Christopher's Objective

P90X - Day 30 - 2008.01.06

2009-01-30T07:37:00.003-06:00

2008.01.06 - Day 30
I have continued with P90X! And, I know this blog is way behind schedule. I have decided to only blog every thirty days from now on. These blogs were simply getting too repetitive. The routines continue to mix it up and I keep surprising myself with my constant improvement. Its not a cake walk, but it works and I feel great after each routine and I'm even getting to feel like I crave the hard work. The routines never really get physically easier because you keep increasing the weight you use or the number of reps you complete or the speed you do things or or or... The point is, you can keep improving and driving yourself to new levels. The P90X "Muscle Confusion" techniques work. I can do more of everything with better endurance and improved flexibility and I'm not leveling off. It seems there is no limit to how far I can take this. I may not look like Arnold the Governator at his peak, but I do feel much healthier, and I am absolutely much stronger. To summarize, I'm going to keep at it because its working.

P90X - Day 29 - 2008.01.05 - CHEST, SHOULDERS & TRICEPS

2009-01-06T15:11:00.003-06:00

2008.01.05 - CHEST, SHOULDERS & TRICEPS
Well, I'm back at it. The Ski, Golf and Glider Aerobatics trip was a great vacation but the return to P90X was not easy. This new routine made me feel like day one all over again. By the last two, of the 24 different moves (really more because some include multiple actions) I could hardly do a single push up or lift 10 lbs over my head. Wow! Oh, back on the vacation, I was able to ski four days straight without pain for the first time in a few years. My legs felt great and my endurance was much improved. I can't wait to see how I feel after the next 60 days. I know I kinda cheated by taking the few weeks off to vacation, but this is the real world and likely how most people must go through this program. Setting aside a completely uninterrupted 90 days is just not realistic. Life gets in the way. Still, I do intend to go at it solid for the last 60 days.

P90X - Day 28 - 2008.12.14 - STRETCH or REST

2008-12-15T13:20:00.004-06:00

2008.12.14 - STRETCH or REST
Rest Baby Rest! Seriously, I have a ski vacation coming up on Friday (five days from now) and I will be taking time away from the program until I return. The Skiing will be good exercise. When I get back I will start the second 30 days full out again. Hopefully I won't have fallen behind but rather have gotten some much needed recovery time. This was my strategy all along. In any case, I may do a slightly lighter version of the PLYOMETRICS and KENPO and STRETCH over the next few days just to keep moving. I don't want to be too tired for my ski vacation but I don't want to slip too far out of the game. Oh, I also need to take my 30 Day measurements and pictures.

P90X - Day 27 - 2008.12.13 - YOGA

2008-12-15T13:16:00.003-06:00

2008.12.13 - YOGA
YOGA is still really hard but does not seem as bad after doing CORE SYNERGISTICS twice. I sure am glad I have a STRETCH OR REST day tomorrow. I need it.

P90X - Day 26 - 2008.12.12 - CORE SYNERGISTICS

2008-12-15T13:11:00.003-06:00

2008.12.12 - CORE SYNERGISTICS
Yep, CORE SYNERGISTICS ranks right up their with YOGA as really really hard. It seems like this second time I did get closer to doing the moves correctly, but wow this is truly an extreme workout. Beware of the Prison Pushups! Yikes.

P90X - Day 25 - 2008.12.11 - STRETCH or REST

2008-12-15T13:08:00.004-06:00

2008.12.11 - STRETCH or REST
Decided to Rest. Just plain needed a break!

P90X - Day 24 - 2008.12.10 - KENPO

2008-12-11T10:39:00.002-06:00

2008.12.10 - KENPO
Went at KENPO hard last night and felt great doing it. It really makes me sweat and stretch and it kicks up the heart rate. My past martial arts training really helps me glide though this without much stress. The work is hard but this is definitively the easiest mentally for me. Even the STRETCH routine requires more thinking for me. Anyway, all is well and I'm really feeling like my endurance and recovery rates are improving.

P90X - Day 23 - 2008.12.09 - CORE SYNERGISTICS

2008-12-10T11:43:00.002-06:00

2008.12.09 - CORE SYNERGISTICS
So it turns out that CORE SYNERGISTICS is a nice / short way of saying, "All Over Body Ripper". This routine is just short of an hour long and I can honestly say it may top YOGA for the one that I find least enjoyable. Of course that is what I say about each new routine I encounter until I get it mastered to some degree. As always, P90X did not let me down. The whole point of the routine is to work your core and it does the job. The good news is now I am past the hurting all over phase. So, soon after I was done and able to walk up the stairs, I started to feel pretty good. I was really really worn out, but not in pain. Nice!

P90X - Day 22 - 2008.12.08 - YOGA

2008-12-09T13:54:00.002-06:00

2008.12.08 - YOGA
Today was the first day of my fourth P90X week. As such, the schedule changes up as part of the "muscle confusion" strategy and YOGA is the first day's routine. I'm getting much better at YOGA, but it never gets easier. I just spend less time falling down. The work load isn't decreasing because of it. In fact, it may be more work. Tomorrow, I do CORE SYNERGISTICS for teh first time - what ever that is.

P90X - Day 21 - 2008.12.07 - STRETCH

2008-12-08T07:37:00.002-06:00

2008.12.07 - STRETCH
I'm still not back onto my sleep schedule so I did light stretching. Today was supposed to be a recovery day and the STRETCH video is optional. I also have to be into work an hour early tomorrow to handle some final tweaks from the 3:00 AM work we did on Friday. So, I am going to bed early and hopefully, I'll be fully rested for Monday's YOGA and the official start of the recovery week. This weeks goal is to eat as well as possible and maybe drop a few pounds. I have been eating pretty well, but the weight has not been coming off. I am building muscle for sure. So, that must be trading places with the fat. Still, since this week is not a weights week, I should be able to knock off a few pounds.

P90X - Day 20 - 2008.12.06 - KENPO - NOT!

2008-12-08T07:31:00.004-06:00

2008.12.06 - KENPO - NOT!
I worked until 3:00 AM this morning and had two scheduled events for the day. So, after only getting 3 hours of sleep, I figured I could miss one day's work out and did. I am not going to shift the schedule, I am just going to skip today. My body could use the break and I really need to catch up on sleep before going at it a gain and maybe injuring myself. Monday starts the Recovery week any way, so I'm not to worried about taking just one routine off. I have rescheduled all sorts of things to assure I don't miss other workouts and will continue to do so.

P90X - Day 19 - 2008.12.05 - LEGS & BACK and AB RIPPER

2008-12-06T00:13:00.002-06:00

2008.12.05 - LEGS & BACK and AB RIPPER
I again experienced serious improvement for the LEGS & BACK routine. The wall squats are getting better and that is the hardest part. Or... is it the tip-toe lunges. Those start out easy but get really hard as your calves start to burn.

Then of course there is that nasty AB RIPPER routine. I don't think that will ever get easy. Each movement burns from nearly beginning to end. And... I still can't do those darn straight leg feet to the ceiling thingies more than once or twice. All the prior moves burn me out before I get to them. I will not quit! I will beat those things eventually!

P90X - Day 18 - 2008.12.04 - YOGA

2008-12-06T00:07:00.003-06:00

2008.12.04 - YOGA
Today I figured out why YOGA day is so hard. The routine is 1:32 long. I never looked at the clock on it the first two times through. I wish I had not seen that. The first 60 minutes is intense and the last 30 minutes is mostly balance and stretching. Anyway, if you can make it through the first part, the second part is a good warm down and that is the part that leaves you feeling good. Its a mental trick.

P90X - Day 17 - 2008.12.03 - SHOULDERS & ARMS and AB RIPPER

2008-12-05T23:58:00.004-06:00

2008.12.17 - SHOULDERS & ARMS and AB RIPPER
This third week has been better in some ways and harder in others. I felt strong for the SHOULDERS AND ARMS routine and did significantly more weight. Some of the rep counts were down, but in the prior weeks I was doing some moves more than 15 reps which meant I needed to add weight. So, this week I did. As usual, the AB RIPPER was not easy but I am getting better and better at it. The move with your legs straight and pushing them to the ceiling is still almost impossible for me. I will conquer it!

P90X - Day 16 - 2008.12.02 - PLYOMETRICS

2008-12-03T11:28:00.002-06:00

2008.12.02 - PLYOMETRICS
PLYOMETRICS is still tough but since I ate better today, I did feel way better than I did yesterday. Having avoided Taco Bell today made everything easier. I love the taste of Taco Bell (the first time) but boy what a difference it makes to eat better. There are still places in the routine where I can't keep up but the people in the videos have all completed the 90 days and more. So, I think I am moving along quite nicely.

P90X - Day 15 - 2008.12.01 - CHEST & BACK and AB RIPPER

2008-12-01T19:14:00.002-06:00

2008.12.01 - CHEST & BACK and AB RIPPER
Week three begins and I added some weight for each exercise. I added just 5 more pounds and I thought I was going to drop. This time through, the CHEST & BACK routine nearly had me begging for mercy. It was like the first week all over again. Well, maybe not that bad, but darn close. The AB RIPPER was tough as always but I expected that .

I ate Taco Bell for lunch. IT WAS A HUGE MISTAKE! NEVER AGAIN!!!

P90X - Day 14 - 2008.11.30 - STRETCH

2008-12-01T08:21:00.002-06:00

2008.11.30 - STRETCH
Again, the STRETCH routine is excellent. I am definitely becoming more and more flexible every day, and especially as a result of the STRETCH routine. My tweaked left hamstring is feeling about 90% now and my balance is improving vastly. I also noticed that I am getting just plain comfortable with setting aside time each day and I don't seem to be watching the clock so much during my workouts any more. As a result, they seem to be going faster.

P90X - Day 13 - 2008.11.29 - KENPO

2008-12-01T08:13:00.002-06:00

2008.11.29 - KENPO
I really cranked out the KENPO routine this second time around. That 10 years of previous martial arts practice has to be the trick. I keep my heart rate in the zone (approaching 160 beats per minute most of the time) and I feel tired after but not trashed. This may be my favorite routine. It also goes by the fastest.

Regarding my diet, I really need to improve that even more. I don't seem to be loosing much weight. It may be that I am building muscle mass. And, it may be that I just need to eat less. More likely the eating is the issue.

P90X - Day 12 - 2008.11.28 - LEGS & BACK and AB RIPPER

2008-11-28T10:06:00.002-06:00

2008.11.28 - LEGS & BACK and AB RIPPER
I tried to be relatively good with my eating yesterday even though it was Thanksgiving. I did cheat a little (more like a lot) and I ate too much stuffing and a small piece of chocolate pie for desert. Oh, I also had wine with dinner and an after dinner cognac. I know that seems like I went away off the reservation but I really did not over stuff as would normally be the case. Really.

That all said I was worried about todays workout, but for the LEGS & BACK portion I showed great improvement as I did for the AB RIPPER. This is now getting to be somewhat amazing to me.

Oh, my wife's aunt, who was unaware of my P90X journey, hugged me then stepped back and put her hand on my shoulder and upper arm and said, "Hey, a have you been exercising or something?" My wife almost puked up her dinner, but it made me feel great.

And so it goes... something is really starting to happen!

P90X - Day 11 - 2008.11.27 - YOGA

2008-11-27T09:50:00.003-06:00

2008.11.27 - YOGA
I am feeling a little bit better about YOGA this week. My balance is returning slowly but surely and as with the first time through I felt really good after I finished. The first 30 minutes is really hard. I think part of what makes you feel so good is the relief. ~ Big Grin ~

Happy Thanksgiving - The diet might suffer a bit today but I'll do my best not to go hog wild.

P90X - Day 10 - 2008.11.26 - SHOULDERS & ARMS and AB RIPPER

2008-11-26T11:48:00.004-06:00

2008.11.26 - SHOULDERS & ARMS and AB RIPPER
I actually completed the SHOULDERS AND ARMS routine without interruption this time. And, this week I also completed the AB RIPPER. I'm definitely improving on the AB RIPPER but it is super hard, especially after doing an hour long work out. I'm finding that once you hit play, you can push through. You just have to get the momentum going. I'm not saying I love the struggle, but I do love knowing I can blast through.

P90X - Day 9 - 2008.11.25 - PLYOMETRICS

2008-11-25T17:00:00.002-06:00

2008.11.25 - PLYOMETRICS
OK... So maybe my idea that this would all get easier relatively quickly was ridiculous. PLYOMETRICS was just as tough for the second go round as it was for the first. It could be that I'm jumping higher and faster and that I am taking fewer and shorter breaks. Or it could be that I am still out of shape. It's most likely the latter. The video calls this the mother of all P90X routines and maybe they are correct. Enough whining all ready. I've succeeded in making it 9 days in a row. Sweeeeeeet. Or should I say sweat?

Oh, and... I did feel a bit more coordinated and better balanced. So there is something to celebrate.

P90X - Day 8 - 2008.11.24 - CHEST & BACK and AB RIPPER

2008-11-25T08:24:00.002-06:00

2008.11.24 - CHEST & BACK and AB RIPPER
Well, its the start of the second week and I can say for sure that I am feeling much better about this journey I've begun. This second time through for both the CHEST & BACK and the AB RIPPER has been significantly less traumatic. It is still very hard - make that intense, however, I am now much more in balance and I even increased the number of reps I could complete and the weight I was using.

It was a small victory because there are still some moves that I simply cannot do without using a cheat. That is, completing some of the push-ups requires doing them on my knees and completing all of the pull ups still requires at least 80 pounds of assist. Still, I am tracking every rep and each weight used on the P90X worksheets as suggested and I have made progress from the first week. So, something is happening! And... it feels good!

Well maybe not the Ab Ripper, that is still as hard as anything I have ever done and does give you quite a burn. As always, NO PAIN, NO GAIN.

P90X - Day 7 - 2008.11.23 - STRETCH

2008-11-23T09:30:00.006-06:00

2008.11.23 - STRETCH
The STRETCH routine is excellent. Its a full hour of stretching and covers your entire body. I was tight and in pain before this routine but feel great afterwards. I was even limping a little because I tweaked my left hamstring a bit during the last set of KENPO side kicks (my own fault for going to hard on the first attempt) but now, after stretching, I can just barely feel it. I hope it stays like this and continues to improve.

I did the STRETCH routine in the AM and I think that is the best time for it. That way you can enjoy the benefits of it all day long. Really! This was a very welcome rest from the serious muscle and cardio workouts. Next up a return to the beginning. I can't wait to see if I'll improve at all in the numbers of reps I can do and or the weight I can use.

2008.11.23 - COACH PAM FINALLY REPLIED
I finally received a reply from my "coach" after I sent a quick note to the P90X customer service noting that I might want a new coach assigned due to lack of response from Coach Pam. Below is the e-mail I received from Coach Pam. I'm not sure how to take it. The e-mail seems to be fairly generic and the bit about my becoming a coach and selling products has me a bit turned off. I don't really want anything to do with a pyramid scheme for health supplement sales and that is sort of how this "coach" thing is starting to sound. Why else would anyone ask a newbie to become a coach? Judge for yourself. I don't know how I'm going to reply to Coach Pam if at all.

From: Pamela
Sent: Sunday, November 23, 2008 4:17:51 PM

Very happy to hear that you are doing your best in the exercise field. Your right, "no pain, no gain" but take your time to work up to your potential. Otherwise you will give up when there is too much "pain". My husband has lost 80 lbs. + and is working on loosing more. He just had an Operation on his knee and is waiting to get back to swimming, along with me.

A side note, did you know that you could become a Coach yourself and get all products from MDB at cost and encourage others to take a same course as you in loosing weight and getting in shape??? Let me know if you are interested and I will forward all the info to you. Also you could start earning some income from your venture.

Thanks for your email and the great news about your efforts.

Coach Pam

P90X - Day 6 - 2008.11.22 - KENPO

2008-11-22T09:09:00.003-06:00

2008.11.22 - KENPO
The KENPO routine was not all that bad. My 10 years of previous martial arts practice (ended 8 or so years ago) must have helped or I am actually getting more tuned into the whole P90X thing. I actually breezed though most of it. I was bit out of balance but muscle memory kicked in and I caught on fast. My heart rate was often near the top of my zone but I was not really wanting to quit like I wanted to in other routines. I hope this means I'm settling into a little more comfort with this whole thing, because next week repeats this week and parts of it were really hard.

Tomorrow is rest and stretching. In the name of all things reasonable I can only think, "its about time!" ~grin~

Regarding my diet, I had to work until 1:00 am last night and between regular business hours and our second start, I had dinner and caught a movie with coworkers. I admit I had chicken wings and one snack item at the movie. Bad Christopher! I did skip the normal beer or wine with Friday night dinner and only had a small diet soda at the movie so it wasn't too bad but still. Bad Christopher!

Final Note, I could feel a good (not nasty) burn from the Ab Ripper all day yesterday. It must be doing something.

P90X - Day 5 - 2008.11.21 - LEGS & BACK and AB RIPPER

2008-11-21T13:28:00.003-06:00

2008.11.21 - LEGS & BACK and AB RIPPER
I worked out in the AM instead of the normal PM. I have to work late tonight. It was tough changing up the schedule and getting motivated so early, but it went fine.

The LEGS portion of this workout is really good. It uses some of the same types of moves that you get in the Yoga workout, but you use weights and move more rather than holding positions. The moves for your calves are really effective. You can feel that they are spot on.

The BACK portion of the work out has you doing is pull-ups. I was surprised how much better I felt doing them. I did way better than I did on the first day. Something is starting to happen. Its not a huge change, but it is noticeable.

The Ab Ripper is still a crusher! I was, however, able to do some moves at least a few times that on day one I could not really do at all.

In short, today, Day 5, was the first day I felt improvement. Nice! That seems fairly quick to me. I figured I'd be floundering longer than this. Next up Kenpo.

P90X - Day 4 - 2008.11.20 - YOGA

2008-11-21T12:18:00.007-06:00

2008.11.20 - YOGA
I mistakenly thought that the yoga day would give me a little break. Boy was I wrong. It may be the toughest routine yet. All the way through it, I just kept thinking, "I don't bend like that." and, "How am I supposed to balance on one foot like that with my legs shaking so much?" In any case, Yoga is no cake walk. On the other hand, I did feel pretty great after I finished the routine. It really stretched me out and some of the burn seemed to subside. Maybe I was just focusing on the new aches.

Yoga takes over an hour. So, I did not fit in the Ab Ripper as i thought I might. It would have just been too much at one time this early in my journey.

My diet is going pretty well and I'm generally starting to feel a bit more comfortable with this whole thing. We'll see tomorrow when I hit Legs & Back and the "beloved" Ab Ripper.

P90X - Day 3 - 2008.11.19 - SHOULDERS & ARMS and AB RIPPER

2008-11-20T07:51:00.011-06:00

2008.11.19 - SHOULDERS & ARMS and AB RIPPER
I "completed" the shoulders and arms routine with a minor (1 minute) interruption from my wife. She just had to see what I doing and what was going on with P90X. I must say, you really need to focus to keep up. Even a tiny interruption throws you off and makes it harder to get back into action. I love you honey, but I just gotta focus.

I only had one hour. So, I did not do the Ab Ripper. I am going to fit that in before Yoga X which is the next routine. I hope it doesn't throw me too far out of whack. I guess we'll see.

My diet is getting better and easier. At first it was odd to eat more often but the apple that I have between my light breakfast (usually oatmeal or yogurt) makes it easier to have a smaller lunch. I'm also limiting my drinking to water and hot tea. Although, yesterday at lunch I automatically said, "and a small drink" and paid before I realized what I was doing. Old habits die hard. Anyway, I ended up having a diet cola. I must say, the cost of nearly $2 for a drink seems silly. As an added extra, my lunch expense has dropped significantly since I started eating better. Oh, I've been gathering the nutritional information from every place I eat at lunch (mostly fast food joints) and have been planning what I can and can't eat from those notorious food monsters.

Still no word from my assigned P90X Coach. I may just give up on Pam. I seem to be doing fine without her.

HEART RATE MONITOR (HRM) WATCH REVIEW
I finally read the entire user's guide for the Timex Zone Trainer HRM Model T5H911F5 which, I bout for $69 at Target and it does some pretty cool stuff.

It has a regular watch with two time zones. I personally set one to normal 12 hour, local time and the I set the other to 24 hour (military / aviation) mode because I am a glider pilot and 24 hour time is something I prefer to have available.

It's count down timer works just like the one on your microwave oven. You can pause it and restart it at will.

It's recovery timer lets you track how much your heart rate slows after your work out.

It's stop watch (they call it the "chrono") feature can keep track of up to 27 laps or 27 split times.

Now for the best part. Every one of the features can be used with the HRM. So, you can use the review feature to see your current, peak, minimum and average heart rate for any part of any activity that you have timed in any manner available on the watch.

This thing has more features than I'll ever use but it is quite cool and seems to work great. You do need to remember that there is no off switch on the chest strap. It is controlled by the watch. So, you just need to remember to turn off the HRM on the watch otherwise the chest strap will keep broadcasting and eat its battery for no reason at all.

The batteries are replaceable without returning the HRM or the watch to the manufacturer, unlike others I saw. Timex does, however, recommend that a jeweler replace the battery for you to assure that the watch stays water resistant up to 90 feet deep as it should. The HRM chest strap, like every one I have seen, does not work in water and is not water resistant.

By the way, the strap broadcasts via FM rather than analog. So, it does not conflict with most other HRMs including those at most gyms.

P90X - Day 2 - 2008.11.18 - PLYOMETRICS

2008-11-19T11:52:00.007-06:00

2008.11.18 - PLYOMETRICS
I "completed" the plyometrics routine and was again reminded that this program is really intense. Most of the plyometrics routine is done with your legs and consists of jumping around in all different directions and trying to land softly. I felt quite uncoordinated and out of balance but I'm sure that will improve with time.

The good news is that the workout temporarily took the focus off the burn in my chest, triceps, and back which was really setting in from the first workout. The focus change helped during the work out, but now I can feel the burn from the first workout and I can only anticipate that tomorrow my legs will be feeling like my upper body does now.

NO PAIN NO GAIN!

I played enough with my heart rate monitor watch (Timex Zone Trainer HRM Model T5H911F5) to wear it during my work out and use the most basic of functions to see how fast my heart was beating. My heart rate quickly climbed. It stayed between 140 and 160 beats per minute most of the time. I'd say that the routine had me securely in the zone. The watch can be set with several zone alarms to let you know if your heart is beating too slow or too fast for the workout. When I learn all that stuff, I'll try to review the watch. As for its basic function, it seemed to work well.

I can't wait to do the next routine which is Shoulders & Arms and the Ab Ripper. *** NOT! ***

Actually, I have somewhat come to terms with how my body feels and I'm going to just push though. And... as a side note, I have not received a reply from my assigned P90X Coach. Pam, where are you?

P90X - Day 1 - 2008.11.17 - CHEST & BACK and AB RIPPER

2008-11-18T10:59:00.008-06:00

2008.11.17 - CHEST & BACK and AB RIPPER
I started the P90X exercise program on Monday night, 2008.11.17. You know, the one from the infomercials. This was not a snap decision. To be honest after doing quite a bit of research, the program sort of intimidated me. Anyway, I decided to blog my progress. Maybe it will help keep me on track so I don't quit part way through. This program is not going to be easy! But I think I can do it and I am sure that if/when I complete it, I'll be much better off for having done so.

I "completed" the Chest & Back and the Ab Ripper. Well, I did the best I could. Boy, am I out of shape. I had to do almost every push-up on my knees and I had to do every pull-up using the full assistance (80 lbs worth) of my pull-up station. I highly recomend a pull up station with assist if you can't do chin-ups, although, you can also use a chair for an assist as they explain in the videos.

Most of the Ab Ripper was impossible for me. So, I cheated and bent my legs or touched the ground quite a bit. I did try my best, but wow those exercises are hard!

My immediate goal is to be able to do at least one of everything in each routine with as perfect of form as possible and then cheat however I have to in order to do as many reps the best way I am able. The one rep with perfect form thing is going to be a challenge for some moves. This program is not easy but I'm sure I'll eventually get there. When I can do one good rep, my goal will be two then three and so on until I can complete eight to ten reps with good form. Then, I'll do the move with good form as many times as I can and eliminate the cheating. My strength and flexibility are miserable right now, but I am determined.

Oh, I took Ibuprofen last night because I am sure that I am going to start feeling this. I was a puddle of shaking muscles after the work out. Oh well, No Pain, No gain!

Also, I purchased a heart rate monitor watch last night. It's a Timex Zone Trainer HRM Model T5H911F5 and I got the last one from Target for $69. I made the mistake of trying to figure out how it worked after doing P90X. I could hardly think and my arms were quivering. It was not going to happen. I could hardly get it out of the box. I'll try to figure it out tonight BEFORE I work out. If I can figure it out and have the time, I'll take the P90X heart rate recovery test too before my workout. We'll see. I'll talk about how I like the watch in some later post.

For now, I must say that P90X is the toughest, but among the best, workouts I have ever had.

Also, I wrote the following email to my assigned P90X Coach:

----------
Hi Pamela (or do you prefer Pam?)

My name is Christopher and I guess you are my coach. I do go by Christopher by the way.

Anyway, last night, I took most of my initial measurements and did the fit test. I admit that I could not do the minimum required pull-ups, but I was lucky enough to find a pull-up station ( http://www.goldsgear.com/search/GGBE1776.html ) with a system for assisting with pull-ups. The best part is that I found the nearly $300 station for $69 at a resale sporting goods store called Play It Again Sports. What a great find.

The measurements that I did not take were the ones related to my heart rate. I did not have a heart rate monitor. I plan to get one on my way home today. I must say that the fit test gave me a little pause. I met most of the requirements (except the pull-ups - I just did 1) but discovered how much I had let myself go. In the past, I practiced martial arts and worked out and that fit test was a rude awakening. Oh I took the before pictures too. The pictures don't lie and I did not realize how bad I looked shirtless. I'm a wreck. What happened to me?

My plan for tonight is to hop right into the first P90X DVD using the classic strategy. I doubt I can go at full tilt but I'll just have to do whatever I can. The martial arts mind set should kick in to help a bit with pushing through as best I can.

As for nutrition, I had oatmeal for breakfast and brought to work an apple for a mid morning snack and a banana for my mid afternoon snack. I always go out for lunch with coworkers to discuss the days projects so I'll have to find something relatively healthy wherever we end up.

So that's the basics. Let the games begin!!!

Free Stuff vs Freedom

2008-11-07T09:47:00.000-06:00

I have always shared Martin Luther King’s dream about a nation where people “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”. So, I now celebrate American’s having overcome significant prejudices as evidenced by Barack Obama's election. Still, I am saddened that so many have remained ignorant to or have purposefully ignored the content of Barack Obama’s character and ideology.

Do you know how wild pigs are caught? You build one straight wall of a fence and put corn on the ground next to it. The pigs will come to eat it. Later you build a second wall of fence. This may frighten some pigs at first but they eventually ignore it. Then you build a third wall of fence and continue until you have all four sides with one open gate. The pigs simply walk in for the free corn and you slam the gate to trap them all.

Men like Barack Obama spread “free” corn in the form of government programs. If you believe that some form of "free" corn is important to your way of life, then you have already begun trading that "free" corn for your freedom. What will you do when the gate slams shut and you are enslaved by your own government?

Yes, we can all celebrate the fact that some part of Martin Luther King’s dream has come true, but we must also remember the words of Thomas Jefferson who said, "A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have."

Obama Election Crashes Dow - Down 486

2008-11-06T08:42:00.002-06:00

The first trading day after Obama won, the Dow closed down 486 points. So, I did a google news search for "Obama stock market " and the first result is, "Asian markets given lift by Obama".

Even the one article with the headline "Dow sheds 486 points" said "Investors were taking a classic 'buy the rumor, sell the news' response to President-elect Barack Obama's victory over John McCain". Which implies that the market thinks Obama will be good for stocks and that the rumor of his election lifted the prices recently and his actual election was simply the sell on the good news signal. That seems strange because so many traders and economists that I have actually seen interviewed think Obama will wreck the market.

You know that the press would be pounding the table about the election causing a crash if it was not Obama who was elected and the Dow took such a huge hit. But I guarantee, you won't hear much about this in the main stream media. The bias is truly remarkable.

As a funny aside, the winning Pick 3 Illinois Lottery numbers for the evening after Obama was elected were 666. Really! It is a fact!

You can verify this fact at http://www.illinoislottery.com/numbers.asp and look at the Evening Pick 3 for Wed, Nov 5 2008. The number is actually 6-6-6.

So, do you think this will make the main stream news? Do you think it would have if Obama had lost?

A REVOLUTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

2008-04-04T07:57:00.003-05:00

Marsha Familaro Enright, a Chicago Educator, is fighting to revolutionize education -- to advance well reasoned values. She recently sent me a letter including the content copied below. For the love of reason, it is so refreshing to see that someone is rising up to challenge the status quo -- especially at the college level. Go Marsha Go!

A Dramatically Different Approach

Think back to when you were 18 years old.

At that age, you were probably seeking your future, your sense of self, and your path in the world.

Where did you expect to find a sense of idealism, a solid grounding in the fundamentals, a rational grasp of world events, and the intellectual tools needed to live a successful life?

Like most people, you probably hoped to find the answers in college.

Today, what do young people encounter during their college years?

At almost all prestigious colleges and universities, students experience indoctrination in politically correct ideologies and collectivist "groupthink." Often, those who dare to pose challenging questions are met with insults and moral intimidation.

Further, most institutions fail to teach crucial thinking skills and important knowledge required to function effectively in life, intellectually and practically. Sadly, at many schools, students never learn to ask the most important questions about their futures.

The result? Many college graduates are afraid, or unable, to think for themselves. Freedom requires eternal vigilance, but dull-witted conformists are easy prey for statists with scare stories. They readily capitulate to new erosions of our freedom.

This is a devastating problem for such students, as well as for the rest of us longing for a truly free society and an end to collectivist schemes.

Fortunately, I have a plan to change this situation.

Let me tell you a bit about myself.

You might call me an educational entrepreneur and activist for a free society.

In 1990, I founded Council Oak Montessori School in Chicago, developing it into a school for students from the ages of three to fifteen. In 2006, Chicago Magazine named it one of the city's top private schools and it continues to thrive.

I've written eleven wide-ranging articles on education, psychology, and culture. In the 1980s and '90s, I was on the board of the Henry Hazlitt Foundation and the Free Market Society of Chicago, where I taught courses on capitalism.

I have taught fifteen seminars on Ayn Rand's ideas. For five years at an innovative and acclaimed camp program, I taught older teens the principles of reasoning and capitalism via an original curriculum I created using Montessori teaching methods.

In all these positions, I witnessed first-hand the power of reason and free inquiry to liberate the mind. I've seen the beneficial results of communicating fundamental principles on the thinking and judgment of young students. I've heard their parents express delight at the results. Now I want to use these skills, ideas, and principles to create a comprehensive college-level program.

I'm fortunate to have a remarkable group of trustees, advisors and volunteers working with me. They include highly accomplished business people, professionals, and academics. They are helping to ensure that the program will be of the highest quality as well as successful in the marketplace.

With your help, we can build this innovative institution we're calling "The College of the United States." It will be an undergraduate program located on a physical campus, and aimed at developing rational, independent thinkers who are equipped to turn thought into action. They will be armed with the cognitive tools and the knowledge needed to reach their own well-reasoned conclusions.

Encouraged throughout the program in their own voluntary choices and decisions, they will have the "intellectual ammunition" to defend reason, individualism, and a free society.

Collectivist correctness on campus -- it's worse than you think!

To develop the cognitive skills and acquire the knowledge to make informed, independent, rational decisions, each student needs the freedom to consider a wide range of ideas.

But what do young people find on campus today?

* Biased speakers are routinely acclaimed while rational but "politically incorrect" speakers are heckled. For instance, Ward Churchill, who claimed that the 9/11 World Trade Center victims deserved to die, was welcomed at Hamilton College. Meanwhile, David Horowitz, critic of academia, was booed at Emory University.

* At Northwestern, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania, stacks of student newspapers that expressed non-P.C. views were vandalized-and the perpetrators suffered few consequences. Cornell University Dean of Students John Ford watched -- and did nothing -- as students burned 200 copies of the paper, the Cornell Review, because it contained a satire on Ebonics.

* Last fall, the University of Delaware subjected freshman to a "diversity" training program -- using a paper which said that the term 'racist' "applies to all white people (i.e., people of European descent) living in the United States." In one training session, students were required to stand on different sides of the room depending on their agreement or disagreement with statements on gay marriage or affirmative action. In another, they were made to step forward or backward depending on their response to statements about race and sexual identity.

* Most frighteningly -- because it affects our children's teachers -- many college education departments mandate that professors grade student teachers not only on academic performance but on their political ideology, such as their acceptance of "social justice" dogma. This standard has been required by the council that accredits teacher education, and applied at schools as varied as Brooklyn College, Columbia University, Northwestern, the University of Kansas, and Washington State.

These are just a few examples of the collectivist biases and political pressures applied to students around the nation.

What they're teaching -- or not -- is even more outrageous.

If the above sounds scary, let's take a look at what's happening in college curricula.

The Great Books, filled with the powerful ideas that have shaped the best of our civilization, have been struck from many courses. Thinkers such as Aristotle, Euclid, Shakespeare, and Gibbon are often casually dismissed as "dead white males."

To remedy this problem at Yale, businessman Lee Bass donated $20 million in order to create a Western Civilization program under the direction of classicist Donald Kagan. The faculty refused to approve the program, and Bass had to fight to get his money back.

Education watchdog organizations such as Accuracy in Academia report that hundreds of courses on the classics have been replaced by fashionable, politically correct classes, such as UCLA's "The Cultural History of Rap," and Duke's "Girl Culture: Black-belted Heroines, Powerpuff Girls, Goddesses, Teenage Fairies, and Witches."

The University of Connecticut's Department of Public Policy studied 14,000 students at 50 colleges. The group found that students knew less about American history and politics when they graduated than when they first enrolled at college! Students at so-called top schools such as Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Berkeley, and Duke did the worst on the Civic Literacy test used for the study.

"Grade inflation" is rampant. Grades at 80 colleges and universities have inflated 15% per decade since 1967. According to Harvey Mansfield, Harvard's eminent professor of government: "At Harvard, the supposed pinnacle of American education, professors are quite satisfied to bestow outlandishly high grades upon students." Result: At Harvard, graduating with honors is no distinction because 91% gain this award.

Perhaps some observers assume that science and engineering, at least, are doing well. One would think reason is paramount in these "hard" disciplines. But they would be wrong. Students in these domains are not immune from the academic assault on reason and independent thought.

While visiting my son, an aerospace engineering student at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, I experienced a dramatic demonstration of the results. In a conversation with me, his engineering buddy casually remarked, "Well, nobody can know anything for sure."

It was clear to me where he got this idea. In the humanities, such as philosophy, history, and literature, professors and public intellectuals promote ideas that attack the mind and the ability to reason. When these ideas permeate the campus, what happens to confidence in objective truth? And what will happen when my son's buddy and his fellow students begin to design airplanes, cars, and bridges?

As I have traveled around the country speaking about the College, students have reported the pressure to conform to collectivist moral and political ideas, or suffer the consequences through subversion, heckling, and bad grades.

Students and parents eagerly listen as I describe our plan for a new college program. The students desperately long for the power to grasp events and knowledgeably choose what actions to take.

What sort of people do we need in order to turn our culture in a solidly-grounded, pro-freedom direction? We need individuals who are highly informed, independent, and knowledgeable in the arguments for reason, rational individualism and free-market capitalism.

Given the current state of education, these individuals aren't being produced at most contemporary colleges.

But you can change that. Read on to find out how.

A dramatically different approach to higher education.

Young people need a classical education, but they also need more.

At the College of the United States, we will provide that crucial "more."

The centerpiece of the curriculum will be the rigorous study of the great works of civilization embracing the humanities, science, and mathematics.

The curriculum will include important works of contemporary science as well as the often-neglected thinkers of classical liberalism and the modern freedom movement. Students will be as familiar with Dawkins as with Darwin, with Rand as with Rousseau, with von Mises as with Marx.

Discovering the often-hidden relationships between disparate fields of knowledge is critical for the creative, productive, rational mind. Our comprehensive curriculum meticulously draws connections between all domains of knowledge, science to literature, mathematics to history, business to philosophy.

The result is a powerful matrix of learning. Issues such as the crucial role of the market, business, and trade in human affairs will be studied and discussed throughout the curriculum, in art and mathematics as well as history. Simultaneously, the faculty will cultivate outstanding written and spoken communication skills in each student.

But, students require still more. They need to know how to reason and apply logic, how to draw connections between abstract knowledge and concrete human affairs. Students will learn to reason about any subject they encounter with our approach to formal reasoning and logic. This is a powerful tool for every facet of life.

Additionally, students will study a reasoning method that Ayn Rand called "philosophical detection." With it, they will learn how to "unpack" the basic premises behind any idea they encounter. This process reveals the deepest ideas and values of a thinker, which determine the crucial practical effects of his ideas and theories.

For example: Does Marxism lead to peace, prosperity and equality? Is Rousseau's concept of the Noble Savage influential in the environmental movement? Does Egalitarianism lead to greater equality of opportunity? Is capitalism based on selfishness?

To implement this radically new curriculum, we cannot employ the old lecture-and-test methods. Instead, we'll use principles based on human developmental needs, such as the Montessori Method. While most people think of the educational method of Maria Montessori as applying only to the lower grades, many of her remarkable discoveries and principles are equally relevant at the college level. Authentic mastery of the material will be our aim.

Students will gain practical skills and experience by performing internships and research projects throughout their college career as well as being assigned responsible jobs within the College corporation. Further, faculty will guide students in acquiring rational, productive inter-personal skills.

The ultimate aim of our program is to help young people grow into rational, independent thinkers. We won't advocate any specific set of ideas. We won't stuff students' heads with insignificant, useless, unconnected facts and politicized ideologies. Rather, we will equip students with the knowledge and skills to make their own decisions and act on them effectively. Students will be prepared for a life of thought and leadership, personal and professional.

Knowledgeable in the full array of ideas, and armed with superior independent thinking skills, graduates of the College of the United States will be capable of choosing freely what's best for their lives.

Reality is on our side. We're confident that, once they are armed with the right tools and the full spectrum of knowledge and ideas, most young people will conclude that reality, reason, rational individualism, and a politically and economically free society are the values to advocate.

Why this ambitious goal is realistic.

At this point, some people might say: "This makes sense, but is it feasible?"

Yes, it is.

We have researched and written a solid business and curriculum plan for the College of the United States. Because Illinois law precludes the incorporation of a college before securing its capital funding, we have created the Reason, Individualism, Freedom Institute as the foundation developing the College.

We will begin modestly in rented quarters and build the school into a strong, accredited liberal arts and sciences institution. Looking even further ahead, we intend to grow the program into multiple small colleges on the same campus and then around the country.

We're seeking highly knowledgeable, well-credentialed faculty who can implement our content and innovative methods successfully. We've received serious interest from many highly qualified prospective faculty members at Harvard, the University of Arizona, and the State University of New York, among others. Even tenured professors are eager to escape the destructive culture they now endure in contemporary Academia.

As a matter of principle, we will refuse all government funds and scholarships. This means we depend on private donations from people who support our goals -- you.

What kind of students will be attracted to the College of the United States? We're convinced that there's a vibrant niche market for our fledgling college. Our students will be drawn from people in the following groups:

Students already interested in the ideas of freedom, free inquiry and independence. Recent estimates from Pew and Gallup polls indicate about 26 million U.S. adults have libertarian views, while around two million of those are college age.

Montessori students, disillusioned by traditional education. There are more than two million former Montessori students from over 5,000 schools in the U.S. alone.

Home-schooled students seeking an excellent college education. Between one and two million are home-schooled and their number is growing.
Students of all backgrounds who are looking for an exciting, superior, innovative, individualistic approach to learning, with great content.

We've already heard from them.

Consider two parents from opposite coasts: Laurie Alexiev of Templeton, California and Wayne Anderson of Concord, New Hampshire. Both were so pleased with the results of my summer camp classes on their children that they are eagerly waiting for the College to open. They told me that they would enroll their kids tomorrow, if they could.

Moreover, about 50 students and families have contacted us about enrolling or transferring.These numbers will skyrocket after our marketing campaign is launched.

Join us and be part of a revolution in higher education.

I began this letter by asking you to think back to when you were 18. Would you have seized the opportunity to attend a college such as this? What will be available for your children-or the kids you know? Whether you are a parent or not, you have a stake in this issue.

Billions are donated to institutions that promote statist ideas every year. Now, you can be among the visionary men and women who help to create an alternative. This college will nurture independent young individuals. As leaders and professionals, they will be competent to turn our culture towards reason, individualism and freedom.

For me, this is a full-time job that I've been pursuing with a fierce passion. I have been working salary-free, but I don't lack compensation, because I'm working to protect the values I cherish. My hunch is that you share these values too.

I am convinced that the best way to change education is by creating a new institution. To succeed, the project requires much more money.

Here's how you can help.

Please send a generous contribution today to support our efforts.

You've probably heard the expression "It takes money to make money." We're contacting foundations and wealthy individuals to contribute the capital we need: four million dollars. This figure is a realistic but modest budget to launch our new college.

These funders must be cultivated on a face-to-face basis, and that takes travel, meetings at hotels, booths at conferences, seminars, literature, audiovisual equipment for presentations, website renovations, postage, and many other business activities. And I need administrative help to get the job done.

I am seeking individuals who can make large donations, of $1,000 or more. The bigger the better.

But every donation of any size is useful, needed and gratefully accepted.

If you cannot make a $1,000+ donation, please become a monthly donor-pledging $10 or more per month-and you will be a great help. That's less than the cost of monthly DVD rentals. $20 or $50 or more per month would be even better. Our monthly donors are the groundwork on which to build our institution.

Every new donor will receive a certificate as a Charter Donor to the College of the United States. As explained earlier, all donations must be made to the Reason, Individualism, Freedom Institute, a 501(c)(3) corporation which is developing the College. All contributions are tax deductible as allowed by law.

Here's how:

Using our online form, form, donate by credit card today.

Or, send a check to:

RIF Institute, 9400 S. Damen Avenue Chicago, IL 60643

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Marsha F Enright
President
Reason, Individualism, Freedom Institute
http://www.rifinst.org/

Facts on Military Fatalities

2008-03-04T13:11:00.002-06:00

A report listing military losses from 1980 through 2006 was sent to me recently and it was eye opening. Here is a link to the original report:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf

It includes some amazing facts. Many are aware that since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 through today, we have lost over 3,000 active military personnel to enemy action and accidents. Still and as tragic as any loss of life is, consider the following statistics.

Annual US Military Fatalities 1980 Through 2006
1980...2,392... (Carter Year)
1981...2,380... (Reagan Year)
1984...1,999...(Reagan Year)
1988...1,819...(Reagan Year)
1989...1,636...(GHW Bush Year)
1990...1,508...(GHW Bush Year)
1991...1,787...(GHW Bush Year)
1992...1,293...(GHW Bush Year)
1993...1,213...(Clinton Year)
1994...1,075...(Clinton Year)
1995...2,465...(Clinton Year)
1996...2,318...(Clinton Year)
1997...817...(Clinton Year)
1998...2,252...(Clinton Year)
1999...1,984...(Clinton Year)
2000...1,983...(Clinton Year)
2001...890...(GW Bush Year)
2002...1,007...(GW Bush Year)
2003...1,410...(GW Bush Year)
2004...1,887...(GW Bush Year)
2005...919...(GW Bush Year)
2006...920...(GW Bush Year)

Total Clinton Years (1993-2000) = 14,000 deaths

Total GW Bush years so far (2001-2006) = 7,033 deaths

I was initially surprised by these figures. They show that the human losses from the war on terror in the Middle East are LESS than those during the Clinton's presidency. They also show that during the last year of the Carter presidency there were 2,392 US military fatalities. This was one of the worst years in recent times and surpassed only by 1995 which was a Clinton year.

Here are a few more interesting facts.

The latest census, of Americans, shows the following distribution of American citizens, by Race:

69.12%...European descent (white)
12.5%...Hispanic
12.3%...Black
03.7%...Asian
01.0%...Native American
02.6%...Other

Here are the fatalities by Race; over the past three years in Iraqi Freedom:

74.31%...European descent (white)
10.74%...Hispanic
09.67%...Black
01.81%...Asian
01.09%... Native American
00.33%...Other

The point here is that our mainstream media continues to spin these figures (for political gain). It is all about politics and the media seems to just love turning American against American for a vote.

These statistics are published by Congressional Research Service, and they may be confirmed by anyone at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf

Do your homework before you vote.

“Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.”
~ President Ronald Reagan

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote."
~ Benjamin Franklin

Hat tip and thanks to George M for bringing this to my attention.

The Quondam William F. Buckley Jr.

2008-02-28T13:51:00.005-06:00

William F. Buckley Jr. wrote luridly well. My humility before his adroitness with my native language has only ever been homologous with my necessity to scour the Oxford English Dictionary whenever I have grappled with one of his written works of art. Among his literary da Vincis was the Editor’s Note linked below which corporealized in the first issue of National Review, on November 19, 1955. If only I could paint with words as well as he.

Beneath lies the link of which I have scriven above:
http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/buckley200406290949.asp

Courtesy of and thanks to the good folks at NationalReview.com

What Is Good For The Governed Should Be Good For The Government

2008-02-28T08:07:00.003-06:00

I am certain that most readers of my blog wrongly believe that I am a true-blue right-winger (or is it true-red in this case). The fact is that I am not and here is the proof.

Regardless of whether you drink the red or blue color Kool-aid, I think you must agree that the memorandum dated February 26, 2008 from the Congress of The United States House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform describes a shameful condition of our government. Our government seemingly has no problem asking citizens to be prepared for oversight but when it comes to the government itself... well, that is just another thing all together.

As a liberty loving Network Engineer who among other things handles administration for multiple e-mail systems, I find the laws regarding e-mail retainment ridiculous as applied to Jane and Joe Citizen but necessary for assuring government accountability. It is my thinking that our Founding Fathers would find the state of our government abhorrent!

The memorandum can be found at:

http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20080226103313.pdf

Hat tip and thanks to Chris S for bringing this to my attention.

Ethenol Causes Global Warming! OOPS!

2008-02-25T08:59:00.004-06:00

Welcome to the world of unintended consequences. According to most recent scientific studies, ethanol may add to global warming. If you are among those who believe that CO2 causes global warming and that moving from oil to ethanol is a good idea, maybe you should start to look at the facts and drop your cult like religious following of unsupported climate panic dogma. Maybe you should check out the article below. Of course, it was largely ignored by the mainstream media. But what else should one expect?

The article can also be found here:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gG6RDP96uZ_A1auof7LysRqbgDxAD8ULPD0G0

Study: Ethanol May Add to Global Warming
By H. JOSEF HEBERT – Feb 7, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — The widespread use of ethanol from corn could result in nearly twice the greenhouse gas emissions as the gasoline it would replace because of expected land-use changes, researchers concluded Thursday. The study challenges the rush to biofuels as a response to global warming.

The researchers said that past studies showing the benefits of ethanol in combating climate change have not taken into account almost certain changes in land use worldwide if ethanol from corn — and in the future from other feedstocks such as switchgrass — become a prized commodity.

"Using good cropland to expand biofuels will probably exacerbate global warming," concludes the study published in Science magazine.

The researchers said that farmers under economic pressure to produce biofuels will increasingly "plow up more forest or grasslands," releasing much of the carbon formerly stored in plants and soils through decomposition or fires. Globally, more grasslands and forests will be converted to growing the crops to replace the loss of grains when U.S. farmers convert land to biofuels, the study said.

The Renewable Fuels Association, which represents ethanol producers, called the researchers' view of land-use changes "simplistic" and said the study "fails to put the issue in context."

"Assigning the blame for rainforest deforestation and grassland conversion to agriculture solely on the renewable fuels industry ignores key factors that play a greater role," said Bob Dinneen, the association's president.

There has been a rush to developing biofuels, especially ethanol from corn and cellulosic feedstock such as switchgrass and wood chips, as a substitute for gasoline. President Bush signed energy legislation in December that mandates a six-fold increase in ethanol use as a fuel to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022, calling the requirement key to weaning the nation from imported oil.

The new "green" fuel, whether made from corn or other feedstocks, has been widely promoted — both in Congress and by the White House — as a key to combating global warming. Burning it produces less carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas, than the fossil fuels it will replace.

During the recent congressional debate over energy legislation, lawmakers frequently cited estimates that corn-based ethanol produces 20 percent less greenhouse gases in production, transportation and use than gasoline, and that cellulosic ethanol has an even greater benefit of 70 percent less emissions.

The study released Thursday by researchers affiliated with Princeton University and a number of other institutions maintains that these analyses "were one-sided" and counted the carbon benefits of using land for biofuels but not the carbon costs of diverting land from its existing uses.

"The other studies missed a key factor that everyone agrees should have been included, the land use changes that actually are going to increase greenhouse gas emissions," said Tim Searchinger, a research scholar at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and lead author of the study.

The study said that after taking into account expected worldwide land-use changes, corn-based ethanol, instead of reducing greenhouse gases by 20 percent, will increases it by 93 percent compared to using gasoline over a 30-year period. Biofuels from switchgrass, if they replace croplands and other carbon-absorbing lands, would result in 50 percent more greenhouse gas emissions, the researchers concluded.

Not all ethanol would be affected by the land-use changes, the study said.

"We should be focusing on our use of biofuels from waste products" such as garbage, which would not result in changes in agricultural land use, Searchinger said in an interview. "And you have to be careful how much you require. Use the right biofuels, but don't require too much too fast. Right now we're making almost exclusively the wrong biofuels."

The study included co-authors affiliated with Iowa State University, the Woods Hole Research Center and the Agricultural Conservation Economics. It was supported in part indirectly by a grants from NASA's Terrestrial Ecology Program, and by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Searchinger, in addition to his affiliation with Princeton, is a fellow at the Washington-based German Marshall Fund of the United States.

The study prompted a letter Thursday to President Bush and Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress from nearly a dozen scientists who urged them to pursue a policy "that ensures biofuels are not produced on productive forests, grassland or cropland."

"Some opportunities remain to produce environmentally beneficial biofuels" while "unsound biofuel policies could sacrifice tens of hundreds of million of acres" of grasslands and forests while increasing global warming, said the scientists, including four members of the National Academy of Sciences.

Courtesy of and thanks to H. Josef Hebert, Google News, and The Associatied Press

BUMPER STICKERS FOR 2008

2008-02-18T08:47:00.002-06:00

I was sent an e-mail containing the following bumper sticker suggestions for 2008 (the blue ones). So, in the interest of fairness, I replied with ones below that (the red ones). Enjoy!

NEW BUMPER STICKERS FOR 2008:
1. Bush: End of an Error
2. That's OK, I Wasn't Using My Civil Liberties Anyway
3. Let's Fix Democracy in this Country First
4. If You Want a Nation Ruled By Religion, Move to Iran.
5. Bush: Like a Rock. Only Dumber.
6. If You Can Read This, You're Not Our President
7. Of Course It Hurts: You're Getting Screwed by an Elephant
8. Hey, Bush Supporters: Embarrassed Yet?
9. George Bush: Creating the Terrorists Our Kids Will Have to Fight
10. America: One Nation, Under Surveillance
11. They Call Him 'W' So He Can Spell It
12. Whose God Do You Kill For?
13. Jail to the Chief
14. No, Seriously, Why Did We Invade Iraq?
15. Bush: God's Way of Proving Intelligent Design is Full Of Crap
16. Bad President! No Banana!
17. We Need a President Who's Fluent In At Least One Language
18. We're Making Enemies Faster Than We Can Kill Them
19. Is It Vietnam Yet?
20. Where Are We Going? And Why Are We In This Hand Basket?
21. You Elected Him. You Deserve Him.
22. Dubya, Your Dad Shoulda Pulled Out, Too
23. When Bush Took Office, Gas Was $1.46
24. Pray For Impeachment
25. The Republican Party: Our Bridge to the 11th Century
26. What Part of 'Bush Lied' Don't You Understand?
27. One Nation Under Clod
28. 2004: Embarrassed. 2005: Horrified. 2006: Terrified
29. Bush Never Exhaled
30. At Least Nixon Resigned

MORE NEW BUMPER STICKERS FOR 2008:
1. Let's just talk to the Extremists: Yeah that’s the (democratic) ticket.
2. Hey Terrorists have rights too you know!
3. And to the democracy for which it stands. Oh yeah, it’s a REPUBLIC stupid!
4. If you want a nation like liberals want, move to Communist China.
5. Obama: Like a rock star, only less prepared to be President.
6. If you can read this, you likely avoided the public schools.
7. The Democrat's mascot came from a Mexican donkey show and they'll screw you just the same way.
8. Hey Democrats: Doesn't anything embarrass you?
9. No, don’t be silly, there were no terrorists before we evil Americans came along.
10. America: One Nation, Under Taxed - If you agree, vote Democrat.
11. They call her “Hill” because we are over her. Move on already!
12. Religion of peace? Yeah, Right!
13. Jail to the thief: Clinton for imprisonment.
14. Iraq was a bad Idea: Saddam was a great guy.
15. Democrats: Proof that higher education isn’t.
16. Bad Democrats: Keep your fruits and nuts to yourselves.
17. If only Democrats could read. The Constitution might be a good start.
18. Democrats: Coddling our enemies so we don’t kill them.
19. Even Democrats admit that winning in Iraq is bad for their image.
20. Democrats want to send you to hell in a hand basket right after they tax you to pay for it.
21. Had we elected a Democrat, the war on terror would be over – of course we’d all be dead.
22. Pull out! I heard from a “friend” nothing will happen that way.
23. Don’t drill more or use nuclear power, gas is only $3.00
24. Hey, Let’s play impeach the guy who is protecting us.
25. Democrats: Burning the bridge to the 21st century.
26. Yep, Bush lied. Iraq was a vacation wonderland before we showed up.
27. One Nation… – Oops, unless you are John Edwards, then it's two nations.
28. Democrats: An embarrassing horror protecting terrorists.
29. If Democrats don’t inhale, how is it they suck so much?
30. At least Nixon’s wife never ran for president.

Bush Tax Cuts - What Happened?

2008-02-12T08:41:00.001-06:00

I wanted to know exactly what happened as a result of the Bush tax cuts. So I did a little research and here is basically what I found to be true.

Bush Tax Cuts = Rich Paying Larger Share + Increased Tax Revenue

Before the Bush tax cuts, the richest 1% of wage earners paid 37% of all income tax revenue.
After the Bush tax cuts, the richest 1% are paying 39% of a total income tax bite.
There has been a 2 percentage point shift of the total tax burden to the richest 1% of tax payers since the Bush tax cuts went into effect.

Before the Bush tax cuts, the richest 5% paid 56% of all income tax revenue.
After the Bush tax cuts, the richest 5% are paying 60% of all income tax revenue.
There has been a 4 percentage point shift of the total tax burden to the richest 5% of tax payers since the Bush tax cuts went into effect.

In short the rich are paying more taxes and the less wealthy are now paying less!

I also found the article linked below which shows among other things that tax revenue has increased under the Bush tax cuts:

Ten Myths About the Bush Tax Cuts
by Brian M. Riedl
Backgrounder #2001
Found at: http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/bg2001.cfm

Anyone who asks the question, "How we are going to pay for tax cuts?" is under the false assumption that revenue decreases when taxes are cut. This false assumption seems to be a well established myth. So, the politicians who push this ridiculous question are either ignorant of the facts or they are simply willing to lie. In either case, they are unfit for office.

Hat tip and thanks to Brian M. Riedl and the other the great folks at http://www.heritage.org

We Are Running Out Of Oil... NOT!

2007-12-17T11:32:00.001-06:00

I stumbled upon this beauty at the Investor's Business Daily. Every time someone starts screaming that the sky is falling because "we are running out of oil", my eyes roll back in my head as I recall the many many many new oil deposits we "evil" humans keep finding and how much bigger each new find seems to be. Anyway, here is the editorial:

BRAZIL'S NOT PEAKING

By Investor's Business Daily | Posted Friday, December 14, 2007 4:20 PM PT

Energy: Global warming doomsayers have a mirror canard of doom in the peak oil theory, suggesting that the world is running out of oil. So is it? Not with countries like Brazil still not even done discovering it yet.

Last week came news that Brazil may be sitting on even bigger oil deposits than the huge Tupi field discovered just last month. According to Bloomberg News, if a geological formation beneath a two-mile layer of salt in Brazil's Santos offshore basin is oil-bearing, it may hold "significantly more" crude, says Gustavo Gattass, an analyst with UBS Pactual in Rio de Janeiro.

That's no small thing — Tupi alone almost doubled Brazil's oil reserves and may raise Brazil to the rank of 10th biggest oil producer from 17th currently. Awed at the good fortune, Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sighed: "God must be Brazilian."

Wait a minute. Wasn't oil supposed to be running out? Wasn't all the oil out there already discovered? If this new "Sugar Loaf" field in Brazil pans out, the world oil picture won't be the same.

Brazil will become an even bigger exporter in a decade or so than projected and could put pressure on the club of petrotyrants that now has a monopoly on resources. Best of all, it throws doomsday assumptions about oil "peaking" on its head.

The world produces about 85 million barrels of oil a day, according to the International Energy Agency. Global energy demand is expected to rise 55% from 2005-2030. Peak oil theories abound that new discoveries are not keeping up with oil usage. But it's significant that the new demand also is fostering big new discoveries, largely from the very countries where demand is growing most.

Peak oil advocates claim that the world is running out of oil unless the West gives up its energy-consuming lifestyle. Like global warming and population-bomb Malthusianism, it's essentially junk science because it operates on a static model. Crucially, it leaves out the politics of whether oil companies are allowed to discover or not.

Might the recent shortage of new oil on the market have something to do with bans on offshore drilling, as in the U.S.?

Might this lack of new oil have something to do with the fact that less-efficient state oil ownership has grown globally to 80% of all reserves, while countries such as Venezuela have begun seizing private oil properties?

Might the fact that big emerging markets need oil badly and don't know where to get it motivate them to find more themselves?

Believing in their potential and determined to get rich, these countries are the ones making some of the most dramatic new energy discoveries this year. Besides Brazil, China has made 10 major new discoveries this year alone. Its Bohai Bay discovery last May, its largest in four decades, added 7.35 billion barrels of reserves. India, once viewed as an energy no-hoper, is also finding energy offshore, and Russia already is a major producer making itself bigger.

Meanwhile, last year Mexico made a huge offshore discovery it has yet to tap. And in the tiny area where U.S. energy companies are permitted to drill offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, Chevron, Statoil and Devon Energy made the biggest discovery since the Alaska Prudhoe find decades ago, called "Jack 2." It's so big it could add 50% to the U.S.' 29 billion barrels of domestic energy reserves.

"The world is not running out of oil," said Daniel Yergin, head of Cambridge Energy Research Associates and one of the world's leading oil experts, in a recent interview with Les Echos in Paris.

Yergin noted that technological breakthroughs also are enabling the production of more energy. Not only can new technologies recover resources from old wells previously thought tapped out, it can create oil from formerly useless resources, like tar sands. It also can recover oil and natural gas from previously impossible geography, like the deep blue sea miles beneath the surface — which will be Brazil's challenge.

Brazil's discovery isn't just wonderful news for Brazil — it's a lesson for the West. Not only is there more oil out there than doomsayers claim, but it takes political will to ignore the naysayers and get out there and discover more.

The best part about Brazil's will to drill is it exposes the peak oil crowd for what it is: a group with a radical agenda that has less to do with science than with expounding "Western guilt" about its economic success, which is built on oil. Emerging Brazil has no such qualms, and shows just how useless such hang-ups are.

Courtesy of and thanks to the great folks at Investor's Business Daily

The Real Story of Thanksgiving

2007-11-29T13:03:00.000-06:00

Every year around Thanksgiving I look forward to reviewing this important lesson:

"On August 1, 1620, the Mayflower set sail. It carried a total of 102 passengers, including forty Pilgrims led by William Bradford. On the journey, Bradford set up an agreement, a contract, that established just and equal laws for all members of the new community...But this was no pleasure cruise, friends. The journey to the New World was a long and arduous one. And when the Pilgrims landed in New England in November, they found, according to Bradford's detailed journal, a cold, barren, desolate wilderness. There were no friends to greet them, he wrote. There were no houses to shelter them. There were no inns where they could refresh themselves. And the sacrifice they had made for freedom was just beginning. During the first winter, half the Pilgrims -- including Bradford's own wife -- died of either starvation, sickness, or exposure."

"When spring finally came, Indians taught the settlers how to plant corn, fish for cod and skin beavers for coats. Life improved for the Pilgrims, but they did not yet prosper! This is important to understand because this is where modern American history lessons often end. Thanksgiving is actually explained in some textbooks as a holiday for which the Pilgrims gave thanks to the Indians for saving their lives."

"Here is the part that has been omitted: The original contract the Pilgrims had entered into with their merchant-sponsors in London called for everything they produced to go into a common store, and each member of the community was entitled to one common share. All of the land they cleared and the houses they built belong to the community as well." They were collectivists! Now, "Bradford, who had become the new governor of the colony, recognized that this form of collectivism was as costly and destructive to the Pilgrims as that first harsh winter, which had taken so many lives."

"He decided to take bold action. Bradford assigned a plot of land to each family to work and manage, thus turning loose the power of the marketplace. ... Long before Karl Marx was even born, the Pilgrims had discovered and experimented with what could only be described as socialism. And what happened? It didn't work! Surprise, surprise, huh? What Bradford and his community found was that the most creative and industrious people had no incentive to work any harder than anyone else, unless they could utilize the power of personal motivation! But while most of the rest of the world has been experimenting with socialism for well over a hundred years -- trying to refine it, perfect it, and re-invent it -- the Pilgrims decided early on to scrap it permanently. What Bradford wrote about this social experiment should be in every schoolchild's history lesson, If it were, we might prevent much needless suffering in the future."

Here's what he wrote: "'The experience that we had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years...that by taking away property, and bringing community into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing -- as if they were wiser than God,' Bradford wrote."

"'For this community [so far as it was] was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort. For young men that were most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense...that was thought injustice.'" That was thought injustice."

Do you hear what he was saying? The Pilgrims found that people could not be expected to do their best work without incentive. So what did Bradford's community try next?

They unharnessed the power of good old free enterprise by invoking the undergirding capitalistic principle of private property. Every family was assigned its own plot of land to work and permitted to market its own crops and products. And what was the result?

"'This had very good success,' wrote Bradford, 'for it made all hands industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.' Bradford doesn't sound like much of a Clintonite, does he? Is it possible that supply-side economics could have existed before the 1980s? ... In no time, the Pilgrims found they had more food than they could eat themselves. ... So they set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the Indians."

"The profits allowed them to pay off their debts to the merchants in London. And the success and prosperity of the Plymouth settlement attracted more Europeans and began what came to be known as the 'Great Puritan Migration.'"

Now, aside from the Rush Limbaugh program, have you heard this before? Is this "being taught to children -- and if not, why not? Is there a more important lesson one could derive from the Pilgrim experience than this? None of this is taught today. But it should be.

Courtesy of and thanks to the great folks at http://www.rushlimbaugh.com

Even the Weather Channel Founder says Global Warming is a Scam

2007-11-08T15:02:00.001-06:00

This is a beauty. How can the Global Warming alarmists ignore this? Well, we will see. They will likely try to label the John Coleman, THE FOUNDER OF THE WEATHER CHANNEL as some sort of fringe idiot. Yeah right. Good luck with this one.

An article about this is noted below or you can skip right to John Coleman's full blog story by clicking here.

Weather Channel Founder: Global Warming ‘Greatest Scam in History’
By Noel Sheppard
Wednesday, November 7, 2007

If the founder of The Weather Channel spoke out strongly against the manmade global warming myth, might media members notice?

We're going to find out the answer to that question soon, for John Coleman wrote an article published at ICECAP Wednesday that should certainly garner attention from press members -- assuming journalism hasn't been completely replaced by propagandist activism, that is.

Coleman marvelously began:

It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a SCAM. Some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data to create in [sic] allusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental whacko type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the "research" to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims. Their friends in government steered huge research grants their way to keep the movement going. Soon they claimed to be a consensus.

Environmental extremists, notable politicians among them, then teamed up with movie, media and other liberal, environmentalist journalists to create this wild "scientific" scenario of the civilization threatening environmental consequences from Global Warming unless we adhere to their radical agenda. Now their ridiculous manipulated science has been accepted as fact and become a cornerstone issue for CNN, CBS, NBC, the Democratic Political Party, the Governor of California, school teachers and, in many cases, well informed but very gullible environmental conscientious citizens. Only one reporter at ABC has been allowed to counter the Global Warming frenzy with one 15 minutes documentary segment.

[...]

I have read dozens of scientific papers. I have talked with numerous scientists. I have studied. I have thought about it. I know I am correct. There is no run away climate change. The impact of humans on climate is not catastrophic. Our planet is not in peril. I am incensed by the incredible media glamour, the politically correct silliness and rude dismissal of counter arguments by the high priest of Global Warming.

In time, a decade or two, the outrageous scam will be obvious.

Let's hope so, John; let's hope so.

Courtesy of and thanks to the great foks at http://media.newsbusters.org.
And... a Hat Tip to Nick P.

More Stossel Less Gore Please

2007-10-19T11:30:00.001-05:00

"Give Me a Break!" says Stossel. And, so do I. Giving Al Gore a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming is like giving the Catholic Church the Nobel Peace Prize for its work on the flat earth as the center of the universe. Check out what the fine folks at Newsmax are reporting:

John Stossel Exposes Global Warming Myths
By Newsmax Staff
Wednesday, October 17, 2007

"20/20" co-anchor John Stossel is going on the attack against "experts" who warn about manmade global warming – along the way berating Al Gore for saying the debate over climate change is over.

In a release from ABC previewing Stossel's report on Friday's "20/20," the veteran newsman and Newsmax pundit – who won 19 Emmys exposing scammers and con artists – says:

"This week on '20/20' (in our new 8 p.m. Eastern time slot) I say 'Give Me a Break!' to our Nobel Prize-winning Vice President.

"Mr. Gore says 'The debate is over,' and those who disagree with his take on global warming have been 'purchased' in order to create 'the illusion of a debate.' Nonsense. It's as if the Vice President and his allies in the environmental movement plan to win the debate through intimidation. I interview some scientists who won't be intimidated, even though one has had his life threatened for speaking up.

"The Vice President's much-applauded movie, 'An Inconvenient Truth,' claims warming is man's fault and a coming crisis! While the earth has certainly warmed over the last century, plenty of independent scientists say scientists cannot be sure that man caused the warming or that warming will be a crisis.

"They say the computer models that are used to predict the disasters don't include important variables because scientists don't fully understand them. For example, warming may cause cloud formations that reflect sun and cool the earth. The computer models cannot know. These scientists call global warming activism more of a religious movement than science."

Gore's film is filled with "misleading messages," says Stossel.

"It suggests polar bears are disappearing and that 'sea levels worldwide would go up 20 feet.' I interview children who are scared. They believe the polar bears are already going extinct and that the oceans will soon rise even higher than 20 feet, drowning them and their parents.

"But polar bear populations appear to be steady or increasing, and a 20-foot rise is a theoretical possibility that wouldn't happen for millennia. The IPCC, the group that shared last week's Nobel Prize with the Vice President, says in 100 years the oceans might rise 7 to 24 inches, not 20 feet. Now a British judge has ruled that British schools must disclose to students nine inaccuracies in 'An Inconvenient Truth' if they play the movie in class."

Stossel said it's "nonsense" for Gore to suggest that we can stop global warming by doing things like changing light bulbs and driving less.

"The only practical thing we can do today that would make a difference in CO2 output is to launch a major shift toward nuclear energy. But the environmental movement rarely utters the word nuclear.

"I suspect that next year's government boondoggle will be massive spending on carbon-reducing technology.

"It reminds me of George Mason University Economics Department Chairman Don Boudreax's suggestion that such schemes really mean 'government seizing enormous amounts of additional power in order to embark upon schemes of social engineering - schemes whose pursuit gratifies the abstract fantasies of the theory class and, simultaneously, lines the very real pockets of politically powerful corporations, organizations, and "experts."'

"He is so right. The abstract fantasies of the theory class will soon send huge chunks of your money to politicians, friends, activist scientists, and politically savvy corporations.

"The debate is over? That makes me say GIVE ME A BREAK!"

© 2007 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

Courtesy of and thanks to the great folks at http://www.newsmax.com

Academic Cesspools Indeed

2007-10-18T08:59:00.001-05:00

If the article below isn't somewhat shocking to you, then you may wish to rethink your own academic experience. The cesspools just seem to keep growing both in quantity and in depth. Arghhhhh!

Academic Cesspools
By Walter E. Williams
Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The average taxpayer and parents who foot the bill know little about the rot on many college campuses. "Indoctrinate U" is a recently released documentary, written and directed by Evan Coyne Maloney, that captures the tip of a disgusting iceberg. The trailer for "Indoctrinate U" can be seen here.

"Indoctrinate U" starts out with an interview of Professor David Clemens, at Monterey Peninsula College, who reads an administrative directive regarding new course proposals: "Include a description of how course topics are treated to develop a knowledge and understanding of race, class, and gender issues." Clemens is fighting the directive, which applies not to just sociology classes but math, physics, ornamental horticulture and other classes whose subject material has nothing to do with race, class and gender issues.

U.S. President George W. Bush after he signs legislation expanding Pell Grants to help make college affordable for students, H.R. 2669, The College Cost Reduction and Access Act, while in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, September 27, 2007. From L-R are: Pell Grant recipients Robert Garcia of Corpus Christi, Laura Tappen of Fairfax, Virginia, Margie Clark of Fauquier County, Virginia, Kalise Robinson of Washington, D.C., Bush (seated), U.S. Rep. Ric Keller (R-FL), (standing), and Rep. George Miller (D-CA). REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)

Professor Noel Ignatiev, of the Massachusetts School of Art, explains that his concern is to do away with whiteness. Why? "Because whiteness is a form of racial oppression." Ignatiev adds, "There cannot be a white race without the phenomenon of white supremacy." What's blackness? According to Ignatiev, "Blackness is an identity that can be plausibly argued to arise out of a resistance to oppression." Bucknell professor Geoff Schneider agrees, saying, "A lot of our students, I think, are unconsciously racist." Both Ignatiev and Schneider are white.

The College of William & Mary and Tufts and Brown universities established racially segregated student orientations. At some universities, students are provided with racially segregated housing, and at others they are treated to racially separate graduation ceremonies.

Under the ruse of ending harassment, a number of universities have established speech codes. Bowdoin College has banned jokes and stories "experienced by others as harassing." Brown University has banned "verbal behavior" that "produces feelings of impotence, anger or disenfranchisement" whether "unintentional or intentional." University of Connecticut has outlawed "inappropriately directed laughter." Colby College has banned any speech that could lead to a loss of self-esteem. "Suggestive looks" are banned at Bryn Mawr College and "unwelcomed flirtations" at Haverford College. Fortunately for students, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has waged a successful war against such speech codes.

Central Connecticut State College set up a panel to discuss slavery reparations. All seven speakers, invited by the school, supported the idea. Professor Jay Bergman questioned the lack of diversity on the panel. In response, two members of the African Studies department published a letter criticizing Bergman, saying, "The protests against reparations stand on the same platform that produced apartheid, Hitler and the KKK." Such a response, as Professor Bergman says, is nothing less than intellectual thuggery.

For universities such as Columbia and Yale, military recruiters are unwelcome, but they welcome terrorists such as Columbia University's invitation to Colonel Mohammar Quadaffi and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Yale admitted former Taliban spokesman Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi as a student, despite his fourth-grade education and high school equivalency degree.

On other campuses, such as Lehigh, Central Michigan, Arizona, Holy Cross and California Berkeley universities, administrators banned students, staff and faculty from showing signs of patriotism after the 9/11 attacks. On some campuses, display of the American flag was banned; the pledge of allegiance and singing patriotic songs were banned out of fear of possibly offending foreign students.

Several university officials refused to be interviewed for the documentary. They wanted to keep their campus policies under wraps, not only from reporters but parents as well. When college admissions officials make their recruitment visits, they don't tell parents that their children will learn "whiteness is a form of racial oppression," or that they sponsor racially segregated orientations, dorms and graduation ceremonies. Parents and prospective students are kept in the dark.

The Intercollegiate Studies Institute has published "Choosing the Right College," to which I've written the introduction. The guide provides a wealth of information to help parents and students choose the right college.

Dr. Williams serves on the faculty of George Mason University as John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics and is the author of More Liberty Means Less Government: Our Founders Knew This Well.

Courtesy of and thanks to Walter E. Williams and the great folks at: http://www.townhall.com/

Tip of the hat to Judy Rosner. Thank you for bringing this one to my attention.

Climate data corrected and COOLER !!!

2007-08-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

Uh Oh! More bad news for the Global Warming Cult. Check out this article:

Years of bad data corrected; 1998 no longer the warmest year on record

My earlier column this week detailed the work of a volunteer team to assess problems with US temperature data used for climate modeling. One of these people is Steve McIntyre, who operates the site climateaudit.org. While inspecting historical temperature graphs, he noticed a strange discontinuity, or "jump" in many locations, all occurring around the time of January, 2000.

These graphs were created by NASA's Reto Ruedy and James Hansen (who shot to fame when he accused the administration of trying to censor his views on climate change). Hansen refused to provide McKintyre with the algorithm used to generate graph data, so McKintyre reverse-engineered it. The result appeared to be a Y2K bug in the handling of the raw data.

McKintyre notified the pair of the bug; Ruedy replied and acknowledged the problem as an "oversight" that would be fixed in the next data refresh.

NASA has now silently released corrected figures, and the changes are truly astounding. The warmest year on record is now 1934. 1998 (long trumpeted by the media as record-breaking) moves to second place. 1921 takes third. In fact, 5 of the 10 warmest years on record now all occur before World War II. Anthony Watts has put the new data in chart form, along with a more detailed summary of the events.

The effect of the correction on global temperatures is minor (some 1-2% less warming than originally thought), but the effect on the U.S. global warming propaganda machine could be huge.

Then again -- maybe not. I strongly suspect this story will receive little to no attention from the mainstream media.

Courtesy of and thanks to the folks at DailyTech - http://www.dailytech.com.

BS Haditha Charges Dropped - FINALLY !

2007-08-09T14:32:00.000-05:00

According to Fox News, The Associated Press has released the following story. Well... It is about time!

Military Drops Charges Against Two Marines Questioned in Iraqi Killings

Thursday , August 09, 2007

LOS ANGELES —

The Marine Corps has dropped all charges against a captain accused of failing to investigate the deaths of 24 civilians and another Marine accused in some of the killings, the Corps announced Thursday.

Capt. Randy W. Stone, 35, a battalion lawyer from Dunkirk, Md., was one of four officers charged with failing to adequately probe the killings.

"It is clear to me that any error of omission or commission by Capt. Stone does not warrant action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice," Lt. Gen. James Mattis wrote.

The Corps also announced that charges had been dismissed against Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, who was accused of murdering three brothers in the assault that followed a deadly roadside bombing of U.S. troops.

The decision to drop the charges against Sharratt followed an earlier recommendation from Lt. Col. Paul Ware, a hearing officer.

"The government version is unsupported by independent evidence," Ware wrote. "To believe the government version of facts is to disregard clear and convincing evidence to the contrary." (emphasis added)

Prosecutors alleged Sharratt and other members of his battalion engaged in a revenge-motivated assault on Iraqi civilians after a roadside bomb killed a fellow Marine. Sharratt contended the Iraqi men he confronted were insurgents and at least one was holding an AK-47 rifle when he fired at them.

Ware said prosecution of Sharratt could set a "dangerous precedent that ... may encourage others to bear false witness against Marines as a tactic to erode public support of the Marine Corps and its mission in Iraq."

"Even more dangerous is the potential that a Marine may hesitate at the critical moment when facing the enemy," Ware said.

Besides Sharratt, two other enlisted men were charged with murder. Four officers, including Stone, were accused of failing to investigate the deaths.

Courtesy of and thanks to the folks at Fox News - http://www.foxnews.com.

FREE LIBBY

2007-07-03T11:28:00.000-05:00

Reporter Robert Novak was pursuing a story about the African uranium claim and obtained the info from a White House source. But it was at Novak's prompting that info was revealed, not the other way around.

"Nobody in the Bush administration called me to leak this," Novak said on CNN's Crossfire, "There is no great crime here.”

“They asked me not to use her name, but never indicated it would endanger her or anybody else. According to the CIA, Mrs. Wilson was an analyst, not a spy, not a covert operative and not in charge of undercover operators (emphasis added)" Novak said.

Novak said that he was working on the column when a senior administration official told him the CIA asked Wilson to go to Niger in early 2002 at the suggestion of his wife" (CNN)

Note the source did not say Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA and did not say the wife’s name.

The supposed revelation at the center of the issue came in an impromptu way, at Novak's questioning. No one leaked anything and Plame was not even a Covert Operative. That is a correct. The CIA has never said that Plame was a Covert Operative. I challenge anyone to produce a single official statement from the CIA or any other relevant source that supports the claim that Plame was a Covert Operative.

Under the 1982 Intelligence Identities Protection Act, it is a felony for anyone with access to classified information to disclose the identity of a Covert Operative. Further, the burden of proof includes a requirement that the revelation was done intentionally and to do harm. Apparently a journalist is protected from revealing the revelation by virtue of freedom of the press. So Novak is covered.

Back to the the CIA. Novak called them to confirm the identity of the CIA employee and they confirmed! Since the person in the CIA revealed that Valerie Plame worked for them,she was clearly not a Covert Operative.

As a point of fact, no charge for the so-called leak of a Covert Operative’s identity was ever filed and never will be filed because there is zero evidence that their ever was a leak.

As for Scooter Libby, he was caught in what is commonly called a perjury trap. He was asked by an overzealous prosecutor to provide a recollection of long past events and then later his recollection was proven to be inaccurate. Even though the substance of his recollection had zero impact on a non-case about a non-leak for which there has never been a charge and for which no one will ever be charged, the prosecutor who arranged the trap then went after Libby because they knew the underlying case was without any merit what so ever.

This is a travesty of justice only partially corrected by the President's commutation. The law should prevent perjury traps from being prosecuted when the underlying case is so clearly without foundation.

Scoring The War - What you likely don't know...

2007-06-27T09:25:00.000-05:00

I'll bet you didn't know that so far this year, the U.S. has killed roughly 650 terrorists a month. And, I'll bet you also had no idea that this year we've lost about 37 troops a month to combat deaths in Iraq and that...

We are currently killing the enemy at a ratio of nearly 18 to 1!

The life of every single one of our soldiers is of course important, but their mortality rate since the war began of 70 per month compares with 526 a month in Vietnam, more than 900 a month in Korea and 6,639 a month during World War II. And, I'll bet you just didn't know these facts!

YOU SHOULD WANT TO KNOW! Check this out:

Scoring The War
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 6/25/2007

War And The Media: Day after day, Americans are treated to a never-ending, mind-numbing parade of statistics about the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. But what about the terrorists?

One way the media distort Americans' view of the ongoing war against terrorists is by focusing on just one side in the conflict: ours. Whether it's the daily body count or alleged abuses at Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo, the public could be forgiven for thinking the U.S. is not only losing the war, but behaving badly in doing so.

But neither is true. This year, for instance, the U.S. has killed roughly 650 terrorists a month, according to published reports and Defense Department estimates. That compares with about 37 U.S. combat deaths per month, through May.

The ratio, thus, is about 18 terrorists killed in combat for every allied soldier killed. And that doesn't include the current offensive in Diayala Province, Operation Arrowhead Ripper, which dispatched 159 enemy combatants in just the first five days.

Since the war began, we've lost about 70 troops a month. This compares with 526 a month in Vietnam, more than 900 a month in Korea and 6,639 a month during World War II.

In other words, by any meaningful metric employed, the U.S. is winning this war. But it will never be reported that way.

This is nothing new. Go back to Vietnam. Remember the "five o'clock follies," when the press routinely ridiculed Pentagon casualty reports? The Vietnam syndrome continues to this day.

Only now it's the media misreporting the numbers. Just weeks into the war in 2003, we started hearing the now-oft-repeated canard that Iraq was worse off with the U.S. than with Saddam. This is so plainly wrong that it must be called what it is: a lie.

And yet, it's repeated to this day. Here again, the numbers tell the tale. In his 24 years as Iraq's Stalinist supreme leader, Saddam Hussein killed at least 2 million people. That averages out to about 6,944 a month for the better part of three decades.

Most responsible estimates show that, at most, 60,000 or so civilians have been killed since the war started, about 1,200 a month.

Moreover, no one doubts that Saddam was responsible for all 2 million of his deaths. In the case of the U.S., most of the civilian deaths come from al-Qaida and other terrorists, not U.S. troops.

We got to thinking about this as a result of Operation Arrowhead Ripper, which began a week ago. It involves some 10,000 U.S. troops trying to rid Diyala Province of al-Qaida terrorists. It's one of the biggest, if not the biggest, operations since the war began.

And yet, when we looked for news of how this huge effort in the war on terror was going, the focus was all on American fatalities.

Since Vietnam, the media have approached each military conflict with the same template: "U.S. Wrong, Foe Right." And they've reported accordingly. That's why wanton murderers of women and children are generously called "fighters" by our own media, while errors by our own troops are tarred as war crimes.

So, in a sense, we are losing a war — the war for Americans' hearts and minds, fought daily on America's TV screens and front pages. But in the real war, our troops are fighting bravely and well — and it's about time someone started keeping score.

Courtesy of and thanks to the folks at Investors Business daily - http://www.investors.com.

No thanks what so ever to the Main Stream Media who might just as well be the enemies marketing/propoganda team.

What Joe Saw in Iraq

2007-06-15T09:30:00.000-05:00

The following item from http://online.wsj.com needs no further comment. So, here it is.

What I Saw in Iraq
By JOSEPH LIEBERMAN
The Wall Street Journal
June 15, 2007; Page A17

I recently returned from Iraq and four other countries in the Middle East, my first trip to the region since December. In the intervening five months, almost everything about the American war effort in Baghdad has changed, with a new coalition military commander, Gen. David Petraeus; a new U.S. ambassador, Ryan Crocker; the introduction, at last, of new troops; and most important of all, a bold, new counterinsurgency strategy.

The question of course is -- is it working? Here in Washington, advocates of retreat insist with absolute certainty that it is not, seizing upon every suicide bombing and American casualty as proof positive that the U.S. has failed in Iraq, and that it is time to get out.

In Baghdad, however, discussions with the talented Americans responsible for leading this fight are more balanced, more hopeful and, above all, more strategic in their focus -- fixated not just on the headline or loss of the day, but on the larger stakes in this struggle, beginning with who our enemies are in Iraq. The officials I met in Baghdad said that 90% of suicide bombings in Iraq today are the work of non-Iraqi, al Qaeda terrorists. In fact, al Qaeda's leaders have repeatedly said that Iraq is the central front of their global war against us. That is why it is nonsensical for anyone to claim that the war in Iraq can be separated from the war against al Qaeda -- and why a U.S. pullout, under fire, would represent an epic victory for al Qaeda, as significant as their attacks on 9/11.

Some of my colleagues in Washington claim we can fight al Qaeda in Iraq while disengaging from the sectarian violence there. Not so, say our commanders in Baghdad, who point out that the crux of al Qaeda's strategy is to spark Iraqi civil war.

Al Qaeda is launching spectacular terrorist bombings in Iraq, such as the despicable attack on the Golden Mosque in Samarra this week, to try to provoke sectarian violence. Its obvious aim is to use Sunni-Shia bloodshed to collapse the Iraqi government and create a failed state in the heart of the Middle East, radicalizing the region and providing a base from which to launch terrorist attacks against the West.

Facts on the ground also compel us to recognize that Iran is doing everything in its power to drive us out of Iraq, including providing substantive support, training and sophisticated explosive devices to insurgents who are murdering American soldiers. Iran has initiated a deadly military confrontation with us, from bases in Iran, which we ignore at our peril, and at the peril of our allies throughout the Middle East.

The precipitous withdrawal of U.S. forces would not only throw open large parts of Iraq to domination by the radical regime in Tehran, it would also send an unmistakable message to the entire Middle East -- from Lebanon to Gaza to the Persian Gulf where Iranian agents are threatening our allies -- that Iran is ascendant there, and America is in retreat. One Arab leader told me during my trip that he is extremely concerned about Tehran's nuclear ambitions, but that he doubted America's staying power in the region and our political will to protect his country from Iranian retaliation over the long term. Abandoning Iraq now would substantiate precisely these gathering fears across the Middle East that the U.S. is becoming an unreliable ally.

That is why -- as terrible as the continuing human cost of fighting this war in Iraq is -- the human cost of losing it would be even greater.

Gen. Petraeus and other U.S. officials in Iraq emphasize that it is still too soon to draw hard judgments about the success of our new security strategy -- but during my visit I saw hopeful signs of progress. Consider Anbar province, Iraq's heart of darkness for most of the past four years. When I last visited Anbar in December, the U.S. military would not allow me to visit the provincial capital, Ramadi, because it was too dangerous. Anbar was one of al Qaeda's major strongholds in Iraq and the region where the majority of American casualties were occurring. A few months earlier, the Marine Corps chief of intelligence in Iraq had written off the entire province as "lost," while the Iraq Study Group described the situation there as "deteriorating."

When I returned to Anbar on this trip, however, the security environment had undergone a dramatic reversal. Attacks on U.S. troops there have dropped from an average of 30 to 35 a day a few months ago to less than one a day now, according to Col. John Charlton, commander of the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division, headquartered in Ramadi. Whereas six months ago only half of Ramadi's 23 tribes were cooperating with the coalition, all have now been persuaded to join an anti-al Qaeda alliance. One of Ramadi's leading sheikhs told me: "A rifle pointed at an American soldier is a rifle pointed at an Iraqi."

The recent U.S. experience in Anbar also rebuts the bromide that the new security plan is doomed to fail because there is no "military" solution for Iraq. In fact, no one believes there is a purely "military" solution for Iraq. But the presence of U.S. forces is critical not just to ensuring basic security, but to a much broader spectrum of diplomatic, political and economic missions -- which are being carried out today in Iraq under Gen. Petraeus's counterinsurgency strategy.

In Anbar, for example, the U.S. military has been essential to the formation and survival of the tribal alliance against al Qaeda, simultaneously holding together an otherwise fractious group of Sunni Arab leaders through deft diplomacy, while establishing a political bridge between them and the Shia-dominated government in Baghdad. "This is a continuous effort," Col. Charlton said. "We meet with the sheikhs every single day and at every single level."

In Baghdad, U.S. forces have cut in half the number of Iraqi deaths from sectarian violence since the surge began in February. They have also been making critical improvements in governance, basic services and commercial activity at the grassroots level.

On Haifa Street, for instance, where there was bloody fighting not so long ago, the 2nd "Black Jack" Brigade of our First Cavalry Division, under the command of a typically impressive American colonel, Bryan Roberts, has not only retaken the neighborhood from insurgents, but is working with the local population to revamp the electrical grid and sewer system, renovate schools and clinics, and create an "economic safe zone" where businesses can reopen. Indeed, of the brigade's five "lines of operations," only one is strictly military. That Iraq reality makes pure fiction of the argument heard in Washington that the surge will fail because it is only "military."

Some argue that the new strategy is failing because, despite gains in Baghdad and Anbar, violence has increased elsewhere in the country, such as Diyala province. This gets things backwards: Our troops have succeeded in improving security conditions in precisely those parts of Iraq where the "surge" has focused. Al Qaeda has shifted its operations to places like Diyala in large measure because we have made progress in pushing them out of Anbar and Baghdad. The question now is, do we consolidate and build on the successes that the new strategy has achieved, keeping al Qaeda on the run, or do we abandon them?

To be sure, there are still daunting challenges ahead. Iraqi political leaders, in particular, need to step forward and urgently work through difficult political questions, whose resolution is necessary for national reconciliation and, as I told them, continuing American support.

These necessary legislative compromises would be difficult to accomplish in any political system, including peaceful, long-established democracies -- as the recent performance of our own Congress reminds us. Nonetheless, Iraqi leaders are struggling against enormous odds to make progress, and told me they expect to pass at least some of the key benchmark bills this summer. It is critical that they do so.

Here, too, however, a little perspective is useful. While benchmarks are critically important, American soldiers are not fighting in Iraq today only so that Iraqis can pass a law to share oil revenues. They are fighting because a failed state in the heart of the Middle East, overrun by al Qaeda and Iran, would be a catastrophe for American national security and our safety here at home. They are fighting al Qaeda and agents of Iran in order to create the stability in Iraq that will allow its government to take over, to achieve the national reconciliation that will enable them to pass the oil law and other benchmark legislation.

I returned from Iraq grateful for the progress I saw and painfully aware of the difficult problems that remain ahead. But I also returned with a renewed understanding of how important it is that we not abandon Iraq to al Qaeda and Iran, so long as victory there is still possible.

And I conclude from my visit that victory is still possible in Iraq -- thanks to the Iraqi majority that desperately wants a better life, and because of the courage, compassion and competence of the extraordinary soldiers and statesmen who are carrying the fight there, starting with Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. The question now is, will we politicians in Washington rise to match their leadership, sacrifices and understanding of what is on the line for us in Iraq -- or will we betray them, and along with them, America's future security?

Mr. Lieberman is an Independent Democratic senator from Connecticut.

Courtesy of and thanks to the folks at http://online.wsj.com.

No thanks what so ever to the many hand ringing surrender fools in our government.

THE FILM MAY NOW BE FREE

2007-05-25T08:39:00.000-05:00

According to the Washington Times, the...

...“documentary billed as "the film PBS doesn't want you to see" will at long last get a national audience. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) announced a joint agreement yesterday to make "Islam vs. Islamists" available to the 354 Public Broadcasting Service member stations across the nation as a "stand-alone" TV program, with a little extra embellishment.” (emphasis added)

It seems PBS can't help but preceed and/or follow the film with some sort of commentary. You know, "to put it in context". Well, at least it will get aired. "Your tax dollars hard at work!"

I LOVE IRONIC QUOTES !!!

Tip of the hat to Craig who clued me into the Washington Times Article.

Courtesy of and thanks to the folks at http://www.freethefilm.net/, http://hotair.com/ and Washington Times.

No thanks what so ever to the Dhimmis at PBS

FREE THE FILM

2007-05-23T10:44:00.001-05:00

I have reduced how frequently I blog, but I was tipped off to this by http://hotair.com/ and it just had to be posted:

PBS won't show "Islam vs. Islamists"
but... YOU should see it!

Go to http://www.freethefilm.net/ and support their cause!

The folks there produced a documentary which tells the story of courageous anti-Islamist Muslims in Western Europe, Canada and the United States and the extraordinary challenges they face in taking on adherents to the theo-totalitarian ideology known as Islamism. It shows what is happening to these moderates – who are being ostracized, intimidated and, in some cases, threatened with death – offers critical insights into the dangers that both they and we are facing. It also suggests steps we must take to help and empower these moderates and others like them.

Unfortunately, objections from "P"BS are preventing this film from being seen by the American people – whose tax dollars paid for its production!

An interview with the filmaker is available at http://hotair.com/

Courtesy of and thanks to the great folks at http://www.freethefilm.net/ and http://hotair.com/.

No thanks what so ever to the Dhimmis at PBS.

Seattle School Bans Legos as Too Capitalist!

2007-03-28T14:17:00.000-05:00

WTF?!

Yes, you read that headline correctly. The clearly socialist Hilltop Children’s Center (HCC) near Seattle actually banned Legos because "children were building their assumptions about ownership and the social power it conveys — assumptions that mirrored those of a class-based, capitalist society".

That's right folks, according to the misguided mind molders at HCC, Legos are evil because playing with them teaches capitalism.

Never Fear, they were able to return the Legos to the classroom "After five months of naming and investigating the issues of power, rules, ownership, and authority". That is, after they brainwashed the children "until they reached consensus about three core agreements:
- All structures are public structures. Everyone can use all the Lego structures. But only the builder or people who have her or his permission are allowed to change a structure.
- Lego people can be saved only by a "team" of kids, not by individuals.
- All structures will be standard sizes."

Again... WTF?!

They were even so proud of their little indoctrination camp that they published an article titled Why We Banned Legos as a cover story in Rethinking Schools Magazine (RSM).

The useful idiots as Lenin would have called them at both HCC and RSM need to read Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" and/or "The Fountainhead". Then, maybe they will wake up and realize that they get to work in a private school in These United States of America because of dearly held ideas like Capitalism.

Again, and again and again... WTF?! WTF?! WTF?!

Oh yeah! Buy Legos! They're good for you!

Courtesy of and thanks to the great folks at Legos.

No thanks what so ever to the fools at HCC and/or RSM

Single Payer Rejected by 71% of Voters

2007-03-15T09:53:00.000-05:00

Single Payer Rejected by 71% of Voters
American Media Ignore Swiss Vote

Hagerstown, MD, March 15, 2007 CHCC President Greg Scandlen issued the following statement today –

“On Sunday the Swiss people voted overwhelmingly to reject a Single Payer system. But there has been not a word about it in the American press – other than a single paragraph in the trade publication Business Insurance (http://www.businessinsurance.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=9723)
“The vote was on whether to replace Switzerland’s current system of mandatory health insurance coverage provided by 87 private health plans with a single payer system based on income-related premiums. It was rejected by 71% of the voters.

“If the vote had gone the other way – if the Swiss had embraced Single Payer – it would have been front page news in every newspaper in the United States, it would have been a lead story in every broadcast. Reporters would have booked flights to Geneva to interview citizens and political leaders.≈

“This provides a sobering example of why public policy goes so wrong in the United States. The public is informed of only one side of the story. Reporters and editors are biased in favor of government intervention and against free markets. They are part of a privileged elite who think consumers are incapable of making sound decisions and intelligent choices.

“But the people of Switzerland made the same choice as the American people make every time they have had an opportunity. Voters in Oregon rejected Single Payer by a vote of 79% to 21% in 2002. People do not want to be herded into a government-run cattle car. We want and demand freedom of choice in health care as in every other aspect of our lives.”
About Consumers for Health Care Choices

Consumers for Health Care Choices is a national membership organization of citizens devoted to putting the consumer in the driver’s seat of the health care system. It was organized just over one year ago and is growing quickly as more people realize the future of health care rests with empowered consumers. The Board Chair is Daniel (Stormy) Johnson, Jr., MD, a radiologist in Metairie, Louisiana, and former president of the American Medical Association.
Website: http://www.chcchoices.org

Consumers for Health Care Choices
Greg Scandlen
President
email: greg@chcchoices.org
phone: 301-606-7364

Courtesy of and thanks to the Consumers for Health Care Choices and http://www.businessinsurance.com.

The Great Global Warming Swindle

2007-03-12T15:06:00.000-05:00

Channel 4 and The Great Global Warming Swindle from Channel4.com

According to several eminent climate scientists in a recent documentary aired on the BBC entitled "The Great Global Warming Swindle", the widely accepted theories about man causing global warming are full blown lies.

If nothing else, the documentary disproves the common myth that virtually no eminent scientists disagree with the "science" extolled by Al Gore and various Hollywood celebrities. This documentary will shakes the "accepted consensus" to its core.

The program, was screened on Channel 4 on Thursday March 8 and includes a cast of multi award winning Climate Scientists, NASA Scientists and even the co-founder of Greenpeace. And... all of them say that neither Humans nor CO2 from any source cause global warming.

One of the scientists shown in the film was originally listed as a contributor to the recent and much publicized United Nations report on climate change but had to fight to have his name removed from the report because (like many other contributors) he disagreed so strongly with the twisting of the data and inaccuracy of the conclusions.

Of course its controversial. The director Martin Durkin said: "You can see the problems with the science of global warming, but people just don't believe you - it's taken 10 years to get this commissioned.

You can watch the video on Google Video by clicking here or by pasting the linke below into your browser.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2332531355859226455

If that does not work, just search any of your favorite video web sites for the words "Global Warming Swindle" and you'll find the video.

If you don't watch the video because you prejudge it as junk, you are proving one of the points made in the video. That is, you are proving that those who believe in human caused global warming are beyond reason and research and are now acting like cult members who just don't want to see the truth.

Courtesy of and thanks to the Channel4.com and Google Video.

Gore Claims Media "Balance" is Bad

2007-03-02T09:26:00.001-06:00

The article below from the Dickson Herald was funny (strange and scary not haha) from many angles, but the last sentence is an amazing punch line!

Why do you think Gore would not want to answer this question:

How can you say that there is a consensus when over 17,000 scientists signed a petition ( see http://www.oism.org/pproject/index.htm & http://www.oism.org/pproject/s33p36.htm ) that includes the following: Predictions of global warming are based on computer climate modeling, a branch of science still in its infancy. The empirical evidence actual measurements of Earth's temperature shows no man-made warming trend. Indeed, over the past two decades, when CO2 levels have been at their highest, global average temperatures have actually cooled slightly. (emphasis added)?

Gore says media miss climate message
Journalists have leaned toward balance at expense of consensus data, he says
By BEVERLY KEEL
Staff Writer
Wednesday, 02/28/07

MURFREESBORO - After being the red-carpet darling of the Academy Awards, it was back to reality Tuesday for Al Gore, who resumed his usual role of history-spouting wonk as he addressed a gathering of national media ethicists at MTSU.

Gore was the star of An Inconvenient Truth, which won best documentary feature at Sunday night's Oscars. The film showed the slide show presentation the former vice president has given countless times across the nation.

Back in Tennessee on Tuesday, Gore told a crowd of about 50 people at the U.S. Media Ethics Summit II that the presentation's single most provocative slide was one that contrasts results of two long-term studies. A 10-year University of California study found that essentially zero percent of peer-reviewed scientific journal articles disagreed that global warming exists, whereas, another study found that 53 percent of mainstream newspaper articles disagreed the global warming premise.

He noted that recently the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its fourth unanimous report calling on world leaders to take action on global warming.

"I believe that is one of the principal reasons why political leaders around the world have not yet taken action," Gore said. "There are many reasons, but one of the principal reasons in my view is more than half of the mainstream media have rejected the scientific consensus implicitly - and I say 'rejected,' perhaps it's the wrong word. They have failed to report that it is the consensus and instead have chosen . balance as bias.

"I don't think that any of the editors or reporters responsible for one of these stories saying, 'It may be real, it may not be real,' is unethical. But I think they made the wrong choice, and I think the consequences are severe.

"I think if it is important to look at the pressures that made it more likely than not that mainstream journalists in the United States would convey a wholly inaccurate conclusion about the most important moral, ethical, spiritual and political issue humankind has ever faced."

Gore would not answer any questions from the media after the event.

Courtesy of and thanks to the Dickson Herald.

A Conversation about Global Warming

2007-01-30T09:48:00.001-06:00

Below is a representative example of the many exchanges I have had with those who believe that global warming is both man caused and among the most critical issues of the day. Please read it and let me know what you think. Again, this is a fairly representative example.

>>> George Flynn >>>
Christopher - Recently I had a chance to remind global warming alarmists that there were some naysayers in our midst who have presented arguments that ought to be dealt with by the alarmists. I granted that many of the naysayers were simply shills for the energy industry, but there remain arguments that ought to be confronted (I was thinking of your presentation to me). All of this has resulted in an evening at Chicago 's College of Complexes reserved for a global warming debate - Saturday evening, March 3. Unfortunately, the presenters are not able to locate a naysayer willing to present the side you have articulated. I told them I would ask you whether you would be willing to present that side, or if you knew someone willing to do so. (The College of Complexes meets at 8 pm at the Lincoln Restaurant, at the intersection of Damon, Irving Park and Lincoln avenues.)

What do you think?
George Flynn

>>> Christopher Marczewski >>>
While I take it as a compliment that you would think of me as qualified for such a debate, I am neither appropriately prepared for nor skilled in the art of presenting an oral debate. Rather, I prefer and am much more adept in the arena of written debate. Further, I am certain that my lack of experience in such an environment would poorly serve to present the ideas held by those you call "naysayers". And, though men and women of reason know that the number of people who hold an idea to be true is neither valid proof for nor against the idea’s inherent truth, it seems I would be seriously outnumbered.

I did find it notable that in your invitation you felt it important enough to grant "that many of the naysayers were simply shills for the energy industry" but apparently neglected to grant that many of the alarmists were simply shills for the institutions seeking otherwise unattainable funding.

It has been my experience that those arranging reasoned debate don't generally display such obvious bias. It seems well reasoned to me that your likelihood of finding someone willing participate when the invitation is so clearly biased might be somewhat diminished by the bias displayed.

Perhaps an invitation without such presuppositions might serve better to entice participation from those of varying ideas.

It might be interesting for you to have half of the group be given the assignment of researching and taking the side of the “naysayers” as is done in scholastic debates. It may be even more interesting if they are asked to present the “naysayer” argument as the affirmative. You could have them argue something like, “Natural forces beyond the control of man are the primary and overwhelming source of climate change.” This would require them to research the issue from a supposedly new perspective and simultaneously remove one clear natural bias created by making such a position the affirmative rather than the negative.

Be well. Be well reasoned,
Christopher

>>> George Flynn >>>
The " College of Complexes " is an evening meeting in a restaurant, where one or two people will present material, followed by a question-answer period, which in turn is followed by short responses. It's not a situation that could possibly respond to your suggestions. You obviously don't know about this discussion series. There are no "students" or "teachers" in any traditional sense. I'm surprised you would be so arrogant as to lecture me on how to discuss an issue, as if you are the only person on earth who knows how to present a discussion.

And you did not read me well, although I thought I was plain in my language. I said that I granted that there were shills for the energy industry. By using the word "granted" I thought it was clear that I was responding to those who dismiss all "naysayers" as shills by saying that, yes, there are shills, but that there are also arguments (yours, in this case) that ought to be heard on their own terms and responded to. In others words, I was saying to those who actually told me that naysayers are shills that it would be inappropriate for them to dismiss the arguments of naysayers by simply asserting they were nothing but shills.

Of course, in your eagerness to pontificate once again about what's wrong with me and my way and thinking, and to lecture in your usual disgusting personal attack style along with your suggestions on how I could improve my behavior and the discussion group, you failed to understand the simple language that I used to show that I was acknowledging the value of your arguments to those who dismiss all naysayers as shills. I now agree with you that you probably would be inadequate in an oral situation, but, generally, I find, with your apparently uncontrollable urge to be irrelevantly critical, you continue to be inadequate even in writing.

Forget that I asked you to participate.

>>> Christopher Marczewski >>>
You are correct in noting that I was completely unfamiliar with the College of Complexes. As such, it seemed more than reasonable for me to have read and interpreted your invitation to a "debate" to be exactly that - an invitation to a debate. I apologize for taking you literally, but taking you otherwise seemed unreasonable at the time based on my lack of familiarity with the College of Complexes.

I do, however, most sincerely wonder what it is that drives you to characterize an honestly well intentioned and (what sincerely I believe to be) well reasoned suggestion about a potentially interesting debate format as (to paraphrase you) arrogant lecturing from the only person on earth who knows how to present a discussion.
Wow! I simply cannot reason how one could possibly interpret this to be anything but sarcastic. Please correct me if I am wrong.

I genuinely accept that I may be.

Please notice the remainder of this e-mail is purposefully passive and specifically put in the form of questions so as not to be confused as arrogant or lecturing:

Regarding your having "granted" that many "naysayers" are shills, how does the granting of such a bias preconception encourage open minded debate? Might an invitation possibly be better received if it simply read, "The College of Complexes", is meeting to discuss global warming on at 8pm on Saturday, March 3 at the Lincoln Restaurant and I was wondering if you'd like to participate by presenting your perspective, although you may be the only one there who holds your position"? Regarding the following quotes from your most recent e-mail:

"you would be so arrogant"
"as if you are the only person on earth who knows how to present a discussion."
"your eagerness to...pontificate...and...lecture in your usual disgusting personal attack style"
"your apparently uncontrollable urge to be irrelevantly critical, you continue to be inadequate even in writing."

Do these quotes seem to you to be at all arrogant, eagerly pontificating, disgusting personal attacks that demonstrate an apparently uncontrollable urge to be irrelevantly critical?
Do these quotes speak well to your adequacy in communicating?
Do my honestly well intended suggestions for a possible debate format based on having been invited to a debate seem to you to be more in line with those descriptions?
Can you please point out a specific quote from my e-mail where you think I made a disgusting personal attack?

Be well. Be well reasoned,
(by the way, these are intended as well wishes and not arrogant lecturing)

Christopher

Why Are We Playing by Islamofascist Rules?

2007-01-29T09:35:00.001-06:00

The following article speaks to the already significant submission of many to dhimmitude. For the love of reason, we must not allow this to happen.

Playing by Islamofascist Rules
By Alex Alexiev
January 27, 2007

Some two years ago Saudi clerics issued fatwas forbidding Muslims to play soccer unless its rules were replaced by "Islamic rules," or it was used as physical training for jihad. To the extent that anybody noticed that in the West, they were promptly dismissed as the inconsequential ravings of misguided fanatics.

This is not likely to be the fate of recent promises by British chancellor and prime minister in waiting, Gordon Brown, to make Britain "a key hub for facilitating Islamic finance" and to turn London into "a major enabling and structuring center for global Islamic finance." Yet, completely different as these two cases appear to be at first blush, they are both part of a concerted effort by radical Islamists to make the rest of us accept their reactionary worldview as legitimate in the name of multiculturalism and diversity.

The apparent cluelessness of an otherwise economically literate person like Gordon Brown, regarding "Islamic finance" is a case in point. To put it simply, there could no more be "Islamic finance" or "Islamic economics" than Christian physics or Buddhist biology. It is a completely bogus concept based on a misinterpretation of Quranic teaching and designed to advance radical Islam. It has everything to do with Islamic, indeed, Islamist, desiderata and very little with finance. The guiding principle of Islamic finance is built around the ostensible Quranic prohibition of charging interest. Except that the Quran bans usury, not interest. As the leading authority on the subject, Professor Timur Kuran, explains in his devastating critique of Islamic finance, "What the Quran bans unambiguously is the pre-Islamic Arabian institution of "riba," whereby a borrower saw his debt double following a default and redouble if he defaulted again." And so, having foresworn interest without which banking is virtually impossible, Islamic finance is little more than a hoax perpetrated on its clients through a series of deceitful ruses that amount to interest just the same.

No wonder that the concept of Islamic finance or economics was virtually unheard off until invented some 50 years ago by hard-line Islamists like Abul Ala Mawdudi and Sayyid Qutb, neither one of whom knew anything about economics. Nor did any Islamic banks or institutions exist in the entire history of Islam until 1975, when the Saudis started investing massive amounts of petrodollars into the worldwide export of Wahhabi extremism.

None of this has prevented Mr. Brown, or the U.S. treasury, which hired itself an adviser on Islamic banking, or countless Western universities and institutes sponsoring conferences on the subject, from legitimating this fraud on the altar of the false gods of multiculturalism.

Unfortunately, this is far from an isolated case of Western acquiescence to radical Islamist agendas. A few weeks ago, Muslim cab drivers at Minneapolis airport started refusing to carry passengers carrying alcohol purchases, following a fatwa by the extremist Muslim Students Association, which has no authority to issue fatwas to begin with. Yet, instead of immediately pulling their licenses for refusing to perform the service for which they were licensed, the city meekly submitted to this outrage. Where does this all end? How far are we from the day when an emergency room surgeon refuses to operate on a person because he had a glass of wine or ate pork before getting ill?

There are now countless Islamic centers, mosques and extremist organizations of all kinds incorporated in the U.S. that officially swear allegiance to shariah in their bylaws in blatant disregard to the law of the land. These are American non-profit organizations that pledge fealty to a reactionary code which requires rape victims to find four male witnesses to prove the crime, or face being stoned to death for adultery.

Nor do our public officials appear better informed than the British chancellor about the threat we're facing. Top government representatives regularly engage in meaningless "Muslim outreach" programs with the most radical of Islamist organizations, thereby legitimating them again and again in the eyes of mainstream Muslims as the powers that be in their community. Karen Hughes, the public diplomacy guru of the land, told a convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA): "You are the frontline in public diplomacy because you are more credible than I am." Who exactly are these credible frontline troops? A recent survey of ISNA members provides some unambiguous answers. By nearly a 3 to 1 margin they believe that America is at war with Islam as a religion and that the U.S. government had advance knowledge of the September 11, 2001 attacks and allowed them to happen. A majority did not believe that the terrorists responsible for the September 11 attack and the July 7, 2005 attack on London were Muslim. Even our law enforcement is not immune to this pernicious affliction, with FBI honchos across the country now forcing their agents to sit through "sensitivity training" sessions administered by the likes of the Council on Islamic-American Relations, several high officials of which have been sent to jail by these same agents for terrorist activities.

A historian once remarked that civilizations do not die of old age: they commit suicide. He might have added that a civilization that submits to the rules of those who would destroy it is halfway there already.

Alex Alexiev is vice president for research at the Center for Security Policy.

Courtesy of and thanks to http://washingtontimes.com/.

Why Are We Playing by Islamofascist Rules?

2007-01-29T09:35:00.000-06:00

Playing by Islamofascist Rules
By Alex Alexiev
January 27, 2007

Some two years ago Saudi clerics issued fatwas forbidding Muslims to play soccer unless its rules were replaced by "Islamic rules," or it was used as physical training for jihad. To the extent that anybody noticed that in the West, they were promptly dismissed as the inconsequential ravings of misguided fanatics.

This is not likely to be the fate of recent promises by British chancellor and prime minister in waiting, Gordon Brown, to make Britain "a key hub for facilitating Islamic finance" and to turn London into "a major enabling and structuring center for global Islamic finance." Yet, completely different as these two cases appear to be at first blush, they are both part of a concerted effort by radical Islamists to make the rest of us accept their reactionary worldview as legitimate in the name of multiculturalism and diversity.

The apparent cluelessness of an otherwise economically literate person like Gordon Brown, regarding "Islamic finance" is a case in point. To put it simply, there could no more be "Islamic finance" or "Islamic economics" than Christian physics or Buddhist biology. It is a completely bogus concept based on a misinterpretation of Quranic teaching and designed to advance radical Islam. It has everything to do with Islamic, indeed, Islamist, desiderata and very little with finance. The guiding principle of Islamic finance is built around the ostensible Quranic prohibition of charging interest. Except that the Quran bans usury, not interest. As the leading authority on the subject, Professor Timur Kuran, explains in his devastating critique of Islamic finance, "What the Quran bans unambiguously is the pre-Islamic Arabian institution of "riba," whereby a borrower saw his debt double following a default and redouble if he defaulted again." And so, having foresworn interest without which banking is virtually impossible, Islamic finance is little more than a hoax perpetrated on its clients through a series of deceitful ruses that amount to interest just the same.

No wonder that the concept of Islamic finance or economics was virtually unheard off until invented some 50 years ago by hard-line Islamists like Abul Ala Mawdudi and Sayyid Qutb, neither one of whom knew anything about economics. Nor did any Islamic banks or institutions exist in the entire history of Islam until 1975, when the Saudis started investing massive amounts of petrodollars into the worldwide export of Wahhabi extremism.

None of this has prevented Mr. Brown, or the U.S. treasury, which hired itself an adviser on Islamic banking, or countless Western universities and institutes sponsoring conferences on the subject, from legitimating this fraud on the altar of the false gods of multiculturalism.

Unfortunately, this is far from an isolated case of Western acquiescence to radical Islamist agendas. A few weeks ago, Muslim cab drivers at Minneapolis airport started refusing to carry passengers carrying alcohol purchases, following a fatwa by the extremist Muslim Students Association, which has no authority to issue fatwas to begin with. Yet, instead of immediately pulling their licenses for refusing to perform the service for which they were licensed, the city meekly submitted to this outrage. Where does this all end? How far are we from the day when an emergency room surgeon refuses to operate on a person because he had a glass of wine or ate pork before getting ill?

There are now countless Islamic centers, mosques and extremist organizations of all kinds incorporated in the U.S. that officially swear allegiance to shariah in their bylaws in blatant disregard to the law of the land. These are American non-profit organizations that pledge fealty to a reactionary code which requires rape victims to find four male witnesses to prove the crime, or face being stoned to death for adultery.

Nor do our public officials appear better informed than the British chancellor about the threat we're facing. Top government representatives regularly engage in meaningless "Muslim outreach" programs with the most radical of Islamist organizations, thereby legitimating them again and again in the eyes of mainstream Muslims as the powers that be in their community. Karen Hughes, the public diplomacy guru of the land, told a convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA): "You are the frontline in public diplomacy because you are more credible than I am." Who exactly are these credible frontline troops? A recent survey of ISNA members provides some unambiguous answers. By nearly a 3 to 1 margin they believe that America is at war with Islam as a religion and that the U.S. government had advance knowledge of the September 11, 2001 attacks and allowed them to happen. A majority did not believe that the terrorists responsible for the September 11 attack and the July 7, 2005 attack on London were Muslim. Even our law enforcement is not immune to this pernicious affliction, with FBI honchos across the country now forcing their agents to sit through "sensitivity training" sessions administered by the likes of the Council on Islamic-American Relations, several high officials of which have been sent to jail by these same agents for terrorist activities.

A historian once remarked that civilizations do not die of old age: they commit suicide. He might have added that a civilization that submits to the rules of those who would destroy it is halfway there already.

Alex Alexiev is vice president for research at the Center for Security Policy.

Courtesy of and thanks to http://washingtontimes.com/.

Eminent Domain and the AIA

2007-01-23T11:35:00.000-06:00

Recently the American Institute of Architects (AIA) posted a request for review of the following proposed position statement at http://www.aia.org/adv_eminent_position:

46. Eminent Domain

The American Institute of Architects believes that eminent domain is a critical tool for revitalizing our cities and improving the quality of life in urban and suburban neighborhoods. State and local governments must ensure that eminent domain laws do not curtail smart growth efforts, brownfield cleanup, or otherwise limit new development and improvements to existing development.

Please write to the AIA and denounce this proposed position statement!

I am extremely proud to know one AIA member who has done so as follows:

Regarding the AIA's new public policy statement on Eminent Domain:

As Scott Bullock argued before the supreme court, "Every home, church, or corner store would produce more jobs and tax revenue if it were a Costco or a shopping mall,'' he continued. "If state and local governments can force a property owner to surrender his land so it can be given to a new owner who will put it to more lucrative use, no home or shop in America will ever be safe again."

This includes both mine and yours!

Private property was held as a sacred right by Thomas Jefferson and our founding fathers. It was this sharp ideological contrast among others to the beliefs held by Europeans of the time that separated and still separates us from lesser nations. Freedom, true freedom, was and is born from the knowledge that the property you own is yours, and no one else's; no one, no government, can take your property by will, by law, or by force. This was a defining founding premise for our young nation. It remains primary among those ideas which differentiate us from the rest of the world.

According to documents related to Thomas Jefferson on property rights, "The right to procure property and to use it for one's own enjoyment is essential to the freedom of every person, and our other rights would mean little without these rights of property ownership."

Jefferson has countless other statements on this basic right including but not limited to the following:

"Nothing is ours, which another may deprive us of."
- Thomas Jefferson to Maria Cosway, 1786. ME 5:440

"The true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen in his person and property and in their management."
- Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, 1816. ME 15:36

"The first foundations of the social compact would be broken up were we definitely to refuse to its members the protection of their persons and property while in their lawful pursuits."
-Thomas Jefferson to James Maury, 1812. ME 13:145

It saddens me that the AIA has taken stance that removes or limits the rights of its members and the citizens in the communities in which we work. It is not that I am against the improvement of neighborhoods-far from it. I am, however, against the unlawful seizure of property under the guise of revitalization. We live in a free market society-if one's property has value than a legal business deal should take place in which both parties mutually agree to and benefit from the transaction.

In light of these and many other clear and decisive statements made by our founding fathers, the AIA should vehemently reject the proposed language regarding Eminent Domain and replace it with something more along the following lines:

46. Eminent Domain (revised)

The American Institute of Architects believes that eminent domain is a treacherous tool for tyranny which wraps itself in the veil of revitalizing our cities and improving the quality of life in urban and suburban neighborhoods. State and local governments must ensure that eminent domain laws do not override our most basic and essential liberty through the taking of private property under the guise of smart growth efforts, brownfield cleanup, or otherwise unlimited development and proposed improvements to existing development.

Again, please write to the AIA and denounce this proposed position statement!
(You are not required to be a member to give them your input.)

Rush on Rand

2007-01-15T09:40:00.000-06:00

If you are not a Rush Fan, Please try not to let the source be a distraction.

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: How many of you have read the book Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand? I read the book and The Fountainhead, a number of them. Atlas Shrugged for those of you who haven't read it, I'll give you the basic book report summary. It is basically about the achievers of life quitting, because they're tired of being 1% of the population pulling the other 99% in the cart. They're tired of everything they earned being taxed; they're tired of everything they earn being taken from them and given to everybody else, and they quit, and when they quit, nobody has anything. They just throw up their hands in frustration and say, "Screw it."

I want to read you just a short little passage from this. Somebody actually sent me this on a birthday card today, a cute little homemade birthday card. "Do you know the hallmark of the second-rater?" The hallmark of the second-rater is "resentment of another man's achievement. Those touchy mediocrities who sit trembling lest someone's work prove greater than their own; they have no inkling of the loneliness that comes when you reach the top. The loneliness for an equal, for a mind to respect and an achievement to admire," someone to look up to. You don't have that when you're at the top. "They bare their teeth at you from out of their rat holes, thinking that you take pleasure in letting your brilliance dim them - while you'd give a year of your life to see a flicker of talent anywhere among them. They envy achievement, and their dream of greatness is a world where all men have become their acknowledged inferiors.

"They don't know that that dream is the infallible proof of mediocrity, because that sort of world is what the man of achievement would not be able to bear. They have no way of knowing what he feels when he's around them. Hatred? no, not hatred, but boredom: the terrible, hopeless, draining, paralyzing boredom. Of what account are praise and adulation from men you don't respect? Have you ever felt the longing for someone you could admire? For something, not to look down at, but up to?"

Wow. The whole book is like this, by the way. It's one of these things that if you haven't read it, get it. It's a long book, but you're not going to be able to put it down.

END TRANSCRIPT

Courtesy of and thanks to http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/.

W Pushes Envelope On U.S. Spying

2007-01-04T10:22:00.000-06:00

So you think you have pegged me as a right wing nut. Well, I totally disagree with Bush on this one.

------------------------------------------------------

New York Daily News - http://www.nydailynews.com

W Pushes Envelope On U.S. Spying
BY JAMES GORDON MEEK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
Thursday, January 4th, 2007

WASHINGTON - President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the Daily News has learned.

The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.

That claim is contrary to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it.

Bush's move came during the winter congressional recess and a year after his secret domestic electronic eavesdropping program was first revealed. It caught Capitol Hill by surprise.

"Despite the President's statement that he may be able to circumvent a basic privacy protection, the new postal law continues to prohibit the government from snooping into people's mail without a warrant," said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), the incoming House Government Reform Committee chairman, who co-sponsored the bill.

Experts said the new powers could be easily abused and used to vacuum up large amounts of mail.

"The [Bush] signing statement claims authority to open domestic mail without a warrant, and that would be new and quite alarming," said Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies in Washington.

"The danger is they're reading Americans' mail," she said.

"You have to be concerned," agreed a career senior U.S. official who reviewed the legal underpinnings of Bush's claim. "It takes Executive Branch authority beyond anything we've ever known."

A top Senate Intelligence Committee aide promised, "It's something we're going to look into."

Most of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act deals with mundane reform measures. But it also explicitly reinforced protections of first-class mail from searches without a court's approval.

Yet in his statement Bush said he will "construe" an exception, "which provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection in a manner consistent ... with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances."

Bush cited as examples the need to "protect human life and safety against hazardous materials and the need for physical searches specifically authorized by law for foreign intelligence collection."

White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore denied Bush was claiming any new authority.

"In certain circumstances - such as with the proverbial 'ticking bomb' - the Constitution does not require warrants for reasonable searches," she said.

Bush, however, cited "exigent circumstances" which could refer to an imminent danger or a longstanding state of emergency.

Critics point out the administration could quickly get a warrant from a criminal court or a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge to search targeted mail, and the Postal Service could block delivery in the meantime.

But the Bush White House appears to be taking no chances on a judge saying no while a terror attack is looming, national security experts agreed.

Martin said that Bush is "using the same legal reasoning to justify warrantless opening of domestic mail" as he did with warrantless eavesdropping.

Courtesy of and thanks to http://www.nydailynews.com.

News Coverage of Saddam Hussein's Hanging

2006-12-30T13:52:00.000-06:00

This just goes to show what the major networks "think" is important.

Click here to see what the various news stations were showing when Saddam Hussein was executed.

IT IS OK - NOTHING GRAPHIC IS SHOWN

Courtesy of and thanks to http://video.google.com/.

2006 Liberal Year In Review

2006-12-29T14:28:00.001-06:00

Here it is, the soon to be famous 2006 Liberal Year In Review:

Courtesy of and thanks to http://suitablyflip.blogs.com

and http://www.youtube.com.

The “No WMD” Lie (With Linked Proof)

2006-12-28T11:45:00.000-06:00

If you still believe the lie that there were no WMD's found in Iraq (I'm so sick of hearing this), please see http://www.bizzyblog.com/?p=760 which presents objective evidence against the “No WMD” Lie (With Linked Proof).

Courtesy of and thanks to http://www.bizzyblog.com/.

Why Does God Hate Amputees?

2006-12-22T12:16:00.000-06:00

Is God real, or is he imaginary? It is one of the most important questions in the world today, because this question lies at the heart of the war on terror.

If God is real and if God inspired the Bible and/or Koran, then we should worship God as these books demand. We should focus our society on God and his infallible Word because our everlasting souls hang in the balance.

On the other hand, if God is imaginary, then religion is a complete illusion. Christianity, Judaism and Islam are pointless. Then, we should eliminate God from our society because God is meaningless. Then, belief in God is nothing but a silly superstition which leads a significant portion of the population to be completely delusional.

But how can we decide, conclusively, whether God is real or imaginary?

The web site http://www.whydoesgodhateamputees.com/ poses a solution. Check it out by clicking here.

Courtesy of and thanks to http://www.whydoesgodhateamputees.com/

The Evil of Socialized Medicine in Canada

2006-12-13T14:06:00.000-06:00

In "A Short Course in Brain Surgery", filmmaker Stuart Browning shows the evils of "single-payer" (yes those are ironic quotes), government-run health care systems as practiced in Ontario, Canada. His film highlights the story of Lindsay McCreith, an Ontario man with a cancerous brain tumor who was saved when he went to Buffalo, NY to receive the timely medical care that is rationed in his home country. Reliance on the Canadian system would have killed him as it does many every year.

Click here or cut and paste the link below to view the video.

www.onthefencefilms.com/video/brainsurgery.html

Many Canadians worry that if the United States adopts a “single-payer” system they’ll have nowhere to turn when their care is denied in Canada. Many Americans are just as frightened. And... they should be!

SEE America From Freedom to Fascism FREE

2006-12-04T15:12:00.000-06:00

An Authorized Release of what might be The Most Important AMERICAN Film Ever Made is now available on Google Video.

There is much going on in the world right now, but "America From Freedom To Fascism" will wake you up to a full on true to life nightmare about real events that are happening right now in America.

GO TO GOOGLE AND WATCH THIS FILM NOW !

Click here for a Free and Authorized viewing of "America From Freedom to Fascism".

Additionally, you can also watch an interview of Aaron Russo the filmmaker. Click here to see that interview. Below is a review of Aaron Russo's film:

CBS News: "Four Stars (Highest Rating).
The Scariest Goddamn Film You'll See This Year"

AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM
"FOUR STARS (Highest Rating). The scariest goddamn film you'll see this year. It will leave you staggering out of the theatre, slack-jawed and trembling. Makes 'Fahrenheit 9/11' look like 'Bambi.' After watching this movie, your comfy, secure notions about America -- and about what it means to be an American -- will be forever shattered. Producer/director Aaron Russo and the folks at Cinema Libre Studio deserve to be heralded as heroes of a post-modern New American Revolution. This is shocking stuff. You'll be angry, you'll be disgusted, but you may actually break out in a cold sweat and feel a sickness deep in your gut; I would advise movie theatre managers to hand out vomit bags. You may end up needing one."
--- Todd David Schwartz, CBS

Thank you Mr. Russo for making this movie. America, is in your debt.

Courtesy of America From Freedom To Fascism.

Exposed: The Extremist Agenda

2006-11-17T14:28:00.000-06:00

This video was the #1 Cable News show on 11/15/2006. Not just #1 in its time slot but in all time slots for the entire day. It was also the highest rated show in the history of Headline Prime. If you have not seen it, you should. It will be enlightening.

I implore you, please...
Watch This video!!!

Courtesy of and thanks to http://www.glennbeck.com/

and http://www.youtube.com.

When Congress Kept Promises

2006-11-10T14:37:00.000-06:00

The video herein was made after the Congress made the Contract with America and then completed every item in that contract. I wonder if the new Congress will be able to make a video like this or if even one of those who is now in the majority even thinks of such noble ideals - you know, things like making promises and then keeping them.

Courtesy of and thanks to http://www.youtube.com.

Larry Elder's Political Ad

2006-10-19T11:33:00.000-05:00

This ad, co-produced by Larry Elder, is fantastic.

Courtesy of and thanks to Larry Elder.

Richard Dawkins' Salon Interview

2006-10-13T09:37:00.000-05:00

Steve Paulson of Salon.com provided the latest entry, an interview with Richard Dawkins, in a Salon series of interviews about religion and science with today's leading thinkers. It includes the following and I must say, it is highly controversial.

"In the roiling debate between science and religion, it would be hard to exaggerate the enormous influence of Richard Dawkins. The British scientist is religion's chief prosecutor -- 'Darwin's rottweiler,' as one magazine called him -- and quite likely the world's most famous atheist. Speaking to the American Humanist Association, Dawkins once said,'I think a case can be made that faith is one of the world's great evils, comparable to the smallpox virus but harder to eradicate.'

Not surprisingly, these kinds of comments have made Dawkins a lightning rod in the debate over evolution. ... Yet, surprisingly, some intelligent design advocates have actually welcomed Dawkins' attacks. William Dembski, for instance, says his inflammatory rhetoric helps the ID cause by making evolution sound un-Christian.

Dawkins' outspoken atheism is a relatively recent turn in his public career. He first made his name 30 years ago with his groundbreaking book 'The Selfish Gene,' which reshaped the field of evolutionary biology by arguing that evolution played out at the level of the gene itself, not the individual animal. Dawkins now holds a chair in the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. Thanks to his tremendous talent for clear and graceful writing, he's done more to popularize evolutionary biology than any other scientist, with the possible exception of Stephen Jay Gould. Dawkins has a gift for explaining science through brilliant metaphors. Phrases like 'the selfish gene' and 'the blind watchmaker' didn't only crystallize certain scientific ideas; they entered the English vernacular. And his concept of 'memes'-- ideas themselves evolving like genes -- spawned a new way of thinking about cultural evolution."

And then there is this:

"...you link those two words -- intelligent and atheistic. Are you saying the more intelligent you are, the more likely you are to be an atheist?

There's a fair bit of evidence in favor of that equation, yes.

That sounds like an elitist argument. Do you want to cite that evidence?

It's certainly elitist. What's wrong with being elitist, if you are trying to encourage people to join the elite rather than being exclusive? I'm very, very keen that people should raise their game rather than the other way around. As for citing the evidence, a number of studies have been done. The one meta-analysis of this that I know of was published in Mensa Magazine. It looked at 43 studies on the relationship between educational level or IQ and religion. And in 39 out of 43 -- that's all but four -- there is a correlation between IQ/education and atheism. The more educated you are, the more likely you are to be an atheist. Or the more intelligent you are, the more likely you are to be an atheist."

And Finally this:

"A lot of what we're talking about comes down to whether science has certain limits. The basic religious critique of your position is that science can only explain so much. And that's where mystery comes in...

...There are two ways of responding to mystery. The scientist's way is to see it as a challenge, something they've got to work on, we're really going to try to crack it. But there are others who revel in mystery, who think we were not meant to understand. There's something sacred about mystery that positively should not be tackled. Now, suppose science does have limits. What is the value in giving the label "religion" to those limits? If you simply want to define religion as the bits outside of what science can explain, then we're not really arguing. We're simply using a word, "God," for that which science can't explain. I don't have a problem with that. I do have a problem with saying God is a supernatural, creative, intelligent being. It's simple confusion to say science can't explain certain things; therefore, we have to be religious. To equate that kind of religiousness with belief in a personal, intelligent being, that's confusion. And it's pernicious confusion."

Like I said, it is highly controversial.

The entire interview may be read by clicking here or going directly to:

http://www.salon.com/books/int/2006/10/13/dawkins/

Courtesy of http://www.salon.com and Steve Paulson.

Former Terrorist Walid Shoebat Speaks Out

2006-10-12T09:45:00.000-05:00

I am not sure that I have anything to add to this. It speaks for itself and it should frighten anyone who views it. According to Walid Shoebat,

"This stuff was happenning in the heartland of America, all over in Chicago in Dekalb in Georgia. All over in the United States it was going on in the mosques."

Courtesy of http://www.youtube.com and CNN

Churchill on Islam (1899)

2006-10-12T09:38:00.000-05:00

Herein is part of a Speech by Winston Churchill in 1899 when he was a young soldier and journalist. Sir Winston Churchill was, without doubt, one of the greatest thinkers of the late 19th and 20th centuries. He was a brave soldier, a brilliant journalist, an extraordinary politician, a respected statesman, a great war-leader, an outstanding Prime Minister, and a man to whom the Western world must forever be in debt.

Churchill on Islam (1899)

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries, improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.

A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men. Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world.

Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step"

Sir Winston Churchill
The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-250
London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1899

Climate Change - Media Challenge

2006-09-28T11:38:00.001-05:00

Of course the following received little play in the main stream media!

On September 25, 2006 a well reasoned and well documented speech was given on the floor of the US Senate. It directly addressed the media's past and present treatment of climate change issues. This speech can be read in its entirety by clicking here or by visiting the URL below:

http://epw.senate.gov/speechitem.cfm?party=rep&id=263759

To quote the last few lines of the speech,

"Breaking the cycles of media hysteria will not be easy since hysteria sells -- it’s very profitable. But I want to challenge the news media to reverse course and report on the objective science of climate change, to stop ignoring legitimate voices in this scientific debate and to stop acting as a vehicle for unsubstantiated hype."

Courtesy of Marc Morano and Matt Dempsey.

The "Christian Nation"

2006-09-21T10:57:00.000-05:00

Farrell Till authored a well reasoned and well documented piece on the USA'a foundation as a "Christian Nation". It is particularly noteable that he uses a great deal of evidence in the form of the Founding Father's own writings to support his perspective. The article can be read by clicking here or by visiting the URL below:

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/farrell_till/myth.html

Courtesy of http://www.infidels.org/ and Farrell Till

John Stossel Uncovers Senate Pork Secrets

2006-09-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

In the article Secrets in the Senate by John Stossel published on Wednesday, September 13, 2006, John tells it like it is. And... it aint pretty. It seems some of the Senators don't want those of us who are paying the bills with our tax money to see how our money is being spent.

You can read the entire article at:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2006/09/13/secrets_in_the_senate

Courtesy of http://www.townhall.com and John Stossel

U.S. passes up chance to strike Taliban - South and Central Asia

2006-09-14T09:46:00.000-05:00

Click here to see how Political "Correctness" has resulted in weakening our military by forcing the U.S. to pass up a clear oportunity to strike a serious blow to the Taliban.

The article can also be found by clicking at: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14823099/

U.S. Army

This undated photo obtained by NBC News, reportedly taken by an unmanned U.S. aircraft, shows a Taliban gathering in Afghanistan that the U.S. Army wanted to attack but was prevented form doing so by Politically "Correct" rules of engagement.

See also The Daily Nightly blog by Kerry Sanders of MSNBC.com who broke the story.

Courtesy of http://msnbc.msn.com/ and Kerry Sanders

GO Porkbusters GO !

2006-09-07T15:25:00.000-05:00

This site speaks for itself. It is a must see.
Click here to see how the Porkbusters are mobilizing the blogosphere in support of cuts in wasteful spending.

Courtesy of http://porkbusters.org/.

MIT's Inconvenient Scientist

2006-08-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

Finally, a little science. Check this out:

MIT's Inconvenient Scientist
By Alex Beam, Globe Columnist - August 30, 2006

Speech codes are rare in the industrialized, Western democracies. In Germany and Austria, for instance, it is forbidden to proselytize Nazi ideology or trivialize the Holocaust. Given those countries' recent histories, that is a restraint on free expression we can live with.

More curious are our own taboos on the subject of global warming. I sat in a roomful of journalists 10 years ago while Stanford climatologist Stephen Schneider lectured us on a big problem in our profession: soliciting opposing points of view. In the debate over climate change, Schneider said, there simply was no legitimate opposing view to the scientific consensus that man - made carbon emissions drive global warming. To suggest or report otherwise, he said, was irresponsible.

Indeed. I attended a week's worth of lectures on global warming at the Chautauqua Institution last month. Al Gore delivered the kickoff lecture, and, 10 years later, he reiterated Schneider's directive. There is no science on the other side, Gore inveighed, more than once. Again, the same message: If you hear tales of doubt, ignore them. They are simply untrue.

I ask you: Are these convincing arguments? And directed at journalists, who are natural questioners and skeptics, of all people? What happens when you are told not to eat the apple, not to read that book, not to date that girl? Your interest is piqued, of course. What am I not supposed to know?

Here's the kind of information the ``scientific consensus" types don't want you to read. MIT's Alfred P. Sloan professor of meteorology Richard Lindzen recently complained about the ``shrill alarmism" of Gore's movie ``An Inconvenient Truth." Lindzen acknowledges that global warming is real, and he acknowledges that increased carbon emissions might be causing the warming -- but they also might not.

``We do not understand the natural internal variability of climate change" is one of Lindzen's many heresies, along with such zingers as ``the Arctic was as warm or warmer in 1940," ``the evidence so far suggests that the Greenland ice sheet is actually growing on average," and ``Alpine glaciers have been retreating since the early 19th century, and were advancing for several centuries before that. Since about 1970, many of the glaciers have stopped retreating and some are now advancing again. And, frankly, we don't know why."

When Lindzen published similar views in The Wall Street Journal this spring, environmentalist Laurie David, the wife of comedian Larry David, immediately branded him a ``shill." She resurrected a shopworn slur first directed against Lindzen by former Globe writer Ross Gelbspan, who called Lindzen a ``hood ornament" for the fossil fuels industry in a 1995 article in Harper's Magazine.

I decided to check out Lindzen for myself. He wasn't hard to find on the 16th floor of MIT's I.M. Pei-designed Building 54, and he answered as many questions as I had time to ask. He's no big fan of Gore's, having suffered through what he calls a ``Star Chamber" Congressional inquisition by the then senator . He said he accepted $10,000 in expenses and expert witness fees from fossil- fuel types in the 1990s, and has taken none of their money since.

He's smart. He's an effective debater. No wonder the Steve Schneiders and Al Gores of the world don't want you to hear from him. It's easier to call someone a shill and accuse him of corruption than to debate him on the merits.

While vacationing in Canada, I spotted a newspaper story that I hadn't seen in the United States. For no apparent reason, the state of California, Environmental Defense, and the Natural Resources Defense Council have dragged Lindzen and about 15 other global- warming skeptics into a lawsuit over auto- emissions standards. California et al . have asked the auto companies to cough up any and all communications they have had with Lindzen and his colleagues, whose research has been cited in court documents.

``We know that General Motors has been paying for this fake science exactly as the tobacco companies did," says ED attorney Jim Marston. If Marston has a scintilla of evidence that Lindzen has been trafficking in fake science, he should present it to the MIT provost's office. Otherwise, he should shut up.

``This is the criminalization of opposition to global warming," says Lindzen, who adds he has never communicated with the auto companies involved in the lawsuit. Of course Lindzen isn't a fake scientist, he's an inconvenient scientist. No wonder you're not supposed to listen to him.

Courtesy of Alex Beam and the Boslton Globe

RELEVANT READING:

The Skeptical Environmentalist

Bjorn Lomborg challenges widely held beliefs that the global environment is progressively getting worse. Using statistical information from internationally recognized research institutes, Lomborg systematically examines a range of major environmental issues and documents that the global environment has actually improved. He supports his argument with over 2,900 footnotes, allowing discerning readers to check his sources.

Lomborg criticizes the way many environmental organizations make selective and misleading use of scientific data to influence decisions about the allocation of limited resources. The Skeptical Environmentalist is a useful corrective to the more alarmist accounts favored by green activists and the media.

"... probably the most important book on the environment ever written." Review in The Daily Telegraph, UK, 27-8-01

"This is one of the most valuable books on public policy - not merely on environmental policy - to have been written for the intelligent general reader in the past ten years. ... The Skeptical Environmentalist is a triumph. Review in The Economist, 6-9-01

"The Skeptical Environmentalist is the most significant work on the environment since the appearance of its polar opposite, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, in 1962. It's a magnificent achievement." Review in Washington Post Book World, 21-10-01

Other relevant books include:

> Global Warming and Other Eco Myths: How the Environmental Movement Uses False Science to Scare Us to Death by Ronald Bailey

> Global Crises, Global Solutions by Bjorn Lomborg

> Meltdown: The Predictable Distortion of Global Warming by Scientists, Politicians, and the Media by Patrick J. Michaels

> The Satanic Gases by Patrick J. Michaels

> Shattered Consensus: The True State of Global Warming by Patrick J. Michaels

> In a Dark Wood: The Fight Over Forests and the Myths of Nature by Alston Chase

> Hard Green: Saving the Environment from the Environmentalists A Conservative Manifesto by Peter Huber

The Most Important AMERICAN Film Ever! Opens 07/28/2007

2006-07-27T10:57:00.000-05:00

There is alot going on in the world right now, but "America From Freedom To Fascism" may be the most important American film ever made and it will wake you up to a full on true to life nightmare about real events that are happening right now in America.

GO SEE THIS FILM !

Click here for showtimes & locations.

Aaron Russo was interviewed about his film "America From Freedom To Fascism" and Google users rated the interview 4 1/2 stars . Click here to see the interview. Also, take a look at the following review of Aaron's film:

CBS News: "Four Stars (Highest Rating).
The Scariest Goddamn Film You'll See This Year"

AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM
"FOUR STARS (Highest Rating). The scariest goddamn film you'll see this year. It will leave you staggering out of the theatre, slack-jawed and trembling. Makes 'Fahrenheit 9/11' look like 'Bambi.' After watching this movie, your comfy, secure notions about America -- and about what it means to be an American -- will be forever shattered. Producer/director Aaron Russo and the folks at Cinema Libre Studio deserve to be heralded as heroes of a post-modern New American Revolution. This is shocking stuff. You'll be angry, you'll be disgusted, but you may actually break out in a cold sweat and feel a sickness deep in your gut; I would advise movie theatre managers to hand out vomit bags. You may end up needing one."
--- Todd David Schwartz, CBS

Thank you Mr. Russo for making this movie. America, is in your debt.

Courtesy of America From Freedom To Fascism.

Pacifists Versus Peace

2006-07-21T14:25:00.000-05:00

Thomas Sowell hit the nail squarely on the head today in his article posted at the Jewish World Review.

To quote Sowell,

"If cease-fires actually promoted peace, the Middle East would be the most peaceful region on the face of the earth instead of the most violent."

To read an outstanding summary of how "peace" movements result in greater war casualties, Click Here.

Courtesy of Thomas Sowell and Jewish World Review

Sarin Weapons Don't Always Degrade

2006-06-23T11:10:00.000-05:00

According to the CIA, nations such as Iraq have tried to overcome the problem of sarin's short shelf life in a few ways:

* The shelf life of unitary (i.e., pure) sarin may be lengthened by increasing the purity of the precursor and intermediate chemicals and refining the production process.

* Incorporating a stabilizer chemical called tributylamine. Later this was replaced by diisopropylcarbodiimide (di-c-di), which allowed for GB nerve agent to be stored in aluminum casings.

* Developing binary chemical weapons, where the two precursor chemicals are stored separately in the same shell, and mixed to form the agent immediately before or when the shell is in flight. This approach has the dual benefit of making the issue of shelf life irrelevant and greatly increasing the safety of storing sarin munitions.

WMDs - Declassified NGIC Report

2006-06-22T14:41:00.000-05:00

Click here to read the declassified portion of the National Ground Intelligence Center report.

Note the reference to Sarin Gas.

Sarin, also known by its NATO designation of GB (O-Isopropyl methylphosphonofluoridate) is an extremely toxic substance whose sole application is as a nerve agent. As a chemical weapon, it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations according to UN Resolution 687, and its production and stockpiling was outlawed by the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993.

Hundreds of WMDs Found in Iraq

2006-06-22T09:55:00.000-05:00

Yes that is correct! It is now official!

HUNDREDS of WMDs have been found in Iraq!

And... I Repeat...

Hundreds of Weapons of Mass Destruction have been found in Iraq!

This has been confirmed and reported...

on Fox News at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,200499,00.html

and by Yahoo News / AFP at http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060622/wl_afp/uscongressiraqweaponschemical_060622103838

and even by the reluctant Washington Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/21/AR2006062101837.html?nav=rss_world/mideast/iraq

BUSH WAS RIGHT! THE LEFT WAS WRONG!

And, even if these weapons were never actualy found as they were, BUSH NEVER LIED ABOUT THEM!

Interview with Aaron Russo

2006-06-21T09:04:00.000-05:00

Aaron Russo was interviewed about his film "America From Freedom To Fascism". Click here to see the interview. Also, take a look at the following review of Aaron's film:

CBS News: "Four Stars (Highest Rating).
The Scariest Goddamn Film You'll See This Year"

AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM
"FOUR STARS (Highest Rating). The scariest goddamn film you'll see this year. It will leave you staggering out of the theatre, slack-jawed and trembling. Makes 'Fahrenheit 9/11' look like 'Bambi.' After watching this movie, your comfy, secure notions about America -- and about what it means to be an American -- will be forever shattered. Producer/director Aaron Russo and the folks at Cinema Libre Studio deserve to be heralded as heroes of a post-modern New American Revolution. This is shocking stuff. You'll be angry, you'll be disgusted, but you may actually break out in a cold sweat and feel a sickness deep in your gut; I would advise movie theatre managers to hand out vomit bags. You may end up needing one."
--- Todd David Schwartz, CBS

This may be the most important American film ever made and it will wake you up to a full on nightmare. Thank you Mr. Russo for making this movie. America, our America, is in your debt.

Courtesy of America From Freedom To Fascism.

War Lord

2006-06-12T14:41:00.000-05:00

Once again Michelle Malkin helps clear the fog of this war as it has been clouded by the main stream media.

Does the man in this piece sound like a cold blooded killer or a noble soldier for liberty?

Click here for a direct link to the vlog at:

http://hotair.com/archives/vent/2006/06/12/ilario-pantano-warlord/

Courtesy of Michelle Malkin and HotAir.com

MESSAGE FROM AARON RUSSO

2006-06-02T14:07:00.000-05:00

June 1, 2006

Dear Lovers of Liberty,

I am currently in Munich, Germany and receiving treatment at a cutting- edge cancer clinic. This is my third battle with bladder cancer but the prognosis here is very good.

In the United States I was told that I had very little chance, in fact, that I was a hopeless case and had no chance to survive.

I am fortunate to be in a position to seek care outside of the U. S where I am receiving the latest in high tech cancer treatment and quality patient care. Do not be worried. I am very confident of survival and that in this, my third battle with bladder cancer, I will finally kill it. The doctors here say that not only will I survive but leave here healthier than I have been in years.

I think the discrepancy in treatment between U.S and German health-care providers is directly related to the interference in Americans' healthcare system by the FDA. Which we all know ties into the theme of AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM.

I want to thank everybody for your ongoing support of this film. Based on the amount of emails, Internet activity and donations that we have received, I can tell that there are a lot of motivated Americans out there!

From the website alone, we've had over 500,000 downloads of the trailer and over 11,000 links to our website. We've screened the film in select U.S cities with sold out crowds and standing ovations. Just recently at Cannes, we had a standing-room-only crowd and another ovation for the film from the international audience of buyers and media.

And now the word is spreading to millions of more people worldwide via the Internet and there is interest from film festivals all over the world including Lebanon, Spain, Italy and Greece.

Positive reviews about the film are starting to come in (see below) and we also have multiple screens booked in five major cities for our July 28th release, which I' ll tell you more about next week.

To me this means that a lot of people are clamoring for a systematic change and the end of the New World Order and our film, AMERICA: FREEDOM TO FASCISM is primed to be the summer's wake up call.

But I am here receiving treatment for the next month, which makes fundraising and promoting the movie a bit difficult, so I need your help.

We need to raise at least $500,000 in donations to help with the release of the film. I'm asking for everybody to donate $100. If that is done, then we will have more than enough money to release this film on a nationwide basis.

If after making a donation - which is clearly the most important and necessary thing you can do now - you also wish to provide additional help, this is what we would need:

1) Sign up to volunteer - we need people to post information on blogs, create links and help spread the word through the Internet.

2) Link your website or blog to our website by downloading banners and badges from our site.

3) Forward this email to ten friends and ask them register on the website.

This is an absolute call to action from me to everyone who believes in freedom and the end of the concept of world government to act immediately. Everything is now in place so we can succeed. Now is the time we need it.

All Your Freedoms, All The Time,

--Aaron Russo from Germany

P.S. As you can imagine, I have been unavailable to access my email regularly so please forgive me if I have not been able to respond to you. But I have a team of people who are also helping with the film - please feel free to contact to them.

Additional Contacts:

If you would like to suggest a press outlet or arrange and interview, please send specific contact information plus the email address or phone number for the editor or producer as well as pertinent pitch angles to: press@cinemalibrestudo.com

To suggest theatres please contact: rcastro@cinemalibrestudio.com

To post your thoughts about the film visit our discussion forums on Freedomtofacism.com

Review:

"FOUR STARS" (Highest Rating).

The scariest goddamn film you'll see this year. It will leave you staggering out of the theatre, slack-jawed and trembling. Makes 'Fahrenheit 9/11' look like 'Bambi.' After watching this movie, your comfy, secure notions about America -- and about what it means to be an American -- will be forever shattered. Producer/director Aaron Russo and the folks at Cinema Libre Studio deserve to be heralded as heroes of a post-modern New American Revolution. This is shocking stuff. You'll be angry, you'll be disgusted, but you may actually break out in a cold sweat and feel a sickness deep in your gut; I would advise movie theatre managers to hand out vomit bags. You may end up needing one." --- Todd David Schwartz, CBS

Google Skips Memorial Day and Goes Evil

2006-05-30T09:42:00.000-05:00

The Google search engine's catchy holiday logos have honored Earth Day and Persian New Year but not the war dead of These United States. And that is not all. It gets even worse! Click Here and read this eye opening story.

Google is evil. I am removing them as my primary search engine!

Courtesy of and a big hat tip to: Atlas Shrugs

Hillary Clinton Proposes Funding for Illegal Immigrants

2006-05-26T08:29:00.000-05:00

Hillary Clinton Proposes Funding for Illegal Immigrants

Full Story Courtesy of: newsmax.com

2008 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has proposed amending the Senate's immigration reform legislation to provide federal funding for the education and health care of illegal immigrants.

...Clinton told the Senate:

"My amendment addresses one of the clearest examples of this neglect because our failed national immigration policy has left our state and local governments to bear the brunt of the costs of immigration. Our schools, our hospitals, our other state and local services are being strained."

Hey here is an Idea. Why don't we have all levels of government in These United States (Federal, State, and Local) stop taking money out of citizens’ pockets and giving it to those non-citizens who have illegally invaded our country?

I say we arrest all of the obvious law breakers and confiscate all of their ill gotten gains to help pay for their deportation and our border security.

If someone breaks into an apartment complex and takes up residence in the hall, should the tenants be forced by the landlord to take up a collection and pay for any of the squatter’s social services? Should the tenants have to educate, provide health care for and provide local services to the squatter?

NO! THEY SHOULD THROW THEM OUT AND LOCK THE DOOR!

Hey Hillary, if you want to take up a voluntary collection and/or spend your own money to pay for something this blatantly stupid, that is one thing, but then you'd still be aiding and abetting a bunch of known law breakers. Wouldn't you? Never mind.

Fair Tax Rally - STUNNING SUCCESS!

2006-05-25T13:50:00.000-05:00

Here is some encouraging news about a Fair Tax Rally that was held in Georgia by libertarian talk-show host Neal Boortz and Georgia Congressman John Linder. Also, 20/20's libertarian anchorman John Stossel and conservative talker Sean Hannity were both in attendence.

The rally was held the evening of 05/24/2006 in conflict with American Idol's final show and thousands showed up.

Apparently the idea of replacing our current punishing and immoral tax code with the Fair Tax has legs!!

This is great news for those of us who support it. Maybe we can turn the tide against our over-reaching federal government after all?

Below are a few links to information about the rally:

boortz.com
gwinnettdailypost.com
ajc.com
fairtax.org

Hat tip to Kyle Sing member of The New Intellectual Forum, a Chicago area Objectivist discussion group for alerting me to this story.

5,000 Islamic Terror Attacks Since 9/11 - RECORDED

2006-05-24T15:03:00.000-05:00

Well the Islamofascists have finally attacked us future dhimmis for the 5000th time since 9/11. It is astonishing, but there is still no main stream media coverage.

Thats right. It is now official. Islam has inspired on average over 1000 senseless and deadly terror attacks every year since 9/11. And only a few bloggers seem to give a rip. How do people sleep at night? Ignorance is indeed bliss.

I don't care where you fall on the political spectrum. We are being attacked daily. And by we I mean EVERYONE who is not a believer in radical Islam.

I beg you. Please. WAKE UP!

Click here to read the entire story of this sad milestone.
Click here, then scroll to the bottom of the site for a listing of the attacks.

Courtesy of: thereligionofpeace.com

New Movie "HOOT" Promotes Terrorism

2006-05-23T13:37:00.000-05:00

Michelle Malkin in another installment of her video blog "Vent" clearly demonstrates how eco-terrorism is being promoted in the movie "HOOT". The movie should be avoided, but Michelle's Video Vent (click here to watch it) is a must see.

Courtesy of Michelle Malkin and HotAir.com

Nearly 5000 Fatal Islamic Attacks Since 9/11

2006-05-23T08:48:00.000-05:00

Where is the big media blitz on the countdown to the 5000th Islamofascist fatal attack on us future dhimmis since 9/11? As of this blogging, we have been attacked 4986 times. Most of the NEARLY 5000 ATTACKS have had multiple victims resulting in tens of thousands of deaths. Why is the lame stream media ignoring this frightening story. I thought they followed the mantra, “if it bleeds, it leads”.

WAKE THE F%@* UP !!!
WE ARE BLEEDING OUT OUR ASSES AND EYE SOCKETS !!!

The "Religion of Peace" is killing us - Literally!

Click the counter above or here, then scroll to the bottom of the site for a detailed attack list.

Courtesy of: thereligionofpeace.com

I Despise Chain Mail but I Also Don't Care

2006-05-22T08:29:00.000-05:00

I recieved the following email and did not pass it on as I don't wish to encourage chain mailing. Still, the sentiment seemed worthy of blogging.

WHAT'S ALL THE FUSS?

Are we fighting a war on terror or aren't we? Was it or was it not started by Islamic people who brought it to our shores on September 11, 01?

Were people from all over the world, mostly Americans, not brutally murdered that day, in downtown Manhattan , across the Potomac from our nation's capitol and in a field in Pennsylvania ? Did nearly three thousand men, women and children die a horrible, burning or crushing death that day, or didn't they?

And I'm supposed to care that a copy of the Koran was "desecrated" when an overworked American soldier kicked it or got it wet? Well, I don't. I don't care at all.

I'll start caring when Osama bin Laden turns his self in and repents for incinerating all those innocent people on 9/11.

I'll care about the Koran when the fanatics in the Middle East start caring about Atlas Shrugged.
I'll care when Abu Musab al-Zarqawi tells the world he is sorry for hacking off Nick Berg's head while Berg screamed through his gurgling, slashed throat.

I'll care when the cowardly so-called "insurgents" in Iraq come out and fight like men instead of showing obvious self contradicting disrespect for their own religion by hiding in mosques.

I'll care when the mindless zealots who blow themselves up in search of nirvana care about the innocent children within range of their suicide/homicide bombs.

I'll care when the American media stops pretending that their First Amendment liberties are somehow derived from international law instead of the United States Constitution's Bill of Rights.

In the meantime, when I hear a story about a brave marine roughing up an Iraqi terrorist to obtain information, know this: I don't care.

When I see a fuzzy photo of a pile of naked Iraqi prisoners who have been humiliated in what amounts to a college hazing incident, rest assured that I don't care.

When I see a wounded terrorist get shot in the head when he is told not to move because he might be booby-trapped, you can take it to the bank that I don' t care.

When I hear that a prisoner, who was issued a Koran and a prayer mat, and fed "special" food that is paid for by my tax dollars, is complaining that his holy book is being "mishandled," you can absolutely know that I don't care.

And oh, by the way, I've noticed that sometimes it's spelled "Koran" and other times "Quran." Well, Jimmy Crack Corn, and, well, ---- you got it, I DON'T CARE!

If you agree with this view point, feel free to pass this on to all your e-mail friends. Nothing will happen if you don’t. But, if you do, sooner or later it might get through to the people responsible for the ridiculous self loathing behavior we keep seeing in the news!

If you don't agree, then by all means hit the delete button. And guess what, I DON’T CARE!

One note however, should you choose the latter, I hope you enjoy complaining when atrocities committed by radical Muslims keep being inflicted on the world. Because, you are part of the reason they keep doing what they do.

If you were able to read this, thank a teacher! If you read it in English, thank a Veteran.

The Real Iraq

2006-05-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

Amir Taheri, formerly the executive editor of Kayhan, Irans largest daily newspaper, is the author of ten books and a frequent contributor to numerous publications in the Middle East and Europe. His work appears regularly in the New York Post. He spent much of the last year in Iraq getting first hand knowledge of the situation there. This is what he saw in The Real Iraq:

"Spending time in the United States after a tour of Iraq can be a disorienting experience these days. Within hours of arriving here, as I can attest from a recent visit, one is confronted with an image of Iraq that is unrecognizable." ...

"It would be hard indeed for the average interested citizen to find out on his own just how grossly this image distorts the realities of present-day Iraq." ...

"For someone like myself who has spent considerable time in Iraq (a country I first visited in 1968) current reality there is, nevertheless, very different from conventional wisdom, and so are the prospects for Iraq's future. It helps to know where to look, what sources to trust, and how to evaluate the present moment against the background of Iraqi and Middle Eastern history." ...

"Is Iraq a quagmire, a disaster, a failure? Certainly not. Of all the adjectives used by skeptics and critics to describe todays Iraq, the only one that has a ring of truth is messy. Yes, the situation in Iraq today is messy. Births always are. Since when is that a reason to declare a baby unworthy of life?"

Click Here to Read the Entire Story

Courtesy of Amir Taheri at commentarymagazine.com

Who Voted Against the Fence?

2006-05-18T13:35:00.000-05:00

This is the list of all those who voted against the fence to slow illegal immigration -- all Democrats:

Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Sarbanes (D-MD)

You have to give Bingaman of NM credit for courage, I guess. The Senators next closest to the border who voted against the fence are from Washington and Illinois.

Courtesy of powerlineblog.com

Blogging the Bible by David Plotz

2006-05-17T13:50:00.000-05:00

David Plotz has made it a project to read the bible and blog it as he goes. He's going to start with "In the beginning" and see how far he gets. The goal is pretty simple. He wants to find out what happens when an ignorant person actually reads the book on which his religion is based. This should be interesting.

Introduction
David Plotz's Blogs of Bible Chapters 1-7
David Plotz's Blogs of Bible Chapters 8-19

Courtesy of David Plotz at slate.com

The Muslim "Brotherhood" Project

2006-05-15T10:21:00.000-05:00

What if international law enforcement and western intelligence agencies had discovered a twenty-year old document revealing a plan developed by the one of the oldest and most extensive terror networks in the world? What if the plan was to launch a program of “cultural invasion” and eventual conquest of the West that virtually mirrors the tactics used by Islamists for more than two decades? Wouldn't such news be all over the headlines? Wouldn't it be published on the front pages of the New York Times & Washington Post? Wouldn't it be the lead story on every news cast? If you think so, you would be wrong.

Read about the document called the The Muslim "Brotherhood" Project by clicking here. The document is a well researched and well assembled strategy that seems to be currently in play. It is quite scary and gives you an idea of what hard core Muslims Extremists are trying to accomplish. It also provides insight into current Muslim Extremist related events.

Courtesy of Patrick Poole at FrontPageMagazine.com

Water May Replace Oil Sooner Than You Think

2006-05-12T11:18:00.000-05:00

Watch this video about Denny Klein's amazing new technology:

This video file is available at both locations noted below:
http://www.freeenergynews.com/Directory/BrownsGas/WaterFuel.wmv
http://www.rratch.com/Misc/WaterFuel/WaterFuel.wmv

Denny Klein's oficial web site is: http://hytechapps.com/

Additional info is available at: http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Hydrogen_Technology_Applications_Inc

Hat Tip to Nick P.

Courtesy of http://hytechapps.com/ and www.freeenergynews.com/

Side Note: Notice the newscaster at the end of the video who says, "You just have to hope that the water prices don't go up like the gas prices". Godd Morning! Most bottled water already costs more per gallon than gas.

The Legacy of Jihad

2006-05-11T15:25:00.000-05:00

Andrew Boston authored an enlightening historical review of Jihad titled The Legacy of Jihad which is available at www.amazon.com.

Now, thanks to Pamela at Atlas Shrugs you can listen to her extensive interview with Andrew Bostom.

Click here to listen to the Andrew Bostom interview.

Courtesy of Pamela at Atlas Shrugs