marine who made the push to Baghdad described his comrades in arms as brave men and women fighting to spread freedom and democracy, something he thought Berkeley held in high regard, not mercenaries fighting for money or a free education.

The next clip showed a typical white liberal woman railing against the lack of freedom for poor people of color who are uncontrollably tempted by the offer of job security and free college by those dastardly Marine recruiters, located conveniently near the high school.

Why do white liberals think they are so much smarter then people of color or less money? Such racism is embedded in the white liberal psyche. Maybe the brown people don't think they need white liberals to protect them.

Though it is farfetched to think there could be an invasion on American soil, Berkeley makes itself a perfect target. If the Jihadis invaded and landed in Berkeley, one can imagine the US Marines at the Albany- Berkeley city limits waiting to repel them while thousands of Prius and Volvo station wagon driving Berkeley residents are slaughtered.

The overtaxing and overspending King, the Federal Government has again exposed its belief that your money is their money by offering you a pittance back.

The $800.00 for individuals under a yet undecided income threshold shows that they took too much, and spent too much, leaving too little to sustain the economy.

Their solution? Give you a pittance back. Hey it was your money in the first place. They shoudn't have taken it.

If your taxes were less that the $800.00, congratulations, here is a freebie. You should thank your neighbor who paid it to you through the King as an intermediary.

Hillary Clinton won New Hampshire? I wonder who is more shocked, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or the public?

The press, pundits and pollsters got New Hampshire so wrong, that one might encourage them to a new line of work. They have become the story, and in this case, the story is how poorly they did predicting New Hampshire.

The supposedly unstoppable "Barack Obama up by double digits steamroller" either ran out of steam, or never existed in the first place.

If on the other hand you believe that Hillary's crocodile tears turned it around, then America is in worse shape then we thought. Who thinks Putin or Achmedinijad, or any other tough foreign leader our next President will deal with will be impressed or intimidated by a crying President Hillary?

If I were President I would restore the role of the Federal Government to it's original roles:

1. Defend the Country
2. Protect and Regulate the Borders
3. Regulate and mediate interstate commerce.

The jettisoning of massive amounts of welfare and special interest spending would be used to:

1. Eliminate deficit spending
2. Pay off the national debt
3. Restore the Social Security Funds spent by congress
4. Rebuild Nationally owned infrastructure
5. Reduce and simplify taxes
6. Encourage extremely rich Americans to contribute as much additional tax as they choose
7. Secure the borders

As a part of the National Defense I would

1. Reduce and eventually eliminate stationing of US Troops in Japan, Europe and Korea.
2. Correspondingly Increase troop strengths in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait (other Middle East Countries as needed).
3. Make a major push in Iraq to seize upon the strengths of the surge with the goal of leaving by fall of 2012.
4. In January 2013 begin the phased removal American Troops from the Middle East
5. Pass the "Assured Destruction" initiative. This would let belligerent States like Iran know that if the US is attacked and it is tracked back to them, we will level their 3 largest cities and destroy their infrastructure from the air.

To make keeping troops in the middle east past 2012 unnecessary I would engage in a National Energy independence initiative with he goal of being energy independent by 2050.

1. Immediately Fund a new "Manhattan Project" to discover/invent a new fuel for cars, trucks and power plants
A. Offer the technology to the car companies for free to incorporate it into their products
B. Seed the buildout of privately owned National distribution so consumers can get fuel for the new vehicles
2. Incentivize consumers and industry to continue to upgrade to green technologies and make energy conservation a National Priority.
3. Continue to use foreign oil and keep our own as a reserve until a suitable replacement is found.

Just a start.

A man was riding his Harley along a California beach when suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said, "Because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish."

The biker pulled over and said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can ride over anytime I want."

The Lord said, "Your request is materialistic. Think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking: the supports required reaching the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that could possibly help mankind."

The biker thought about it for a long time. Finally, he said, "Lord, I wish that I and all men could understand women. I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she really means when she says nothing's wrong, and how I can make a woman truly happy."

The Lord replied, "You want two lanes or four on that bridge?"

Here is an article with some common sense on global warming.

The most impressive demonstration in Gore's movie is that big graph of temperature and carbon dioxide levels stretching back 650,000 years. Carbon dioxide is thought to amplify temperature increases, but his graph seemed to show clear cause and effect: When carbon dioxide levels rose, so did temperature. It suggested that carbon levels controlled temperature. But a real inconvenient truth is that the carbon increase came after temperatures rose, usually hundreds of years later. Temperature went up first.

I wanted to ask Gore about that and other things, but he wouldn't agree to an interview. According to Gore, the "debate is over."

See the whole article here.

With less than 5 hours to go, bids for the Harry Reid/Rush Limbaugh Smear Letter were at $2,100,000.00 . How high will it go?

The Senate, under Harry Reid's direction sent a letter to Clear Channel's CEO Mark Mays, trying to get him to repudiate Rush for the comments. The letter was signed by 41 sissies in the Senate who have nothing better to do than bully a private citizen for his political beliefs, which were taken out of context in the first place.

Clear Channel did not comply, and now Rush has the original letter up for auction on EBAY. You can actually copy and print out the letter. Link to story.

Here is the link to the ebay auction item.

The bombing of the al-Askari Mosque by Al Queda in Iraq touched off violence and retribution between Sunni and Shiite Muslims that neary escalated into a full blown civil war.

That action in unstable Iraq seriously jeapordized America's ability to contain violence, which has only now shown a measurable drop since the Surge has shown success.

A new threat has emerged that has the potential to set the clock back once again. This time it is being perpetrated by non other than the Speaker Of the House of Representatives of the United States Government, Nancy Pelosi, Democrat.

Speaker Pelosi is planning to bring a resolution branding the killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Turks as "genocide" to a vote in the House. Turkey reportedly killed up to 1.5 million Armenians in the period around World War One.

At issue is not the validity of the resolution, but the timing. Turkey currently facilitates transit of much of the US military's logistic support of the war effort in Iraq, and that hospitality could be in jeopardy in the wake of an affirmitive vote on the resolution. Also at issue is Turkey's desire to invade northern Iraq to counter Kurdish rebels.

Like the bombing of the al-Askari Mosque touched of a cycle of violence, the consideration of this ill-timed resolution may cause the same. The US House of Representatives and Nancy Pelosi do not exist in a vacuum and if they vote and pass this resolution, they will be responsible for the results.

View Rush on Fox News talking about the Senate Smear Letter.

(This is a link to a Windows Media File that will load and display in Windows Media Player).

"Ted Nugent: I'd rather she was alive and the car jacker was dead".

Here is an excerpt of comments made by Katy Couric on statements made by Iran's President:

Couric referenced comments made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Monday’s “The Charlie Rose Show,” and said she actually agreed with Ahmadinejad on one point. “Oftentimes Westerners don’t really understand fully the values of this particular culture,” said Couric. “And I think the jury is still out as to whether democracy can really thrive in Iraq.”

Here is an excerpt from Time.com on a celebrity dinner put on by President Ahmadinejad of Iran:

This is now an annual ritual for the President of Iran. Every year, during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, he plots out a media campaign that — in its shrewdness, relentlessness, and quest for attention — would rival Angelina Jolie on a movie junket. And like any international figure, Mr. Ahmadinejad hones his performance for multiple audiences: in this case, the journalists and academics who can filter his speech and ideas for a wider American audience.

This illustrates the understanding of playing the media in the US where first ammendment guarantees give even despots a platform. There are no such visits by American Presidents to Iran, followed by speeches at prominent universities, followed by dinners with celebrities.

We are being played.

Columbia University's allowing the President of Iran to speak is perplexing at best.

Columbia will provide a forum for the President of a country that has publicly supported the destruction of Israel, denies the holocaust took place, supports terrorists, and is trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Yet Columbia says it is a free speech issue. Students regularly shut out or shout down those they disagree with from the right of the American political spectrum. Why is the President of a nation that is the opposite of all the students claim to hold dear given so much lattiude? Will they shout down Ahmadinejad, or show him the respect they reserve for those they agree with?

The university claims military recruiters should not be allowed on campus because of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policies regarding gays in the military. Ahmadinejad is the President of a country that is said to execute homosexuals, and where women are stoned to death for doing what Monica Lewinsky did to President BIll Clinton in the White House.

Claiming it's a freedom of speech issue seems a thin veil, but for what?

How could we the people know?

Did you know that 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?

Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?

Did you know that 3100 Iraqi schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been "completed" in Iraq?

Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?

Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States in January 2005 for the reestablished Fulbright program?

Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational? They have 5 - 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller vessels and a naval infantry regiment.

Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers?

Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?

Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?

Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers each 8 weeks?

Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.

Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?

Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?

Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158%?

Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?

Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?

Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a televised debate recently?

OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW! WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW?

OUR MEDIA WOULDN'T TELL US!

Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and people throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades.

Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves two purposes:

It is intended to "undermine" the world's perception of the United States thus "minimizing" consequent support, AND it is intended to "discourage" American citizens.

---- Above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site http://www.defenselink.mil/

From the Jerusalem Post:

Proof of cooperation between Iran and Syria in the proliferation and development of weapons of mass destruction was brought to light Monday in Jane's Defence Weekly, which reported that dozens of Iranian engineers and 15 Syrian officers were killed in a July 23 accident in Syria.

According to the report, cited by Channel 10, the joint Syrian-Iranian team was attempting to mount a chemical warhead on a Scud missile when the explosion occurred, spreading lethal chemical agents, including sarin nerve gas.

Read the rest here.

Citing recent success with the surge, President Bush said last night in a speech to the nation that he would start withdrawing troops from Iraq soon and be back to pre-surge levels by July 2008.

"The principle guiding my decisions on troop levels in Iraq is: return on success," the president said, trying to summon the nation's resolve once again to help Iraq "defeat those who threaten its future and also threaten ours." source FoxNews.com

The change of strategy Democrats demanded 6 months ago; new Generals, new Secretary of Defense, new rules of engagement, have been put in place, but are being ignored despite promising signs of success.

It is obvious that the Democrat Party strategy is organized around winning the Presidency, not winning the war. They cannot afford to support their own Country's war effort because that would lend support to Republicans in the race for the White House. So they continue to criticize and second guess at every turn.

When the President is committing to withdrawing troops on success and the Democrats say no, what are they saying? They are saying they want to withdraw the troops on failure and defeat, regardless of the consequences in human lives and to US interests in the region.

Is it an accident that the recent Bin Laden tapes seem to echo many Democrat Party themes?
Here is an excerpt of a blog post by Christopher G. Adamo on the California Conservative that points out some interesting similarities.

In light of Osama Bin Laden’s videotaped message to the West (Or was it a press release from DNC Chairman Howard Dean?), one might be given to muse that liberal abhorrence for the President’s surveillance of incoming phone calls from known terrorists might ultimately stem from self-interest. Perhaps they simply do not want to be monitored as they share strategies and talking points with the Al Qaeda leader.

Furthermore, the DNC may decide to keep a copy of the Bin Laden tape, which could come in handy during the 2008 campaign season. Just as aspiring politicians feel compelled to pander in Spanish to the increasing numbers of “undocumented voters,” so might Dean and the Democrats want to remind those “Jihadist-Americans” in their native tongue which party will best ensure that their interests are served.

While such satire may be deemed overly harsh, in truth it fails to fully convey the depths to which the current Democrat leaders, along with their cronies in the media and the blogosphere, have sunk in their efforts to promote their anti-American cause. And as one outrageous example after another unfolds before the American people in the liberal/Democrat attempt to demean and undermine the war on terror, the case for their sedition becomes ever more crystal clear.

When I got up this morning and reached for a T-shirt in the dark, I was suprised that I had grabbed my twin-towers T-shirt. I don't wear it much these days, but it seemed fitting for today so I put it on.

Thinking of the attacks of 9/11/2001 rekindles my anger. It makes me wish to wreak havoc on those who caused it.

Perhaps that is the real point of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to wreak havoc. The price being paid in the Muslim world by now has been many times over the havoc caused in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania six years ago today.

Realize this; There would never have been the political will in America to make war in the middle east without the triggering events on September 11, 2001. In this way Osama Bin Laden is responsible not only for the attacks here, but also for response. Is Bin Laden a hero to the Muslim world? For he has surely brought much death and destruction upon them.

When people in the Middle East remember, and no doubt cheer their great victory against America, let us hope they remember the price they've paid, and continue to pay, and ask themselves if it was worth it.

A quotable quote in Reader's Digest attributed to Hugh Downs says:

To say my fate is not tied to your fate is like saying your end of the boat is sinking.

My first question is will this work? My second and more important question is, can the damage they are doing to America be repaired by the next President, regardless of which party wins?

Sporting a freshly dyed beard Osama Laden implored America to convert to Islam in his recently released video.

His unusually conciliatory language should make it clear that radical Islam is intent on taking over the world, and is using a multi-pronged strategy to do so.

No struggle for world domination is fought on one single battle field with one single strategy.

Notice that while Al Qaeda engages us in Iraq, and elsewhere around the world, in Sweden, clerics are demanding the government there be more tolerant of Muslims. Notice that in Europe, the Christian and secular white majorities are shrinking, while their Muslim populations are growing. Notice that in the US, local governments and schools offer special consideration to the needs of Muslims, while purging the public square of anything that hints at Christianity.

The radical Clerics teach violence and hate in their Mosques, and publicly scoff at the notion that they do so. Meanwhile the mainstream Muslims, the majority, are frighteningly silent.

Those of you who dismiss these things should become aware that Islam is creeping like a vine and it's tendrals are reaching world wide. Since those of you who deny this are generally liberals and progressives that champion women's and gay right, you should pay particular attention to how Islamic law treats those two groups. You might also notice how dissent is handled if you disagree with, or disobey their laws.

The world has seen the struggle between Christianity and Islam ebb and flow over the centuries. Now it has expanded to a struggle between Islam and western secular culture (which Islam abhors).

It would be foolish to think it can't happen here. It is also foolish of anyone who does not want a very wide and bloody war to keep their rights and culture later to understand the threat now, and act accordingly.

If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."
-Mark Twain

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress....
But then I repeat myself.
-Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.
-G Gordon Liddy

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner
-James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.
-Douglas Casey

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
-P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.
-Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases:
If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
-Ronald Reagan (1986)

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.
-Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!
-P.J. O'Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
-Voltaire (1764)

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!
-Pericles (430 B.C.)

No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.
-Mark Twain (1866 )

Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.
-Unknown

The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.
-Ronald Reagan

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
-Winston Churchill

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.
-Mark Twain

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
-Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

There is no distinctly Native American criminal class...save Congress.
-Mark Twain

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
-Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson

A recent study found the average American walks about 900 miles a year.

Another study found Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of beer a year.

That means, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon.

Kind Of Makes You Proud To Be American, DOESN'T IT?

This was received in an email without attribution so while the author is unknown, the truths of it speak for themselves.

A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism "Very few people were true Nazis "he said," but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories."

We are told again and again by "experts" and "talking heads" that Islam is the religion of peace, and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better, and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.

The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history.

• It is the fanatics who march.
  
• It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide.
  
• It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave.
  
• It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill.
  
• It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals.

The hard quantifiable fact is that the "peaceful majority", the "silent majority", is cowed and extraneous. Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.

The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered; its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians; most killed by sword, shovel and bayonet.

And, who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery. Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were "peace loving"?

History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points: Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence. Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up because, like my friend from Germany, they will awake one day and find that the fanatics own them, and the end of their world will have begun.

Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late.

As for us who watch it all unfold; we must pay attention to the only group that counts; the fanatics who threaten our way of life. Lastly, at the risk of offending, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on, contributes to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand.

File under "we told you so". August 21st on this blog we surmised that the recent spate publicity surrounding recalls and problems with Chinese products was related to the Chinese threat to devalue the dollar.

Recently China floated a threat that it would sell off US Treasury Bonds if Congress imposed sanctions against the growing Asian giant.

The Chinese government has hinted that it may liquidate its vast holding of US Treasury bonds, potentially triggering a crash in the dollar, if Washington imposes trade sanctions to force a yuan revaluation, The Telegraph reported. source- Forbes.com

Since that story broke there have been a number of stories about problems with Chinese manufactured products.

From Mattel toys to Toys R US bibs, to tires, pet foods, tooth paste, the list goes on.

So it is curious that suddenly, we are hearing about the Chinese products in a way that has people checking the Made In labels before they buy.

Read the rest here.

"People have reason to fear that some government officials and media in the United States hope to use doubts about the overall quality of Chinese goods to press for narrow trade protection." source- Reuters

Are we seeing a new kind of trade war using bad product publicity instead of tariffs?

If Senator Craig of Idaho really did try to signal an undercover officer to engage in sex with him in a Minnesota airport restroom as is alleged, it is really disgusting.

As if it wasn't disgusting enough, a news crew has created a video reenactment.

As usual, whenever a conservative is caught doing something that stinks of hypocrisy, the left goes wild, but in the process demonstrates their own.

Where is the reenactment of Monica Lewinsky performing fellatio on President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office at the White House?.

It was just about sex as I remember.

The headline from the Drudge Report reads: Iran Prepared to Fill Iraq Power Vacuum

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned Tuesday that a power vacuum is imminent in Iraq and said that Iran was ready to help fill the gap.

"The political power of the occupiers is collapsing rapidly," Ahmadinejad said at a press conference in Tehran, referring to U.S. troops in Iraq. "Soon, we will see a huge power vacuum in the region. Of course, we are prepared to fill the gap, with the help of neighbors and regional friends like Saudi Arabia, and with the help of the Iraqi nation." source: Breitbart.com

Credit goes to the Democrat Party who's incessant calls for immediate troop withdrawal and Maliki's resignation emboldens the Iranians and Al Qaeda, and prolongs the war.

"Alberto Gonzales was never the right man for this job....

Columnist Jennifer Hunter takes credit for setting the news abuz with a column that interpreted Michelle Obama's recent Family Values comments as being directed at Bill and Hillary Clinton.

...in the fifth paragraph of the story, I suggested that during an introduction to a speech by her husband, something she said could be interpreted as a swipe against the Clintons, and that set the tongues wagging, hit Drudge's Web site, was discussed on CNN, ABC and MSNBC and prompted an e-mail from Michelle Obama's communications director, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, who said I had completely misunderstood what Michelle Obama had said.

The statement by Mrs Obama said:

"One of the most important things that we need to know about the next president of the United States is, is he somebody that shares our values, is he somebody that respects family, is a good and decent person? So our view is that if you can't run your own house, you certainly can't run the White House...

It is clear to anyone who witnessed the Bill and Monica affair, the Bill and "bimbo's name here" allegations in the news and the Clinton's "married but keeping separate houseolds" lifestyle that the Clintons do not share the same family values that mainstream America has.

Despite denials by the Obama camp, Michelle Obama's comments WERE directed at Billary Clinton.

So much for the granola crunching Berkeley liberals smug in their Prius's. The Prius is gaining "street cred".

Street Credibility is what rap stars achieve by getting in the news for committing a crime that contributes to their persona as a bad ass. This is said to increase record sales.

So now that the Toyota Prius Hybrid car has been featured in a couple of high profile over 100 mile per hour incidents, it may not be just for hippies anymore. Really, a Prius can do 100?

Al Gore's son was recently arrested for drug possession after being pulled over doing 100 MPH in his Prius, and Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer was recently given a $700.00 speeding ticket.

What's next, a Prius get away car in a robbery?

Recently China floated a threat that it would sell off US Treasury Bonds if Congress imposed sanctions against the growing Asian giant.

The Chinese government has hinted that it may liquidate its vast holding of US Treasury bonds, potentially triggering a crash in the dollar, if Washington imposes trade sanctions to force a yuan revaluation, The Telegraph reported. source- Forbes.com

Since that story broke there has been a number of stories about problems with Chinese manufactured products.

From Mattel toys to Toys R US bibs, to tires, pet foods, tooth paste, the list goes on.

Considering the volume of products coming in from China, it is silly to assume that the quality issues plagueing them lately are new. What is new is the amount of publicity they are receiving. There are new stories it seems, popping up every week.

The US has allowed cheap Chinese products to enter the US because the low prices to consumers have helped to offset increases in food and energy costs at home. The huge trade imbalance this causes puts China in a position to threaten the US, and the currency devaluation that China could presumably cause if they carried out their threat could have a big impact on inflation in the US.

So it is curious that suddenly, we are hearing about the Chinese products in a way that has people checking the Made In labels before they buy.

China may have power to leverage their success against us, but threatening to kill the cash cow is never a good idea. It is a good bet that sales of Chinese goods will slow in the US. This will negatively impact the Chinese economy, all without imposing sanctions on Chinese products.

One has to wonder what the source is of these stories in the first place.

*OLD VERSION*: (when we had a strong work ethic)

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold,

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

*************************************

*MODERN VERSION:*

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, "It's Not Easy Being Green."

Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton stage a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, "We shall overcome." Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi , John Kerry and Barak Obama exclaim in an interview with Larry King Live that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC and ACLU lawyers draft the Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs(invented by AL GORE) and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients as well as over 400 Presidential Pardons Clinton gave before leaving office.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow, off to build another house.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

And that is how it happens folks - so...

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote!

Posted by Sacto Dan (received by email from a friend without attribution, source unknown)

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Mr. Common Sense.

Mr. Sense had been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valued lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm and that life isn't always fair.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies: adults, not kids, are in charge.

His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Mr. Sense declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.Finally, Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge financial settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents: Truth and Trust; his wife: Discretion; his daughter: Responsibility; and his son: Reason.

He is survived by two stepbrothers: My Rights and Ima Whiner.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

If you still remember him, pass this on; if not, join the majority and do nothing.

(I received this in an email, and am not the original author)

When has a Democrat ever advocated cutting a benefit to force personal responsibility? Usually Democrats want to give benefits out like candy in the form of programs, and bristle at the suggestion that the recipients might be required to step up and act on their own behalf. They have even suggested that illegal aliens receive benefits, so that if and when they receive amnesty and legal citizenship they will remember who delivered the candy, and vote for them.

Last night after President Bush's speech about his new Iraq War strategy, Congressional Democrats gave their response. Dick Durbin said America should do less for Iraq so they will be forced to be responsible for themselves.

"More American forces prevent the Iraqis from doing more, from taking more responsibility for their own future." -Dick Durbin

Last month American soldiers captured a Mahdi Army death squad leader in Baghdad -- only to be forced to turn him loose on order of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Two weeks ago, we were ordered, again by Maliki, to take down the barricades we had established around Sadr City in search of another notorious death squad leader and a missing American soldier.-source, Charles Krauthammer

A decisive victory in Iraq is still the best possible outcome, but without the political will on either the Iraqi or American side to do what is necessary, staying is madness. With the Democrats in power and Bush rolling over for them (not that he had the initiative anyway), there is no mission. Not another American soldier's life should be wasted in Iraq under these circumstances.

We were better off with Saddam in power. He was easily containable and prevented the Iranians from having their run of the region.

This should be a clear message to any country that supports terrorists who threaten or attack the US. We will come into your country, kill you and destroy your government, and leave you with the mess.