Fireproof was Great

My wife and I just returned from seeing the movie Fireproof. It was very good!

In case you haven't heard about it, the movie stars Kirk Cameron as a firefighter who's doing well at work, but his marriage is falling apart at home.

This movie was made by the same group of church folks that made the hit movie Facing the Giants a couple of years ago.

If you haven't got out to see it yet, you should. You can check the website to find out where it's playing near you.

I read somewhere earlier today that so far this weekend Fireproof is the #3 movie in the country. Go out and see it, and show Hollywood that good, positive family-friendly entertainment is not only better for us than so much of the rot-gut they put out, but that it makes good financial sense as well.

Full Debate Video, First Presidential Debate

In case you missed it, the first presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, September 26, 2008 at Oxford, Mississippi.

Joe Biden Condemns Obama's Lack of Support for the Troops

Mt Rushmore at Night, and an Evening in the Black Hills

My family and I went up into the Black Hills last night and this morning for some much-needed family time.

We stayed at this little cabin up in the Hills that my kids were crazy over. They wanted us to leave behind our house in Rapid City and move into this little 2-room cabin. It was very nice and the atmosphere was great, but hey....

While we were up in the Hills messing about last night, we decided to pop in to Mount Rushmore and see it lit up. Most people have seen what Mt. Rushmore looks like in the daytime, even if in a picture, but it's a little different at night. I think the last time my wife and I were there at night was pre-children, which seems like a looooooooooooong time ago.

In the foreground here you see the parade of flags leading up to the terrace where you get your closest look at the monument (without walking the rail that leads along the base of the mountain right below it, that is). All the flags from the 50 states are displayed along this walkway, with four per column.


And here are the famous Faces themselves: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

The faces are lit by at least two (maybe four?) very powerful flood lights that sit on either end of the terrace and beam out onto the mountain.


Here is a closeup of George Washington, our first president.


And here is my ever-curious daughter Karissa looking through the binoculars for a closeup of the faces. Barely visible is my son Justin waiting patiently (or not) for his turn at the binocs, and my wife Konnie behind them both.

We had a great time last night and this morning!

A Virtuous People Cannot Be Subdued

American Minute from William J. Federer

Crying "No taxation without representation," he instigated the Stamp Act riots and the Boston Tea Party. After the "Boston Massacre," he spread Revolutionary sentiment with his Committees of Correspondence. Known as "The Father of the American Revolution," Samuel Adams, who was born SEPTEMBER 27, 1722, called for the first Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.

A cousin of 2nd President John Adams, Samuel Adams wrote in The Rights of Colonists, 1772: "Among the natural rights of Colonists are: First, a right to life; Secondly, to liberty; Thirdly, to property; together with the right to defend them...The supreme power cannot justly take from any man any part of his property without his consent."

As Massachusetts' Governor, Samuel Adams wrote to James Warren, February 12, 1779: "A general dissolution of the principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but once they lose their virtue, they will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader."

Samuel Adams ended: "If we would enjoy this gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people."

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.

More for Bitter-Clingers*

*And other red-blooded Americans

The video of Sarah (Heath) Palin's swim-suit competition in the 1984 Miss Alaska Pageant was yanked from YouTube because of claimed "copyright violation," but was saved by an intrepid jounalist, Andy Baio, and is here for our enjoyment.

This, friends, is a politician I would be willing to follow anywhere. As Rush has said, I am a big fan of the women's movement--especially when walking behind!

"If we can cut through the nonsense and the lipstick and the pigs and the silliness, then I'm absolutely convinced that we're going to win," Mr. Obama said, speaking over laughter and applause.

More Chicago Machine Politics

Most Illinoians, like me, find such stories to be business as usual in Chicago, but this year such graft bears upon our national future. For those still confused about what exactly a "community organizer" does, this story from the Chicago Suntimes helps us understand. It is not complicated, really. The money earned by one group of citizens is taken by the "organizers" to give to others as a reward for political support. This is what Obama learned while being raised by the Chicago Machine. That, and that opponents are not only to be opposed, they must be eliminated.

Obama grant being probed

A $100,000 state grant for a botanic garden in Englewood that then-state Sen. Barack Obama awarded in 2001 to a group headed by a onetime campaign volunteer is now under investigation by the Illinois attorney general amid new questions, prompted by Chicago Sun-Times reports, about whether the money might have been misspent.
The garden was never built. And now state records obtained by the Sun-Times show $65,000 of the grant money went to the wife of Kenny B. Smith, the Obama 2000 congressional campaign volunteer who heads the Chicago Better Housing Association, which was in charge of the project for the blighted South Side neighborhood.

Bitter-Clinger Alert

If you missed the presidential debate last night here is a brief video that pretty much summarizes the exchange between the candidates. After McCain tells a compelling story of his position on national defense and references the bracelet that he wears with the name of a fallen soldier who perished fighting in Baghdad, Obama, in a “me too” moment retorts “Look! I have a bracelet, too.” It’s from…uh…uh…” (While looking down at his wrist.)

Then there is word that legal beagles in Missouri are going to work for the Obama campaign and are threatening to bring charges against anyone who says anything bad, or what they believe is untrue, about their man. St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce and St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch are threatening to bring libel charges against those who speak out falsely against Barack Obama. KMOV-TV in St. Loius has this video report. These are county and city attorneys threatening to use the authority granted them by the people to squelch political speech. You know, the Left warned us that if we elected George Bush we'd have jack-booted thugs from the government denying us our constitutional rights. I guess they were right.

In a related story, Obama for President lawyers have sent letters to radio stations in Pensylvania and Ohio insisting that they refuse to air ads produced by the NRA, claiming the ads falsely portray Obama’s positions on Second Amendment issues. NRA lawers have drafted an extensive rebuttal of the charges that is included in this post by Ben Smith.

Finally, Michelle Malkin reports: "More Obama gangland tactics: Signs banned at Virginia rally today"

All this, and certainly much more to come, are the tactics of Chicago Machine politics, the mother’s milk that Obama was raised on back on the South Side. We should expect nothing less. Change, indeed!

Protect us, don't expropriate us

BY STAR PARKER
FOUNDER & PRESIDENT
COALITION ON URBAN RENEWAL & EDUCATION

As our presidential candidates drone on about our current financial crisis being caused by greedy Wall Street CEOs, a study just released by Canada's Fraser Institute points to what the real problems are in the United States.

This is an annual compendium called Economic Freedom of the World, which the Fraser Institute produces, in cooperation with an international network of free-market think tanks.

Of central interest here is the fact that there is a direct correlation between the extent to which a country is economically free and how prosperous it is. The more economic freedom, the more prosperity. The less economic freedom, the less prosperity.

What is economic freedom? The study provides ranking in five areas: size of government, legal structure and security of property rights, access to sound money, freedom to trade internationally, and regulation of credit, labor, and business.

The troubling news in this year's report is the precipitous drop in the economic freedom ranking of the United States. The U.S. has dropped from No. 2 in the world in 2000 to No. 8 in 2008.

According to the study's press release, only five other countries -- Zimbabwe, Argentina, Niger, Venezuela, and Guyana -- experienced a greater decline in economic freedom over the same period.

Again, the great concern here is that the most powerful predictor of national prosperity is the extent to which a nation is economically free.

This is what we should be thinking about as we consider the causes of our current financial crisis and what we should do now.

As regular folks around the country watch Washington power brokers ram through the financial industry bailout plan, what I think most find deeply troubling is seeing so clearly how insecure our property is.

It's almost incomprehensible that, in the course of a few days, politicians can slap together a package in which they will take almost a trillion dollars of our money to buy the trash securities being held by various financial institutions. And that this is legal.

It is certainly not an indicator of a good state of economic health or freedom when private property can be expropriated this easily.

But how many realize how long and to what extent this has been going on?

As Charles Calomiris, of Columbia University, and Peter Wallison,of the American Enterprise Institute point out, because of tax-payer backing, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac "were able to borrow as much as they wanted for the purpose of buying mortgages and mortgage-backed securities." And, according Calomiris and Wallison, as they pursued a mission to encourage "affordable housing," they enabled massive growth in the amount of shaky sub-prime loans flowing to the marketplace over the last few years.

It's incredible how generous you can be with other people's money. While taxpayers were driving their kids to school and going to work, politicians were setting them up to guarantee the debt of mortgage-backed securities buying behemoths.

It's the increasingly shaky state of the law -- both as it defines the constitutional limits of the federal government and the integrity of our private property -- that sits at the core of our problems today.

It stands to reason that if all it takes is a smooth talking politician to expropriate the property of individuals or businesses, that the ability and willingness to work, save, invest and do business will suffer. And that prosperity will decline.

Barack Obama is running for president to save us from ourselves and give politicians even more sway over our private lives and property. He's telling us that it's "Wall Street CEOs whose greed and irresponsibility got us into this mess."

But Obama sat by in silence as the Senate tried to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2005. And he's taken $126,349 in contributions from Fannie and Freddie, second highest in the Senate (only behind Banking Committee chairman Chris Dodd).

The decline in economic freedom in the U.S. is what should concern us today. We need less political hot air and fewer politicians who want to degrade the very law that is there to protect us.

This is what citizens should be looking for as we try to get out of today's mess.

Star Parker is president of the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education and author of the new book White Ghetto: How Middle Class America Reflects Inner City Decay.

Prior to her involvement in social activism, Star Parker was a single welfare mother in Los Angeles, California. After receiving Christ, Star returned to college, received a BS degree in marketing and launched an urban Christian magazine. The 1992 Los Angeles riots destroyed her business, yet served as a springboard for her focus on faith and market-based alternatives to empower the lives of the poor.

Anti-Semitic American Textbooks

This is another reason I'm glad my wife and I are homeschooling our children.

The Jerusalem Post reports many U.S. textbooks contain gross errors about Jews and Israel.

the textbook The World relates that "Christianity was started by a young Palestinian named Jesus."

A young Palestinian? While there is some vague truth to that, the correct--by far--statement would be that "Christianity was started by a young Jew named Jesus."

"Textbooks include negative stereotypes of Jews, Judaism and Israel," the authors write. "For example, textbooks tend to discredit the ties between Jews and the land of Israel."

According to Tobin, "you're much more likely to learn about Jewish terrorism before the founding of Israel [in the textbooks] than about terrorism against Israel since that time."

Among the claims made about Israel in some of the textbooks are that Arab countries never initiated wars against Israel, Arab nations desire peace while Israel does not and that it was Israel that placed Palestinians in refugee camps in Arab lands, not Arab governments. No mention whatsoever was found relating to the hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from Arab countries who were forced out after the establishment of Israel.

In their treatment of Judaism, too, the textbooks showed a negative bias, according to the study. They often expressed a view that "Jews and Judaism are legalistic," and that "Jews care only about the letter of the law and ignore its spirit," the study found. The Jewish God is presented as "stern and warlike," and not compassionate, as is highlighted in other religions. In some instances, Jews are charged with deicide in the killing of Jesus.

Also notice the difference in how Judaism and Islam are referred to:

"Moral laws Moses claimed to have received from the Hebrew God Yahweh on Mount Sinai."

The same glossary describes the Koran as a "Holy Book of Islam containing revelations received by Muhammad from God" - without a conditional qualifier.

Sounds like a bunch of anti-Semites have been putting together America's text books.

Probably the same or similar group that is trying to rewrite history America's Christian heritage.

There is a full-fledged and pretty open war against Judeo-Christian values going on throughout the West and even here in America. And a lot of the same people who would like to erase Christianity would also like to erase Israel.

Something needs to be done about these pathetic schoolbooks.

Palin Bashers Now on a Real Witch Hunt

Seems there's just no end to the depths to which the Rabid Left will sink in their loathing of Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sara Palin.

Apparently this way-over-the-top treatment is what a person can expect when they not only have a very positive outlook, but dare live out and speak up for solid moral standards.

The latest lunacy from the loony Left is over a video in which a Kenyan bishop says a prayer for Sarah Palin and asks Christ to protect Palin from witchcraft.

From the Boston Herald:

“He was giving an African prayer to an American Christian,” said Jacob K. Olupona, a Harvard African studies professor. “His prayer reflects his own background and his own training and his own world view. America may not believe in witchcraft, but witchcraft is a reality (in Africa).”

Catholic League President Bill Donohue echoed that sentiment, saying witchcraft is a “sad reality” in Kenya that has resulted in scores of deaths.

“(The) blessing was simply a reflection of his cultural understanding of evil. While others are not obliged to accept his interpretation, all can be expected to respect it,” he said in a statement.

The 2005 YouTube video shows Palin being blessed in a Wasilla, Alaska, church by Kenyan Pentecostal Bishop Thomas Muthee, who prayed for her protection from witchcraft as she prepared to seek higher office.

“Save her from Satan,” Muthee says in the video. “Bring finances her way even for the campaign in the name of Jesus . . . Use her to turn this nation the other way around.”

Palin does not speak during the blessing.

Jacob K. Olupona, a native Nigerian who teaches in Harvard’s Divinity School, pretty much sums up my sentiments at yet another disgusting and pathetic anti-Christian blast from anti-God Leftists:

“People should not be demonized on the basis of their faith simply because you are looking for votes,” he said. “I do not know how a Christian nation like America became so negative responding to people’s deep spirituality.”

Johnson/Dykstra on Hate Crimes

From the South Dakota Family Policy Council's 2008 general election voter guide on hate crimes, comparing Senator Tim Johnson with Republican challenger Joel Dykstra:


Support S Amdt 3035 to HR 1585 (2007), which funded the prosecution of hate crimes?

Tim Johnson: Y
Joel Dykstra: N

Herseth Sandlin/Lien on Interstate Transportation of Minor Girls for Abortion

From the South Dakota Family Policy Council's 2008 general election voter guide on interstate transportation of a minor girl for abortion, comparing Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin with Republican challenger Chris Lien:


Support HR 748 (2005), which prohibited the transportation of a minor girl across state lines to obtain an abortion without the consent of a parent, guardian, or judge?

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin: N
Chris Lien: Y

Newsbusted Conservative Comedy 9/26/2008

Topics in today's show: --Who would you rather watch football with? Obama or McCain? --McCain compares himself to Jack Bauer --Donald Trump moves from supporting Hillary Clinton to McCain --P. Diddy unveils "Starmaker" reality show Starring: Jodi Miller Director: Bruce Roundtower Executive Producer: Matthew Sheffield NewsBusted is a comedy webcast about the news of the day, uploaded every Tuesday and every Friday.

Adelstein Push-Pollers Mangle Opponents Names

It seems Stan Adelstein's push-pollers can't (or won't) even pronounce his opponents' names correct.

From the Letters to the Editor of today's Rapid City Journal:

Candidate’s push polling won’t sway vote away from another

Stan Adelstein is at it again. I received one of his push poll calls the other day. Sorry to disappoint Mr. Adelstein, but the flat-out misrepresentation of Elli Schwiesow won’t sway me to vote for him. Although I admire him for giving back to our community with his donations, I disapprove of his actions elsewhere.

I’m disappointed with his meanspirited financial support to the opponents of good, honest, hard-working fellow Republicans like Bill Napoli, Sam Kooiker and Elli Schwiesow. I’m also bothered that each time I’ve received a push poll call, the person dictating it completely annihilates Sam Kooiker’s and Elli Schwiesow’s names, even after I’ve corrected them.

My vote will be for Elli because she best represent my views. She genuinely cares about our community and state and will work hard for the people here. She has fresh ideas concerning education and the economy. And most important, she has pledged not to raise taxes! So my vote will be for Elli Schwiesow, no matter how many deceptive push poll
calls I receive.

JANE GREFF
Rapid City

When a guy will send out a nasty flier calling someone he opposes a "wingnut" on the eve of an election--especially a mayoral race where ideology shouldn't be an issue--as Stan Adelstein did last year, I suppose mangling the names of your opponents is probably a step up in behavior.

Hearing Today on Mt Rushmore Free Speech Case

WASHINGTON — A hearing will be held today on behalf of a Minnesota man prohibited from sharing his faith at Mt. Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota. The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a lawsuit in federal court after the man was told he could not pass out religious literature near the entrance of the monument without a permit.

Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund filed a federal lawsuit last November on behalf of a Minnesota man denied his constitutional right to free speech at Mt. Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota.

“Christians shouldn’t be told to put expressing their beliefs on hold until they get a permit. It is unbelievable that the National Park Service would deny freedom of speech at the foot of Mt. Rushmore, where four men who represent America’s freedoms are immortalized,” said ADF Litigation Staff Counsel Heather Gebelin Hacker. “The Park Service ignored our client’s multiple requests to peacefully distribute literature there, relenting only when we filed this lawsuit.”

“Christians should never be treated as second-class citizens, regardless of the venue, but the Park Service was doing just that when they denied our client’s continued requests to peacefully distribute literature there,” said Hacker.

On Aug. 9, 2007 Michael Boardley and a few other individuals passed out gospel tracts near the front entrance of Mt. Rushmore without incident or comment from park officials. The next day, a park ranger approached them and informed them they must have a speech permit. Without the permit, they could not distribute the gospel tracts.

After Boardley returned home, he repeatedly called the phone number provided by the Park Service and requested a permit. The permit never arrived, and park officials stonewalled Boardley in his subsequent efforts to obtain one.

“The Park Service should know that its denial of Mr. Boardley’s request for a permit was clearly unconstitutional,” said Hacker. “It’s our hope that this lawsuit will restore free speech and religious freedom not just for Mr. Boardley, but others at the national monument as well.”

A copy of the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Boardley v. United States Department of the Interior can be read here. ADF attorneys filed an application for preliminary injunction as well.

ADF is a legal alliance defending the right to hear and speak the Truth through strategy, training, funding, and litigation.

Pulpit Freedom Sunday This Weekend

Participating pastors will exercise First Amendment right to speak on positions of electoral candidates Sept. 28

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Pastors participating in the Alliance Defense Fund’s “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” will preach from their pulpits Sept. 28 about the moral qualifications of candidates seeking political office. The pastors will exercise their First Amendment right to preach on the subject, despite federal tax regulations that prohibit intervening or participating in a political campaign.

“Pastors have a right to speak about Biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of punishment. No one should be able to use the government to intimidate pastors into giving up their constitutional rights,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley. “If you have a concern about pastors speaking about electoral candidates from the pulpit, ask yourself this: should the church decide that question, or should the IRS?”

Pulpit Freedom Sunday is an event associated with the ADF Pulpit Initiative, a legal effort designed to secure the First Amendment rights of pastors in the pulpit. A document explaining what the Pulpit Initiative is and is not is available here.

“ADF is not trying to get politics into the pulpit. Churches can decide for themselves that they either do or don’t want their pastors to speak about electoral candidates. The point of the Pulpit Initiative is very simple: the IRS should not be the one making the decision by threatening to revoke a church’s tax-exempt status. We need to get the government out of the pulpit,” said Stanley.

Stanley explained that, contrary to the misunderstandings of many, tax-exempt status is not a “gift” or “subsidy” bestowed by the government.

“Churches were completely free to preach about candidates from the day that the Constitution was ratified in 1788 until 1954. That’s when the unconstitutional rule known as the ‘Johnson Amendment’ was enacted,” explained Stanley. “Churches are exempt from taxation under the principle that there is no surer way to destroy religion than to begin taxing it. As the U.S. Supreme Court has noted, the power to tax involves the power to destroy. The real effect of the Johnson Amendment is that pastors are muzzled for fear of investigation by the IRS.”

After Sept. 28, ADF plans to provide via news release a list of pastors who participated in Pulpit Freedom Sunday.

ADF is a legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations defending the right of people to freely live out their faith. Launched in 1994, ADF employs a unique combination of strategy, training, funding, and litigation to protect and preserve religious liberty, the sanctity of life, marriage, and the family.

The Real Daniel Boone

American Minute from William J. Federer

Daniel Boone served with George Washington in 1755 during the French and Indian War. In 1765, Daniel Boone explored Florida. Virginia Governor Patrick Henry sent Daniel Boone to survey Kentucky and in 1775, the Pennsylvania Company had him erect a fort on the Kentucky River, which he named Boonesboro.

In 1778, during the Revolution, Daniel Boone went to Blue Licks to get salt for his settlement but was captured by Shawnee Indians and taken to Detroit. He learned of British plans to incited Indians to attack his settlement, so he escaped and ran nearly 400 miles in 5 days to warn Boonseboro.

Daniel Boone became a Major in the militia and served in Virginia's legislature. He bought land in Kentucky but lost it due to poorly prepared titles.

Boone left Kentucky in 1799 and bought land from Spain in Missouri, west of the Mississippi River. Boone then lost this land in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. An act of Congress gave him back his land just six years before his death, which was SEPTEMBER 26, 1820.

On October 17, 1816, Daniel Boone wrote to his sister-in-law Sarah Boone: "The religion I have is to love and fear God, believe in Jesus Christ, do all the good to my neighbor, and myself that I can, do as little harm as I can help, and trust on God's mercy for the rest."

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.

Video: Joel Dykstra on Underground Lab at Homestake

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joel Dykstra answers a question from the audience about the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Lab (DUSEL) lab at the old Homestake Gold Mine, from Dykstra's Town Hall Meeting in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Video: Joel Dykstra on the Financial Crisis and Economy

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joel Dykstra takes a question from the audience on the current state of the financial markets.

From Dykstra's Town Hall Meeting in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Ritalin Discouraged, Parenting Encouraged

This was so shocking that when I first read it, I had to do some additional research to ensure it wasn't a joke or a spoof story. And after doing some pretty good looking around, it seems to be real.

According to Sky News, the the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health in Britain are recommending children under 5 not be prescribed Ritalin.

While that was indeed surprising, given that the medical community has for some 15 years or so prescribed Ritalin like a candy store owner prescribing M&Ms, here's what really hit me like a brick in the face:

Instead, parents should be taught psychological techniques for changing the behaviour of unruly youngsters diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The programmes show parents how to create a structured home environment, encourage attentiveness and concentration, and better manage misbehaviour.

I was literally and truly stunned that after all the drug-peddling and psychobabble from the medical community in recent decades, they would acknowledge parenting and the home environment as a factor in children's misbehavior.

Imagine that: a structured home environment might produce a better-behaved child.

Imagine that: requiring a child to pay attention to the task at hand might produce a better-behaved child.

Imagine that: "managing misbehavior" might actually produce a better-behaved child.

And all this time we've been taught that we could either drug or self-esteem the child into an angel.

Perhaps the decades of utter failure from these asinine techniques is teaching the professionals...what everyday parents have known for thousands of years.

Will wonders never cease?

Johnson/Dykstra on Partial Birth Abortion

From the South Dakota Family Policy Council's 2008 general election voter guide on partial birth abortion, comparing Senator Tim Johnson with Republican challenger Joel Dykstra:


Support S 3 (2003), which prohibited the procedure commonly known as partial-birth abortion?

Tim Johnson: Y
Joel Dykstra: Y

*UPDATE: The South Dakota Family Policy Council is changing Senator Johnson's vote on this item to Y.

Herseth Sandlin/Lien on Taxpayer Abortion Funding

From the South Dakota Family Policy Council's 2008 general election voter guide on taxpayer funding for abortion, comparing Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin with Republican challenger Chris Lien:

Support HAMDT 594 to HR 3034 (2007), which restricted funding for abortion services?

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin: N
Chris Lien: Y

Additional Dykstra Town Hall Material Coming

I made a couple of video clips at Joel Dykstra's Town Hall meeting in Rapid City tonight, and they are currently in the process of uploading to YouTube.

I will add those when the are processed and ready, probably in the morning.

Dykstra gave a great presentation. He was quick on his feet in answering the questions from the audience and provided specific, useful information and ideas. I could see that Larry Rhoden's earlier praise of Dykstra was not misplaced.

Dykstra will serve South Dakota very well in Washington D.C.

I also saw Denise Ross of the Hog House blog a few chairs down, but the event was already under way before I saw her, and she got away before I could get over to her to say hi.

So you can probably find additional coverage of tonight's event at the Hog House blog soon.

U.S. Senate Candidate Joel Dykstra Holds Town Hall Mtg in Rapid City

The ballroom at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Surbeck Center was full tonight.

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joel Dykstra came out to talk with and hear from the people of the Black Hills, and plenty was said.

Since Senator Tim Johnson has refused to debate with Dykstra, the Republican challenger is turning to these town hall meetings in order to get his message out to the voters of South Dakota.

The event this evening was sponsored by the College Republicans.


Stephen Wesolick, the Pennington County Republican Ambassadors Chairman, spoke first. Wesolick said he supports Dykstra because Dykstra recognizes that since Congress has a 9% approval rating, something has broken down. Dykstra will bring conservative principles from South Dakota to Washington, Wesolick said.

Wesolick also recognized the many legislative candidates who were present, including Larry Rhoden, Thomas J. Brenner, Gordon Howie, Stan Adelstein, Elli Schwiesow, Brian Gosch, Dennis Schmidt, Phil Jensen, Jacqueline Sly, Craig Tiezen, David Lust, Don Kopp, Mark Kirkeby, and Jeff Haverly. Rapid City Mayor Alan Hanks was also present.

Larry Rhoden introduced Dykstra as his assistant majority leader, a man who can see through complex issues quickly, and is able to articulate those issues to the caucus members. Rhoden said he has often been envious of Dykstra's ability to see over the horizon and prepare for issues ahead of time. Rhoden said Dykstra would be able to work with Senator Thune instead of voting against him as Johnson has done often, and canceling out a good vote most of the time. Rhoden said we don't get opportunities to elect someone of Joel Dykstra's caliber all the time.

Dykstra received an enthusiastic standing ovation as he came before the crowd.

Dykstra said it has been a beautiful year to travel the state and meet people to "see some green" because of the much-needed rain this year, but not such a good year because of the "green" it cost in fuel dollars.

Dykstra said we need to go to Washington for more than just what we can get out of Washington. He said things like the lab at the old Homestake Gold Mine, water projects and other things were positive investments.

However, Dykstra said, we need to bring solutions to the broken system that is Washington D.C.

Dykstra said it is important to determine the kind of America we leave to the next generation, and that will be affected by the decisions made in D.C. for the next 6 years.

According to Dykstra, many of the problems that have now come to a head in our nation have been building for 30 years.

For energy , we need a comprehensive plan to drill for oil in shale and offshore, wind energy, modern and safe nuclear power (he said that if the French can do it, he knows we can). It's simplistic, he said, to think we can solve our energy problems just by properly inflating our tires.

Dykstra said his comprehensive energy plan has been on his website for 16 months, and the crunch we've seen this summer has brought the need for such solutions to the forefront.

However, in the last couple of weeks, the energy problem has been pushed to the back burner, Dykstra said, because of the current financial problem.

He said the entire system is out of whack because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been run for the private benefit of their leaders while relying on a government promise to catch them if they fell. He said they are really government creations that are only run as if they were private companies.

Dykstra said we are at risk of causing another problem due to the impact of the lack of credit on main street and on the ranches of South Dakota that need credit to keep operating.

The purpose for this town hall meeting, he said, was to give the people a chance to interact with him directly. He said he knew that there were many "friends" in the audience but that there are also "other people" in the audience, and his people are not screening questions to ensure a friendly atmosphere.

Dykstra said he had several years experience in the energy industry, including overseas in Europe. Dykstra has been involved in commercial real estate and economic development, among other things, since returning to South Dakota.

The first question from the audience was how much of a factor he thought the "sympathy vote" for Tim Johnson might be. Dykstra said Senator Johnson made a very conscious decision to run and Johnson believes he's capable of serving. Dykstra said he believed Johnson should also be capable of answering questions as well. He said this election isn't about what has gone on in previous years, but is about where we will be going and the kind of opportunities our children and grandchildren may have. He said he is moving forward with the campaign and will leave other issues for the voters to decide.

The second question was about whether deregulation caused the current financial problem, and how Dykstra would reinvent conservative policies regarding government regulation.

Dykstra said there are a couple of important judgments that Congress needs to make along with the presidential administration, and that is whether the pendulum has swung too far, and if it needs to go back, how far. We need to protect the taxpayer and average American from the kind of abuses we've seen, he said, and also not get so far into over-regulation that we stifle the economy and innovation.

Dykstra said our economy is the envy of the world and can adjust "on the fly" better than any economy in the world, including the European economy.

"It's clear that the pendulum has gone too far in deregulation," said Dykstra. He said John McCain proposed oversight that was needed for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, but it never got done.

"The problem we face today is because of that lack of oversight," Dykstra said. He also stated the regulation needs to be the "right size" and not excessive.

Another question from the audience expressed frustration that our tax dollars may go to pay for unwise people who took out bad mortgages. The lady who asked the question also asked why those people aren't being held responsible.

Dykstra said one of the core problems is a lack of accountability and a lack of responsibility on the part of those "playing games with numbers," taking risks with numbers and placing the savings of all of us at risk. Dykstra said this was an "entire system failure."

According to Dykstra, blame belongs on Wall Street, with the CEOs, congress, the administration, Republicans and Democrats alike. Tough questions need to be asked of those in Washington who took contributions from companies and allowed this to happen.

"This doesn't pass the smell test," said Dykstra.

He said Congress needs to focus on the absolute minimum that needs to be done to avert a total meltdown, and not load up some bill "like a Christmas tree," but to just get something useful done. Dykstra said the most important things that need to be done will take longer than just a week to work out.

Another questioner said he understood that Senator Johnson had received some funding from various interest groups, and asked which ones Dykstra is receiving support from.

Dykstra said, "They're in this room," indicating average South Dakotans. He said 3 out of 4 contributions are less than $200 each with more than 90% of those contributions coming from right here in South Dakota.

Dykstra said he knew from the beginning he was going to be at a financial disadvantage in this race, but he is confident that the average people of the state will make up the difference.

A question was asked about how Dykstra felt about Social Security. Dykstra said that when America makes a commitment, it should be a contract that's not abrogated under any circumstances, and if your relatives have relied on a promise from the government as a result of military service, it should be guaranteed that nothing should happen to reduce those benefits which were promised when they "signed on the dotted line."

As for Social Security, we have made a promise to them as well, and people rely on it, said Dykstra. However we know from the numbers that we can't continue at the current rate, but we can't reduce those who are already at retirement age and depending on that system. Changes will be required for those younger people who have not begun to depend on the system yet. It needs to be funded in a "forward manner" so the money is there when people retire.

Dykstra was also asked about pork barrel spending. Dykstra said we have already crossed the line on whether federal funds should be used for local projects, and it would be hard to turn back the clock on that.

Dykstra said things like the mine at Homestake, while local, will have national impact. But it is not appropriate to have an earmark system like we currently have where every senator and representative gets some "chips" to go in and "exercise" those to leverage pet projects for their state. He said some people are using those earmarks to buy re-election, and it breeds corruption. He said we should have a system where representatives put their name next to earmarks in advance of the vote, and this would raise the quality of bills and save money in the long run. He said he believed South Dakota's projects hold up pretty good to scrutiny, but many others do not.

On health care, Dykstra said he spent the last two years working on reform at the state level. He said the next congress will look at a couple of "irreconcilable visions." He described those as competition, or more government.

Dykstra said he once lived in Great Britain and Italy, and both had national health systems, and they do not work. He said the poor, unfortunate folks who are stuck in the national system have to tolerate waiting lists, poor quality, tight budgets...while the elite class can get care in a private practice that looks like what we already have here in the United States. Dykstra said we can fix the problems we have with our system and avoid that government controlled system.

The last question came regarding what Dykstra plans to do to promote the Homestake lab while in Washington. Dykstra said he talked to Governor Mike Rounds about this yesterday. Dykstra said children are going to Homestake and then visiting other labs around the country. He said the lab has to be a national priority.

Dykstra said we have drifted away from the exiting priority that science was back in the 1960s. He said we will soon have fewer people working in science and technology, and need to find a way to interest young people in careers in this area. He said the Homestake lab is a great opportunity to do this. We could build a curriculum and bring kids from South Dakota and around the country through it right at the lab. He said we need to make it important to people all across the nation. He said this could make the Black Hills a "scientific mecca" for the entire country.

In closing, Dykstra said he believes we have good things ahead of us. He said we're at a place where the country needs a dose of the good common sense that South Dakota can offer. He said he believes one person really can make a difference, and if you don't believe that, we're all wasting our time.


He said we can revitalize our nation's confidence, and America is worth saving, and that with everyone's help, it will be.

Dykstra stayed around after the official program was over, listening to people and answering more questions.

To the Left of Obama in South Dakota

I wouldn't have thought it possible, but apparently we have at least one person in South Dakota who is (a) to the Left of Barack Obama and (b) more invested in defeat in Iraq than Obama has been.

Publius at SouthDakotaMac states today that Sarah Palin "gaffes on Iraq:"

Palin said the United States had achieved “victory” in Iraq. Read it here. Palin’s stunning ignorance is profound, as is seen in the Couric interview and from Kurtz’ analysis piece here. Here’s a sample of the Palin blather, lifted from Kurtz’ article in the Washington Post:

"Things like the terrain even in Afghanistan and that border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where, you know, we believe that -- Bin Laden is -- is hiding out right now and . . . and is still such a leader of this terrorist movement. There . . . there are many more challenges there. So, again, I believe that . . . a surge in Afghanistan also will lead us to victory there as it has proven to have done in Iraq. And as I say, Katie, that we cannot afford to retreat, to withdraw in Iraq."

Publius must have missed the DNC memo allowing liberal operatives to acknowledge success in Iraq, because even Barack Obama got it:

“I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated,” Obama said while refusing to retract his initial opposition to the surge. “I’ve already said it’s succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”

Sounds like a pretty victorious pronouncement to me.

We still have troops in Korea after 50 years; I guess we're in a losing quagmire there, too.

I guess some folks just won't be happy unless America loses...and as long as somebody else is happy.

Charge That Sarah Palin Charged Victims for Rape Kits Debunked

LifeNews has a detailed examination of the urban legend that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin--when she was mayor of Wasilla--wanted to charge rape victims for rape kits used to collect evidence.

The Rabid Left has been foaming at the mouth about this accusation for several weeks now, supposedly as evidence that Sarah Palin is a sadistic, woman-hating woman who can't be trusted as Vice President of the United States.

The truth is, as usual, quite different than the Rabid Left and their accomplices in the "mainstream" media portray.

As the LifeNews article points out, the origin of this fallacy seems to stem from an article by the Wasilla paper, The Frontiersman in 2000.

In that story Police Chief Fannon was quoted as standing against legislation that would force local municipalities to pick up the costs of rape kits being performed. In the interview Fannon said that, upon conviction, he favored the criminals being charged for the costs.

The story mentions that Fannon claimed that at the time Wasilla did have a policy that rape victims' insurance would be charged for the kits being performed but there was no mention that victims themselves were charged and no claim that any ever were.

What the Left fails to mention, however, is that Wasilla isn't the only municipality with this policy--Juneau, for example.

There also seems to be only one rape in Wasilla recorded in the Uniform Crime Reports, and no record that this victim was charged for the rape kit--or that Palin even knew about this policy mentioned by the police chief. It also seems it was the hospitals in Alaska that typically pass along the cost of the rape kit to the victim's insurance company, not the police department.

For her part, Palin spokeswoman Maria Comella has said that the governor "does not believe, nor has she ever believed, that rape victims should have to pay for an evidence-gathering test."

I would encourage you to read the entire piece at LifeNews; it's lengthy but worth it.

Does it even pass the smell-test to believe that a female mayor (or a male mayor, for that matter) would want to intentionally add an insult to an injury in such a terrible crime?

Perhaps if you're on the Rabid Left and believe that women who don't toe the radical feminist line are "Aunt Tom's," or that people of sincere Christian faith are the greatest evil our nation has ever seen.

Senate Looks at Taxpayer-Funded Homosexual Benefits

Not only are homosexual activists and their "useful idiots" in congress working very hard to legitimize homosexual behavior, according to the Washington Post they want you to fork over your hard-earned tax dollars to pay for it.

The Post says Senator Joe Lieberman is sponsoring legislation to extend employee benefits to homosexual couples who work for the government (i.e. work for you):

"This legislation would provide employee benefit programs to the same-sex domestic partners of federal employees," Lieberman said yesterday at a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing. "They would be eligible to participate in health benefits, long-term care, family and medical leave, federal retirement benefits, and all other benefits for which married employees and their spouses are eligible."

In other words, this legislation would authorize taxpayer funds to pay for the health care of couples who are not married and can never be married because they are of the same sex.

Not only will this boost the taxpayer bill for health care (homosexuals have much higher rates of AIDS, STDs, hepatitis, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, mental health issues, suicide and domestic violence), but will further lend an illegitimate air of normalcy to homosexual behavior.

Here's another gem:

Opposite-sex partners are not included because they have the option to marry.

Homosexuals also have the option to marry; they simply choose not to find an opposite-sex partner which is required to constitute a marriage.

We must return Republicans to power in congress and keep them there in the White House. For all their failings, they are nowhere near as bad as Democrats.

Taxpayer subsidization of an immoral and unhealthy lifestyle is unconscionable.

Sarah Palin More Qualified than Barack Obama

From the producers:

Internet advertisement by the Our Country Deserves Better Committee highlighting the fact that the Republican Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has MORE executive experience than the Democrat's Presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

We also contrast Palin's impressive experience with the fact that the one supposed attribute of Barack Obama - his "gift" for gab - isn't so impressive after all.

Special thanks to the Hillary Clinton Forum (website: http://www.hillaryclintonforum.net ) for their research assistance, suggestions and passion in the fight against Barack Obama.

Foreign Voters for Obama!

Michelle Malkin points out something interesting about Barack Obama's voter registration website, Vote for Change.

If you go there and answer that you're not a U.S. citizen, a page pops up which says:

Vote for change
Unfortunately only US citizens are eligible to register to vote.

Unfortunately? Unfortunately?

Does this mean if we are insane enough to elect Barack Obama to the presidency, he's going to push to allow citizens of foreign countries to vote in our elections?

I'm serious, man: where did all the adults go?

Republicans Get Hardballs, Softballs for Dems

The Culture and Media Institute analyzes how the two parties were questioned during 35 presidential debates.

Johnson/Dykstra on Taxpayer Funds to Abortionists

From the South Dakota Family Policy Council's 2008 general election voter guide on grants to abortionists, comparing Senator Tim Johnson with Republican challenger Joel Dykstra:

Support S Amdt 3330 to HR 3043 (2007), which prohibited the provision of funds to grantees who perform abortions?

Tim Johnson:N
Joel Dykstra: Y

Herseth Sandlin/Lien on Taxpayer Funded Human Cloning

From the South Dakota Family Policy Council's 2008 general election voter guide on human cloning, comparing Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth with Republican challenger Chris Lien:

Support HR 3 (2007), which prohibited the use of taxpayer funds for human cloning?

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin: Y
Chris Lien: N

Congresswoman Herseth Sandlin: Congress Should Stay at Work (Are You Listening, Senator Obama?)

According to KOTA, even Democrat Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin believes congress should stay at work during the current financial crisis.

Perhaps Barack Obama should rethink his decision to decline John McCain's proposal to postpone Friday's debate in Mississippi.

A leader doesn't go gallivanting around when he can make a contribution to fix a problem.

Morality...When it Suits Me

Voices Carry points out the interesting and rather funny change in tune from the "can't legislate morality" Leftists in the face of the financial meltdown the United States is staring in the face.

Pastor Steve says that even ultra-liberal Barack Obama understands the proper role of morality in public policy, from Audacity of Hope:

"To say men and women should not inject their "personal morality" into policy debates is a practical absurdity; our law is by definition a codification of morality."

Of course now that greed (and a little "overlooked" politically correct government affirmative action lending regulation) on Wall Street has produced a financial train wreck, we hear the Leftists crying out for the lack of morality in the financial industry.

It is true that immorality has had a great hand in producing this problem...as it has family breakdown, educational mediocrity, and pretty much every other problem our society faces today.

It's interesting how Leftists trash and malign every shred of morality they encounter...until the lack of it can be blamed for problems in something they already hate: capitalism.

Perhaps what they mean is, "You can't legislate morality that interferes with the immorality I want to do."

If that is the case--and I'm sure that it is--we should just be clear about that.

And weigh it accordingly when considering public policy that can clean up and heal the broken landscape that has become our American society in the past 50 years.

The Origins of the First Amendment

American Minute from William J. Federer

"Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Thus began the first of the Ten Amendments, or Bill of Rights, which were approved SEPTEMBER 25, 1789.

George Mason, known as "The Father of the Bill of Rights," wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights from which Jefferson drew to write the Declaration of Independence. George Mason was one of 55 founders who wrote the U.S. Constitution, but was also one of sixteen who refused to sign it because it did not abolish slavery and did not limit the power of the Federal Government.

George Mason joined with Patrick Henry and Samuel Adams to prevent the Constitution from being ratified, as the abuses of King George III's concentrated power were still fresh.

It was largely through George Mason's insistence that in the first session of Congress ten limitations or amendments were put on the new Federal Government.

George Mason suggested the wording of the First Amendment be: "All men have an equal, natural and unalienable right to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that no particular sect or society of Christians ought to be favored or established by law in preference to others."

William J. Federer is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and president of Amerisearch, Inc, which is dedicated to researching our American heritage. The American Minute radio feature looks back at events in American history on the dates they occurred, is broadcast daily across the country and read by thousand on the internet.

Blankley: Media Propagandists for Obama

The following Op-Ed by Tony Blankley in the Washington Times only confirms what most of us have observed these past few months. The MSM is in the tank for Obama & Co. It has been so blatant that one wonders what they’ll do if their candidate doesn’t win. What credibility will be left to cover the administration of McCain and Palin after so shamelessly siding with the Dems during this entire campaign? At least they’ll still have Saturday Night Live, which may be the most credible news coming from NBC.



Tony Blankley, Washington Times
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

OP-ED:
The mainstream media have gone over the line and are now straight out propagandists for the Obama campaign. While they have been liberal and blinkered in their worldview for decades, in 2007-08 for the first time, the major media are consciously covering for one candidate for president and consciously knifing the other. This is no longer journalism — it is simply propaganda. (The American left-wing version of the Volkischer Beobachter cannot be far behind.) And as a result, we are less than seven weeks away from possibly electing a president who has not been thoroughly and even half way honestly presented to the country by our watchdogs — the press.

Herseth Sandlin/Lien on Special Rights for Homosexuals

From the South Dakota Family Policy Council's 2008 general election voter guide on special protections for homosexuals, comparing Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth with Republican challenger Chris Lien:

Support HR 3685 (2007), which granted employees special protections based on sexual preferences?

Stephanie Herseth: Y
Chris Lien: N

Johnson/Dykstra on Pork Barrel Spending

From the South Dakota Family Policy Council's 2008 general election voter guide on pork barrel projects, comparing Senator Tim Johnson and Republican challenger Joel Dykstra:

Support S Amdt 4347 to S Con Res 70 (2008), which placed a moratorium on earmarks or 'pork barrel' projects?

Tim Johnson: N
Joel Dykstra: Y

2008 GOP Plank on Marriage

The plank on marriage in the 2008 GOP Platform is worth reading:

Because our children’s future is best preserved within the traditional understanding of marriage, we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it. In the absence of a national amendment, we support the right of the people of the various states to affirm traditional marriage through state initiatives.

Republicans recognize the importance of having in the home a father and a mother who are married. The two-parent family still provides the best environment of stability, discipline, responsibility, and character. Children in homes without fathers are more likely to commit a crime, drop out of school, become violent, become teen parents, use illegal drugs, become mired in poverty, or have emotional or behavioral problems. We support the courageous efforts of single-parent families to provide a stable home for their children. Children are our nation’s most precious resource. We also salute and support the efforts of foster and adoptive families.

Republicans have been at the forefront of protecting traditional marriage laws, both in the states and in Congress. A Republican Congress enacted the Defense of Marriage Act, affirming the right of states not to recognize same-sex “marriages” licensed in other states. Unbelievably, the Democratic Party has now pledged to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which would subject every state to the redefinition of marriage by a judge without ever allowing the people to vote on the matter. We also urge Congress to use its Article III, Section 2 power to prevent activist federal judges from imposing upon the rest of the nation the judicial activism in Massachusetts and California. We also encourage states to review their marriage and divorce laws in order to strengthen marriage.

As the family is our basic unit of society, we oppose initiatives to erode parental rights.

Well said!

And thanks to the Republican Party for making a clear stand in favor of marriage and families!

HT to Men's News Daily.

South Dakota Taxes the Lowest in the Nation

Republican Tide points out that South Dakota has the lowest state tax burden in the entire country.

Cool!

And while maintaining a low tax burden, we still have a good life here and our children get a good education--I haven't looked at the latest statistics, but in 2004 we were ranked 7th in academic achievement while 41st in per-student spending.

South Dakota is leading the nation in tax responsibility.

While liberals whine and gripe for more money to waste, the rest of us are enjoying the good life here in "God's country."

New Wind Farm Dedicated in McPherson County

This is from KXMB CBS out of Bismark on a wind farm dedication. The farm borders North and South Dakota, in McPherson County, South Dakota. There are 120 turbines. Transmission capability kept the farm from being bigger

Al Gore Calls for Civil Disobedience to Promote Environmental Worship

You know, for civil disobedience to be warranted, there usually needs to be some compelling moral priority or injustice that's being ignored.

So Al Gore's mindless call for civil disobedience to "prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration" definitely seems over the top.

Maybe if you consider blasphemy against the religion of anthropogenic global warming a compelling moral priority, it would seem in order.

However, I'm pretty sure most rational and otherwise thinking people don't.

Gore's call is, however, worth a chuckle for those amused at seeing a grown man make an idiot of himself.

Former Abortionist Endorses South Dakota Initiated Measure 11

Former abortionist Dr. Bernard Nathanson, the last living founder of NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) has endorsed South Dakota pro-life measure Initiated Measure 11.

As the LifeNews article points out, Nathanson was one of the biggest abortionists in the United States (he performed about 75,000 abortions) until viewing ultrasounds on unborn children led him to change his mind.

Nathanson explains that he and his colleagues who founded NARAL created it to “export our pro-abortion mentality across the land.”

“One of our strategies was to deny what we knew to be true, that an abortion destroys the life of an existing human being," he says in the commercial. “This was the greatest mistake of my life… and the greatest mistake in our nation’s history."

Nathanson also admits abortion activists made up figures about how many women were supposedly dying from illegal abortions prior to the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

"We spoke of 5,000 - 10,000 deaths a year," he said. "I confess that I knew the figures were totally false [but] it was a useful figure, widely accepted, so why go out of our way to correct it with honest statistics?"

As I said earlier, when the "freight train" of the truth catches up to you, you have a choice: you can ignore the truth and keep embracing the lie, or you can admit you were wrong and allow your heart and mind to change.

Nathanson apparently made the right decision when he encountered that train. I don't know the status of his relationship with Jesus Christ, but whatever it is, I hope his embrace of this truth goes in his favor when Nathanson passes into eternity.

Yes on 10 Video

South Dakotans for Open and Clean Government has a video on Initiated Measure 10 at CleanupSD.com.

Vote YES on Measure 10 to stop politicians from handing out no-bid government contracts to their campaign donors, and stop government contractors from financially rewarding the politicians who hand out their contracts. Watch this video to learn why the "pay to play" system in Pierre is costing you money!

Media Gets No Love at Palin Rallies

I'll at least give CBS props for even acknowledging that people are ticked over the over-the-top-and-spilling-all-over-the-floor media bias against Governor Sarah Palin.

This video acknowledges it and shows Palin supporters calling it out.

Dems Concede, Will Allow Offshore Drilling Ban to Expire

Fox News reports the Democrats are giving up and allowing a ban on offshore drilling to expire.

Democrats have decided to allow a quarter-century ban on drilling for oil off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to expire next week, conceding defeat in a months-long battle with the White House and Republicans set off by $4 a gallon gasoline prices this summer.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., told reporters Tuesday that a provision continuing the moratorium will be dropped this year from a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running after Congress recesses for the election.

It's not a done-deal yet, but it looks pretty good.

If Republicans would grow and maintain a spine, and fight like this more often, we might have some success at turning back some of the liberal rot that's held this great nation captive for more than 50 years.

Maybe Republicans will learn something from this...

Barack Muzzles His Dog Joe

From the New York Daily News, Barack Obama has finally put a muzzle on his dog Joe Biden:

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama slapped his loose-lipped running mate Tuesday, chastising Joe Biden for speaking too fast and contradicting him on one of the massive financial bailouts.

Biden, a Delaware senator, declared last week the federal government should not have floated the American International Group an $85 billion lifeline.

Obama said the feds had no choice and hit John McCain for opposing the AIG rescue one day, then backing it the next.

Tuesday, Obama had to deal with fallout from Biden doing a similar dipsy-doodle, first denouncing then agreeing with McCain.

"I think that, in that situation, I think Joe should have waited as well," Obama said on NBC's "Today" show.

It's not the only Biden gaffe to make headlines lately.

You know, dogs that can't keep their mouths shut sometimes have to be put down. This incident may fuel those nasty rumors that Obama could pull an 11th hour switcharoo and dump his foot-in-mouth disease suffering running mate.

I really hope Obama doesn't, though. I'm having way too many belly laughs with Joe Biden in the spotlight.

Video: McCain Statement on Campaign Suspension

Released by the McCain campaign tonight...

Obama Biden: For Coal Except When Against It

Good question asked at the end of the video here: Ready to pander? Ready to lead?

Men to Use Women's Restrooms at U of Pittsburgh

Somebody call the grownups and tell them we need them in charge again.

First it was Montgomery County in Maryland. Then the entire state of Colorado joined the merry trend. Next was the juvenile justice system in New York. Then Gainesville, Florida chimed in. Now the University of Pittsburgh is piling on.

What am I talking about? Indulging the fantasies of people who can't interpret the implications of the sex organs between their legs...or simply don't want to and demand that the universe bend to their childishness.

A growing number of organizations and municipalities across the country are making special housing consideration for men who want to call themselves women, or women who want to call themselves men. These inmates-in-charge-of-the-asylum are allowing men to use women's restrooms and locker rooms, and in the case of Colorado, silencing anyone who disagrees.

According to OneNewsNow, the latest to join this insanity is the University of Pittsburgh is changing its policy to allow this sort of thing:

The new policy means that a man who feels like he is a woman can be housed in the women's dormitory and vice versa. And that involves "showering and using the restroom and the whole shebang," explains Diane Gramley, president of American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA).

Gramley mentally puts herself in the position of being in a women's dorm restroom, when a man walks in to use the facilities. "I think that she would be shocked and dismayed -- and I would think she would also be concerned about her safety," she contends.

I don't know about you, but I think we've had our full quotient of silliness. It's time to put the adults--the sane ones--back in charge of things in our country.

Public safety is at stake, here. It's time to end the silly pandering to people who can't or won't figure out their sex and restore order.