Al Gore is a Hero! Global Warming is Over!

Hooray for Al Gore! His dream has come true. In addition to inventing the internet, he has apparently successfully stopped global warming!

The temperature of the earth has not risen since 2000 (some data suggests even earlier). We're approaching a full decade without any global warming.

Let me be the first to thank Al Gore for a job well done. Now PLEASE go away.

More Evidence That Liberals Hate America

More accurately, the political left in the United States hates freedom and liberty, not specifically just the United States of America. All freedom is a threat to statism. The founding ideals of the USA represent the most conspicuous example of freedom and liberty in the world today (even with the constant assault on liberty from the left), so liberals in turn hate America.

Why do I make such a bold and divisive statement? This is not a new thought to me, and I'm certainly not the first one to make such a statement. This is something I've long suspected, but every once in a while I find an example that reinforces the hypothesis.

This weekend while mowing my lawn, a thought came to me...

(I do most of my best thinking while either walking the dog, taking a shower, or mowing the lawn.)

Why is it that the vast majority of US military personnel are right-of-center (mostly members of the Republican party), while the majority of political protests come from the left? With the recent "Tea Party" movement being the exception, it's generally accepted that most protests come from the left. For example, think of the political demographic of protesters during the Vietnam war. Think of the disruption at the last Republican National Convention. Think of pies and shoes thrown at prominent political figures during speeches. Again, with the recent exception of the "Tea Party" movement, the left is where the protest crowd generally originates.

Why is that?

I have my theories.

Protesting and criticizing America comes easy to liberals because they have never bought in to the founding principles of the country.

Liberals consider running down the USA as patriotic. In some instances that could be true. However, the men and women of the US military, which as a group are largely politically conservative, can teach the liberal bunch the true meaning of patriotism. These soldiers don't scream and shout. They quietly dedicate everything, including risking their own lives, to defend the principles of the United States. The liberals talk the talk, but the brave people of our military walk the walk.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the US military special forces. These are the Rangers, Navy SEALs, Green Beret's, etc. These groups are made up of dedicated volunteers that set aside their personal well being for something bigger than themselves. These people believe in something. These individuals would not put themselves through such hardship without being fully dedicated to the principles of their country. Liberty and freedom are critical to these brave soldiers, and they would give their lives to protect these principles.

I recently stumbled across a book while waiting for a plane in the airport. It's called Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson. The book chronicles a firefight in Afghanistan between the Taliban and a Navy SEALs team. I have not finished the book yet, but the author makes it clear how the men of the Navy SEALs feel about their country. The book also clearly spells out the distaste special operations soldiers have for the political left in the United States.

The men and women that walk the walk, dodging bullets and IEDs for what they believe, are nearly all conservative-leaning. Beyond that, they have a loathing for liberals.

The contrast between the actions of people that truly love America, and the liberals that hate America is stark.

If the liberalization of the US is not reeled in, the experiment in freedom and liberty known as the United States of America will essentially end. Let's hope it's not already too late.

"Water Boarding" is Not Torture

A lot of talk has recently been emanating from the Executive Branch of the US government regarding torture.

Let's make one clear declaration: So-called "water boarding" is not torture.

None of the "enhanced interrogation" techniques to which President Obama takes such offense are torture.

Sleep deprivation, water boarding, solitary confinement, etc. are uncomfortable circumstances, but certainly not torture. They cause discomfort, not pain. They leave no permanent damage, and in no way threaten the life of the subject. At most, these tactics scare the subject, or cause some temporary stress or discomfort.

If you want to know true torture, watch the final scenes of the movie Braveheart. Watch Senator John McCain deliver a speech without the ability to move his arms. Read Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe's to learn how African slaves were whipped within inches of their lives in the American South prior to the Civil War. These are only a few of the numerous examples of true torture.

Given the choice, what would William Wallace, John McCain, and Tom choose water boarding over the fate they actually received? You bet they would.

Water boarding is not pleasant. Hopefully it never needs to be used. However, it is a tool that likely saved thousands of lives. A little discomfort and unpleasantness for some of the nastiest human beings to ever exist is a small price to pay for saving thousands of innocent lives.

Once again, liberals come down against the military, against citizens, against America.

Book Review -- Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin

On this blog I usually try to review books that might not be the first title that comes to mind when you try to identify a book to read. Sometimes I review classics that might be gathering a little dust at the local library, or unique books I discovered by chance. I typically stay away from the best seller lists for two reasons. One is that best sellers typically are not available at the library, so they would require me to purchase the book. I try to utilize the "free" books at the library whenever I can. The second reason is that best sellers already have so many reviews and information available on the Internet, that I often feel my review will not add significant value. However, every once in a while a book comes along that grabs my interest so much that I can't wait for the library version. Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin is such a book. It's been a best seller for a while now, but even though there is a ton of information available regarding this book, the book was so good that I needed to add my review.

Liberty and Tyranny is a non-fiction book. I don't remember the exact price but I believe it was around $20. It's subtitled "A Conservative Manifesto". This book traces back the root of conservative political ideology in the United States of America and breaks it down to the most basic philosophical building blocks. It's clear, concise, and strong in its arguments. It explains the conservative position with examples and logic. It also provides counterpoints to squash the opposing liberal (or "statist" as the book uses) positions.

If you are a liberal, I have my doubts that you will like the book. However, if you are truly open minded (a trait that many liberals profess to posses) I believe you have to at least respect the positions that Mark Levin lays out. You might not agree with them, but based on this book I believe you have to respect their orgin and logic.

If you are a conservative, you will love this book. You will be reading and shaking your head in affirmation throughout. It will help you clear your mind and reaffirm what you've always felt in your gut. It puts reason, logic, and examples behind your beliefs.

If you are somewhere in between liberal and conservative, this is a powerful book that I suggest reading. If you are a "lost conservative" i.e. someone who has typically considered themselves right-of-center, but have recently been questioning yourself, this book is more than suggested reading! It should be mandatory! It's like medicine when you have a sickness. It's the cure to your philosophical confusion. So called "moderates" have the most to gain by reading this book. If I were a doctor, I would prescribe this book.

Liberty and Tyranny is the kind of book I hope my family will all read. I hope my children will someday read it. Better yet, I hope I can pass the ideas presented in the book on to my children so they will not have to read it. Liberal, conservative, or somewhere in between, Liberty and Tyranny is a well crafted book that should cause you to think.

Obama's First 100 Days -- Connecticut Political Leadership Phone Numbers

The Democrat's and the Obama administration have no respect for the US Constitution, and the people of this country know it.

In Connecticut (my home state), requests for pistol permits are at all-time highs. In the town of Southington, permit request have already surpassed the total requests for the past 2 years, and we are only in April.

Nationwide, gun and ammo sales are soaring.

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but the people of this country have already sniffed out the attack on the US Constitution lead by Barack Obama, specifically his plans for attacking our second amendment rights.

Don't stand idly by and let it happen. We can feel the assault on our rights is coming (based on the permit and sales data), so be sure to do something about it. Fight for your legal rights. Join the NRA. It's not expensive. You can find a link to the NRA in the "Favorite Links" area of this website. Your membership comes with your choice of 3 good magazines. There are 60 million gun owners in the US today, but only 4 million active members of the NRA. This needs to change.

The left is great at demonstrating, protesting, and working up firestorms for their favorite issues (think of the anti-war protests during the Vietnam war, and even more recently the protests of the Iraq war). It's much easier for the left to cause disruption because they don't hold themselves to the rules of respect, decency, or even law (think of the criminals that tried to disrupt the 2008 Republican National Convention, or the criminal that recently attempted to hit best-selling writer Ann Coulter with a pie while she delivered a speech at a college campus). However, it's time for us on the right-of-center to take action with our voices, actions, and money.

The NRA is not just about guns. It's about protecting our Constitutional rights. If one of our individual civil rights (the second amendment) can be attacked, repealed, or destroyed, what's to stop them from moving on to other rights they don't like, such as freedom of speech (think Fairness Doctrine), freedom of peaceable assembly (think of the total disdain on the left for the recent "Tea Party" protests), and on and on and on.

I recently attended a game dinner held at a local church. The cost was $40 per ticket. The food started at 5:30 PM and did not stop coming until 10:30 PM. The menu included bear meatballs, venison steaks, venison lasagna, wild mushroom soup, pheasant, rabbit, goose, salmon, venison chili, and many other great dishes. It's one of the local highlights of spring in northwest Connecticut. I dare say there was possibly not one Obama voter in the crowd of 200+. If there was one, they would never admit it! The organizers of this dinner provided a list of phone numbers of local politicians so the voting public could remind our political leaders to honor the oath they took to uphold and protect the Connecticut and US Constitutions. I've provided a copy of the list below:

To Help Fight For Our Gun Rights Call:

1-800-842-8267 CT House of Representatives - D

1-800-842-1423 CT House of Representatives - R

1-800-842-1420 CT State Senate Democrats

1-800-842-1421 CT State Senate Republicans

1-800-406-1527 Gov. Jodi Rell

1-202-224-2823 U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd

1-202-224-4041 U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman

Risk of Confusing Ideas with Politics

I had an interesting conversation with a relative following Easter dinner this past Sunday. He is a long-time conservative who is a member of the Republican party. Like many conservatives and libertarian-leaning Republicans today, he has become frustrated and disenchanted with the GOP. He's approaching the point of defeat. His anger and frustration are directed at the Republican party, not the liberal Democrats. He feels that the Republicans have left him. This is not an uncommon theme these days among conservatives. Many conservatives would admit that the Republican party is lacking direction. The troubling thing about my relative was that his frustration with the GOP caused him to question his core principles. He was questioning capitalism. He was considering the benefits of socialism. He was sipping the Kool-Aid. Due to his distaste for our present group of politicians, he was ready to turn his back on all traditional politics only flail about aimlessly hoping to find something on which to politically attach himself. He had lost his compass.

Questioning yourself is not a negative thing. It's a sign of a healthy and true thinker to question, update, and revise views base on learning and life experiences. However, the reason my relative was questioning his beliefs was not a valid reason. He was confusing the Republican party with conservative beliefs. These two entities are separate. The Republican party can certainly make mistakes. The GOP is a political party, so by definition, it is influenced by politics. Politics involves compromise to get things done and to win elections. A core set of ideals is not compromising. They are bedrock. Regardless of what the Republican party does or does not do, conservative principles do not change. Conservatives principles are founded on equality, liberty, our founding documents, enumeration of powers, and limited government (among other things). Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Regan are titans of conservatism. Historically, the Republican party has tended to align with these conservative principles, but there is never any guarantee. For various reasons, the party may not always stay true to these principles. However, if these principles are truly part of your core beliefs, your DNA, then the actions of any political party should not impact those beliefs.
So, question yourself. Explore. Read. Learn. Revise. But don't let the politicians impact your value system.

Plainville, CT Troops Coming Home

On Friday, April 10th members of the community have an opportunity to show their support and appreciation to our troops.

Between 6 and 8 PM Marines from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment based out of Plainville are scheduled to return home after a seven-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Friends, family, and community members are invited to come to the Marine Reserve Training Center at 1 Linsley Drive, Plainville CT to welcome the troops home.

Hartford Tax Day Tea Party

Tea parties are popping up all over the country. There are over 400 tea parties planned for tax day, April 15th, to protest bloated government spending, overbearing government intrusion, and the continual attack on the rights of the individual.

In the spirit of 1773, when patriots also protested oppressive government, consider joining your fellow countrymen in a show of strength, liberty, and independence. Information below:

What: Tea party protest

Where: North steps of the Capitol building, Hartford CT

When: 12-2 PM, April 15th 2009

Liberty and Tyranny by Mark R. Levin

Get this book! I'm only on the third chapter, but so far it's excellent. Look for a full overview once I finish the book.

Why Do Liberals Care About US Auto Companies?

Why do liberals care about the plight of US automobile companies (i.e. the "Big Three")?

Liberals love Honda's and Toyota's (i.e. the Prius), and for years have turned their noses up at so-called "redneck" American cars.

Their policies have continually handcuffed Detroit's auto companies, and have put them at competitive disadvantages to their counterparts in Japan.

Liberals claim to care about the American worker, but when the rubber hits the road (i.e. when it's time for them to buy a new car) they are less likely to buy American.