"We are demanding an end to these immigration raids, where they are targeting brown faces. That is major, major racial profiling, and that cannot be tolerated," said Rosa Rosales, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, at a news conference protesting the work place raids on a multiple locations of a Swift & Co..

"This unfortunately reminds me of when Hitler began rounding up the Jews for no reason and locking them up.  Now they're coming for the Latinos, who will they come for next?" - Democratic Party activist Carla Vela

Read the above comments carefully and understand that these two women are completely wrong about history, reality and common sense.

For those who are not aware (this would include most people who came out of the New York City Public School system recently), the Nazi roundup of Jews and the seizure of their property, known as Kristalnacht, was the enforcement of racist laws that had only just been enacted by Hitler with the expressed purpose of eradicating Jews from the Germany and the Third Reich first and the whole world ultimately.  Hitler outlawed Jews.  This is historical fact.

The government raids on one companies various locations to round up people who were in this country illegally and working under stolen identities was the enforcement of laws that have been on the books for over 50 years.  This is fact.

The US Government, and especially the Bush Administration, has not outlawed Latinos.  Additionally, there are is a process that has been in place for over 50 years that lays out quite clearly how an individual can apply to lawfully come to this country to work and to eventually become a citizen.  And the laws that the government enforced in these raids are detailed on various government websites and in various government documents.

These two women know this.  They are not that stupid.  But their intelligence and logic does not stand in the way of them using dishonest rhetoric to make martyrs out of people who are breaking the law.  Now, I know my last comment will make some people say that these poor folks are just trying to survive and provide for their families.  This is no reason to break the law.  And thousand of people before them, previous generations of my family included, came to this country knowing that you had to obey the laws of this country.

Now, no one says the immigration process here is perfect.  Very little is that come out of our nations capital.  But these two women would be doing more of a service to those they seek to protect by working to change the current legal process rather than make excuses and accusations based on a dishonest interpretation of history.

Publius

Allow me to finish my thought from the title of this posting.  The Death Penalty is Wrong the way it is currently administered in most states.

An AP story picked up by the New York Post covered the fact that a man who was convicted of the murder of a topless bar 3 decades ago suffered for 34 minutes before succumbing to the lethal injection.  A representative of an anti-death penalty group wrung his hands as he declared that "if Floridians had witnessed this execution they would demand an end to capital punishment."  The 34 minute process was described as torture.

Too bad.

Personally, I am all for the death penalty as long as it is administered properly.  And lethal injection is not the proper way.  In old movies where the bad guy is walked to the death house he knows that he will die when thousands of volts of electricity courses through his body.  Or he knows that when he hears the pill drop that he will go through agonizing convulsions on his way to hell.  This is how it should be if the death penalty is to be a deterrent.

But we have become a society that is more worried about being humane than handing out justice.  It is real simple.  If you take a life deliberately, you forfeit yours.  And before anyone shoots me an e-mail or posts a reply that life imprisonment is forfeiting ones life, I will agree only if the person is provided with spartan meals, no amenities (such as cable TV, conjugal visits, or continuing education) and they are put to hard labor.  But if you callously kill someone and the taxpayers, including the family and friends of your victim, are going to be footing the bill for your room, board, healthcare, and access to the Playboy channel as you earn a law degree and sue the state because you wanted oatmeal cookies and got chocolate chip, this is not a deterrent.

And lethal injection as it is constituted is not a deterrent.  Drifting off to sleep and then having your life end without pain is suicide by sleeping pills.  And the reason why people commit suicide that way is because it is painless.

As for the recently deceased in Florida, I am glad you suffered for the suffering you brought to your victim and his family.  I will go to confession and confess my pleasure at your pain.  But I know that when the final ledger is read, God will forgive me this transgression while you burn in hades.

Publius

Predictably, the Iraq Study Group has come out with their recommendations and as expected they are a return to "Peace with Honor" and the fall of Saigon.  And predictably so, the usual suspects (Kerry, Cleland, and Gore to name a few) are out calling the Iraq War a mistake, a boondoggle, a quagmire, Vietnam, and the greatest mistake in US History (wouldn't that be slavery Mr. Ex. Vice-President?)

Here is what the Iraq Study Group should have said....

The last time the US successfully won a war was World War II.  Why?  Simple, because we fought a war and did not engage in an exercise in Public Relations.  During WW II we did not worry about how we were perceived by the world.  We went in and we kicked the ever-loving hell out of the Germans, Italians and Japanese.  We had General Patton and Admiral Bull Halsey who knew how to win and we had politicians who knew to let them do it.

Perhaps if we bombed mosques where the insurgents hid (during WW II if the German snipers hid in the bell towers of churches and cathedral we thought nothing of taking out the bell tower with a well place mortar round) instead of playing to the nimrods in the press who were sympathetic with our enemies, perhaps our enemies and their backers in Iran and Syria would have known we meant business.  Perhaps if we deported muslim men who were here on educational visas and sent them home and then actually checked the bags of the people who fit the profile of the terrorists our enemies would have seen our resolve.

We did not lose Vietnam because our enemy was smarter than us or stronger than us or better prepared than us.  We lost because our politicians lost the resolve necessary to fight a war properly.  The majority of the public would support our efforts if we were clear in our goals.  We lost because of fools like John Kerry who went to Vietnam to build a resume to run for political office and then came home and slammed the military and the soldiers they left behind to pander to the idiots of the peace movement.

It is real simple to win in Iraq and we still can if we simply do the following:
1. Ignore the UN as they would rather support tyrants and dictators than free democracy
2. Inform our allies and anyone else that we intend to win at all costs
3. Inform the civilians in Iraq that we intend to crush the insurgents once and for all and that we will do everything possible to protect the civilian population while encouraging them to help identify the insurgents.
4. And this is the biggest thing.  We need to take the gloves off and fight the war to win, not to get good press.

This is how we won WW II.  Was it brutal, yes.  Did people die, yes.  Did we win and allow the freedom loving people of Germany and Japan engage in self-determination, yes.  The Iraqi people deserve this chance and they deserve a total effort.

Many may disagree with me.  Many will not.  I don't care because if we lose this war, we will embolden terrorists and penny-ante dictators all over the world to take liberties with us because we were more concerned with appearances than in defeating our enemies and making the world safe.

Publius

In my first blog regarding a new platform for conservative republicans I focused on immigration and border security.  Now I go after the next big issue for all conservative and republican voters as well as moderates and independents, that being fiscal policy.

When Ronald Reagan took office one of the first things he sought to do was revamp the way people are taxed and the way tax revenues are spent.  His guide in this endeavor was the nobel prize winning economist, the recently deceased Milton Friedman.  What became known as Reaganomics (or Trickle Down Economics to the sneering liberal left) started up the greatest period of economic growth since World War II.  The only speed bump in the thriving Reagan economy was the Bush Tax Increase.

Lower taxation and reigned in federal spending brought prosperity to millions and helped raise all areas of society to the next rung of the economic ladder.  I could reiterate the numbers but it would belabor the point.  If you are truly interested in seeing the numbers I refer you to The Right Data, a guide to and defense of the Reagan legacy that was put together by the fine people at National Review.

The way to a sane and positive economic plan is to set goals that exercise fiscal responsibility while allowing the great mechanism of capitalism work at full power.  Here are a few humble ideas, that while I will not and can not take credit for, I do believe that they need to be repeated again and again until the candidates for the republican party get the hint.

1. Eliminate the current income tax laws and institute a 15% flat tax based with the following allowances: individual filers pay on all income over $20,000 per year, married couples filing jointly pay on all household income over $30,000 per year, families of 4 pay taxes on all household income over $45,000 per year and for each additional dependent under the age of 24 and attending school or dependent seniors over the age of 64 add $4,000 to the base of $45,000.
2. Eliminate the Marriage Tax, which will encourage more couples to marry which is always a nice thing.
3. Elimination of the Death Tax and any taxes that should have expired long ago like the telephone tax that was instituted to pay for the Spanish-American War.
4. Elimination of the Department of Education, returning responsibilities for this to the individual states.
5. Elimination of the Medicare Drug Benefit, replacing it with price controls for drugs for senior citizens.  The pharmaceutical companies will go for this as it will allow them to show that they care.
6. Salary caps on all congressional salaries along with term limits for all members of congress.  This one will trim the pork down to the bone!
7. Staff reductions across the board in all governmental departments through the elimination of redundancies and an end to patronage positions. 
8. Optional privatization of Social Security for all tax payers under the age of 50.
9. Ban pork-laden riders on all legislation that has nothing to do with the main intent of the legislation. 
10. Identify and enumerate to the american people the exact cost for every single service the government provides to the people prior to any debate or voting on budgetary increases by congress.
11. Require that the states balance their budgets and reign in spending on a state level in order to qualify for federal money.
12. Finally, institute a balanced-budget amendment and give the president the line-item veto power to eliminate pork-laden riders that might slip through.

It is time for the government to balance their books and live on a budget just as all of the tax payers who support the government do.

Publius

 Although I have just recently turned 40 I am very much a child of a different generation.  While my birth year was right at the cusp of the 60's era that is so widely praised as an enlightened time, my love for entertainment that predated that era by 20 years is opening my eyes to the fact that the golden age of hollywood was exactly that.  It also has proven yet again that the era that began with woodstock has been an insipid 40 plus years of self-important dross masquerading as entertainment (there have been some diamonds in the rough but they have been few and far between).

The entertainment that was produced in the 30s, 40s, and 50s was quality stuff with some clinkers mixed in.  But the funny thing is even the clinkers are more entertaining than what Hollywood produces now.  I especially love old-time radio shows.  These were from that wonderful era before the idiot box invaded every household and virtually stole the imagination muscle from generations of young minds.  What is especially wonderful about OTR (shorthand for old-time radio) is that it is widely available on the web as downloadable MP3 files that can be played on any MP3 player or burned onto a cd and played in your car if you like.  And the lessons that can be learned from them are various.  The one I learned today, or rather had reaffirmed for me today, came while I was doing some work around my house while listening to one of these shows. 

The show in question was a radio dramatization of The Philadelphia Story.  The four main stars from the movie, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart (the serving as a lieutenant in the Air Force), Katherine Hepburn and Ruth Hussey all reprised their roles and the announcer was Cecil B. DeMille.  The show was presented as part of the Victory Theatre sponsored by Lux and was sprinkled with ads extolling the virtues of investing in war bonds to support the US prosecution of WWII.  While the show was shortened to one hour (the movie was two hours) the entertainment was quality as it was presented free on the radio by four major stars.  The involvement of a major studio head made it even more impressive.  But it was the end of the show that really caught my attention.

At the conclusion, Cecil B. DeMille presented the four stars including a very respectful correction of his introduction of Jimmy Stewart as Lieutenant Stewart.  Each star then took a turn at the microphone and spoke eloquently about the need for all Americans to come together and support the war effort.  The most forceful was Miss Hepburn who asked mothers to imagine themselves in the place of mothers in Nazi conquered countries.  You could hear the patriotism in her voice and inspired.

Today we are treated to a drunken Danny DeVito bashing the president on The View and then being apologized for by Rosie O'Donnell and Barbra Walters.  We also get to read about George Clooney, Sean Penn and Johnny Depp giving interviews to foreign newspapers criticizing our country and our government.
How did Hollywood fall so hard? 

Charlton Heston is suffering from Alzheimers and Glenn Ford passed recently.  These two men represented the Golden Age of Hollywood.  As these last remaining true stars ascend to a greater reward we should always remember when Hollywood sparkled like the gold it was rather than be blinded by the glare of the shoddy product we are subjected to now.

Immigration was believed to be a hot-button topic for this past election.  Unfortunately, the Republicans misplayed their hand and immigration reform advocates like J.D. Hayworth lost.  Perhaps the Republicans can try this tact.

We, as conservative republicans, are not opposed to legal immigration.  We welcome legal immigrants who, like previous generations of our own families, came to this country to make a better life and contribute to the growth and greatness of America.  We welcome all of the cultural treasures and customs that the legal immigrants bring with them and we encourage them to become Americans.  When we talk of an official language for America we do not seek to stop immigrants from talking in their mother tongue's when they are together socializing or if they are conducting business with one another.  An official language helps the country standardize they way government will be run, business will be conducted, and schools are taught so that no individual is left out or made to feel ostracized.  A common language is one of the pillars of any society.  Additionally, if there are people seeking asylum for valid reasons they will be welcomed to become a citizen if they so choose.  As a legal citizen, they will be subject to the same freedoms, laws, and protections as any other US citizen.

But, conservative republicans are opposed to unfettered illegal immigration.  Especially when the people who seek to come here to live and earn a living while refusing to learn our language and obey our laws.  While some republicans and democrats seek to confer rights of citizenship on illegal immigrants without requiring them to work towards citizenship, thus becoming drains on the citizens of this country, we are diametrically opposed.  Unfortunately, the number of illegal immigrants currently in this country poses a problem.  There are too many with criminal records in their own countries who continue to commit crimes here in the United States to make amnesty and fast-track citizenship a rational option.  Illegal immigrants who are in this country who are working honestly and are worthy of citizenship should of course be given the opportunity to fast-track through the citizenship process but this must be strictly enforced.  Additionally, the hardcore criminals must be sought, arrested and returned to their country of origin.  If there is still popular support for legalizing the remaining illegal immigrants, then there should be a freeze on all other immigration for as long as it takes to sort the problem out.  Exceptions would be made of course for those seeking asylum, but with proof that the desire for asylum is justified.

Some may think that this is to strict.  To them I suggest they ask actress Adrienne Shelly.  But they will have to direct their questions to heaven as she died at the hands of an illegal immigrant who she unfortunately had a disagreement with recently.  Some may think this is not stringent enough.  To them I say that this is but a framework for a fair and rational process of dealing with a problem that is out of control and continues to grow larger.  But it should be remembered that while the framework has some flexibility it is not a limitless flexibility.

I leave you with the words of one of our greatest presidents, Theodore Roosevelt:

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt in a letter to the president of the American Defense Society dated January 3, 1919. 
Pres. Roosevelt died 3 days later.

Publius

This blog was previously known as A Common Man.  Why the change you ask?

Simple.  I am a conservative.  I am a conservative who is annoyed with the way the Republican Party is running itself.  I vote on the conservative line here in NY to let the State Republican Party that we need to be more conservative here in NY.  I do the same in national elections for the same reason.  But I wanted to do more.

So, on the off chance that members of the Republican Party are cruising through these blogs I wanted to catch their attention.  Why?  For the same reason I vote the conservative line.  I want them to know that the principles of conservatism are important to the regular people.  As part of the principles of conservatism is a strict interpretation of our founding documents, I have taken the name that Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay used when making a case to the public for the ratification of the constitution.  So just as they signed each of their editorials, so shall I sign my blog.

Call me Publius.  I hope I can live up to the standards of Messrs Hamilton, Madison and Jay.  I hope that the people who read this blog like what they read.  I hope I get feedback and I hope the feedback causes debate.  For without ideas and honest debate, we will never bring about the changes necessary to reclaim the birthright presented to us by the founding fathers.  I welcome all to my blog, Republicans (Conservative, Moderate and Liberal), Democrats (Blue Dog and anyone else who is reasonable), independents, and all other interested parties.

Publius 

Over on HumanEvents.com the call has been put out to the right-wing and conservative bloggers to begin a grassroots campaign for Mike Pence for Minority Leader and John Shaddegg for Minority Whip.  Rather than dilute the reporting of Human Events by putting this info into my own words, I have copied over two pieces available on the Human Events web site.  At the end of the second is a phone number where you can contact your representative and request (actually demand) that they support Reps Pence and Shaddegg

Here is the letter that John Shaddegg sent to his colleagues earlier this year to announce his campaign for House Leader:

The following is Rep. John Shadegg's (R.-Ariz.) letter to Republican colleagues announcing his entrance into the House majority leader race today.

---

Dear Republican Colleague,

Ten years ago, we took control of the House of Representatives for the first time in half a century. It was a historic achievement, and it was possible because we stood for the principles the American people believe in: a smaller federal government, returning power to the states, lower taxes, greater individual freedom, and – above all – reform. I am running for Majority Leader, and I ask for your support. In addition, in order to make clear my commitment to this race and my goal of leading a reinvigorated Republican majority, I am resigning my position as Policy Chairman. I personally believe it is not appropriate to try to retain one position in our elected leadership while running for another. My campaign is based on reform, and reform should begin with an open process In the past decade, particularly recently, we seem to have lost sight of our ideals. I believe that in order to reconnect with the American people, and retain and grow our Republican Majority in the House, we need to recommit ourselves to our principles.

We need to reform the earmark process and end secret backroom deals. We must also reform our antiquated budget process, and take a clear stand for open and honest government. No elected official, including a Member of Congress, who takes a bribe should get a taxpayer-funded pension.

I grew up watching the example of Barry Goldwater, who worked closely with my father. He taught me that, “a government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away.” That is the philosophy that guided me when I ran for Congress in 1994. I was thrilled to be part of the Revolutionary Class of ’94, and the sense of hope and mission of the early days after Republicans took back the House is still with me. We believed then that we could take back our government, and I believe it today. When I ran for Policy Chairman last year, I told Members that I wanted to help our Leadership, and our entire Conference, achieve our agenda for the American people. I was able to reach out to all corners of our Conference, and was honored to be elected without opposition. As Policy Chairman, I continued to try to bring the Conference together by hosting a series of Unity Dinners to find consensus on the difficult issue of immigration reform.

Members of our Republican Conference disagree about policy and tactics, but we stand together in our respect for this institution, our hatred of corruption, and our support for the basic principles of our party. The American people overwhelmingly support the principles we stand for. We cannot allow the current scandals to distract their attention from our substantive agenda.

I do not need a poll or questionnaire to tell me what Republicans stand for. The party of Reagan exists not to expand government, but to protect the American people from government’s excesses. Reagan once said, “If you’re afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again.” I think this Conference is ready to move again, and move toward the reforms the American people deserve.

Sincerely,

John Shadegg

And here is a piece from Human Events endorsing Mike Pence.

When the now-defeated Republican majority in the House of Representative was led astray on key issues by President Bush, House Speaker Dennis Hastert and former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, it was Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana who rallied backbenchers to fight back in defense of conservative principles.

That is why Pence should be elected minority leader for the next Congress.

Under Pence’s leadership over the next two years, we believe, House Republicans can put themselves in position to retake the majority in 2008. More importantly, they can be counted on to fight for what’s right—even when that means defying a president of their own party.

Speaker Hastert did the right thing today by stepping aside. But if Republicans in the House simply elevate the other members currently in the leadership—go back to business as usual—the party may find itself mired in the minority for years to come. Conservative activists need to speak out now to make certain this doesn’t happen. They need to say: No to the old leaders. No to business as usual. Yes to Mike Pence.

When President Bush pushed through the No Child Left Behind education law in his first year in office, Mike Pence opposed it. Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, the current House majority leader, not only supported No Child Left Behind, he became its principal congressional advocate—along with liberal Democratic Sen. Teddy Kennedy of Massachusetts.

In 2003, when Bush pushed through his $8-trillion Medicare prescription drug entitlement, creating a new welfare program for the middle class, Boehner supported Bush again. Pence led a gang of House conservatives who valiantly opposed it. When the leadership brought the drug plan up on the House floor in the wee hours, Hastert and DeLay tried to bully conservatives to switch their votes. Some did. Not Mike Pence.

Boehner voted for the drug entitlement.

Last year, when President Bush, stung by criticism of his response to Hurricane Katrina, started tossing out federal tax dollars like a carnival king tossing out Mardi Gras favors, Pence led the conservatives in the House Republican Study Committee, which he chaired, in demanding spending cuts to offset Bush’s proposed spending. Eventually, Pence and Company forced reluctant Republican leaders to accept at least some cuts—even in entitlement spending.

Pence is not a big government conservative. He is a Ronald Reagan conservative. Like Reagan, he recognizes that government is often not the solution, but the problem.

He is a supply-sider who has always favored lower taxes on income, savings and investments--as well as lower federal spending. He believes in a strong military and a strong national defense. He is committed to defending the right to life and traditional marriage.

Pence is also like Reagan in that he is a former broadcaster and excellent communicator. Unlike Speaker Dennis Hastert, who was never a compelling presence in the mass media, Pence will be able to make persuasive arguments for the conservative cause on national television and radio programs.

Conservatives should call House members now and urge them to support Mike Pence for minority leader.

You can contact your member by phone at (202) 224-3121 or e-mail.

After the Election Day thumping that the Republican Party received on Tuesday, the dust is beginning to settle.  Unlike the national media and the Democratic pundits back in 1994, we did not have to worry about coaxing people back from the roof as they prepared to jump.  (Note to Democrats - we may have lost the election but we provided an excellent object lesson, that being when you lose accept the blame rather than accuse the other side of cheating)  In my estimation, we are in a good position to fight back and win the majority.  But we must win it for a Republican Party that is carrying the banner of conservatism as its standard.  To these ends I have a few suggestions in terms of platform, candidates, and potential cabinet members.  I will detail these in future blogs so please return to this blog often.  But there is not time to start like the present, so away we go.

Conservatives need to force the RNC to understand that their most successful electoral cycles have been when they are carrying the Conservative standard.  Reagan took the country by storm in 1980 and then proved in 1984 that the message was viable and the concepts worked.  The party abandoned the path during the Bush the Elders presidency and then ran from it in 1992.  Until the revolution of 1994 did they embrace it again only to slowly loose their grip.  And we know what happened on Tuesday.

But some good things happened on Tuesday that we must build on.  First, some of the questionable Republicans (or as Rush calls them, RINOs) were voted out.  Even better news it that the worst of the lot, Lincoln Chafee, has now said that he will probably not return to the Republican Party.  Buh-bye and don't let the door hit you on the way out.
The scandals that hurt us must not be tolerated again.  We must not let these people back into the party ala Alcee Hastings for the Dems.

We must also tell the Republicans on the Gang of Fourteen (RINOs in training???) that there time has passed.  And as attractive as Senator McCain is to the 2008 Presidential campaign I can't help seeing this man as the heir to Gerald Ford and not Ronald Reagan.  Senator Lindsay Graham has decided that he wants to be loved by the New York Times and CNN.  Let him leave office gracefully and become the token Republican pundit on CNN that he obviously dreams of being.

My next posting will be my first nail in setting the planks for a winning platform in 2008 and beyond.  I hope you will like what you read and I look forward to hearing from any of you in regards to your thoughts.  As to the moonbats who's idea of thoughtful debate it to call names and give no counterpoints, visit the DailyKos to find all of the liberal succor that you will need.

24 hours ago the world turned upside down for the Bush Administration.  First the House fell and Pelosi rose.  Next the state house majority fell and the presidential aspirations of Hillary rose.  This afternoon Rumsfeld fell on his sword and the spectre of untrammeled investigations and subpeonas at the hands of John Conyers rose.  This evening the Senate fell and the Presidents (and our collective nightmare) was completed.

The arrogant and rudderless leadership of the Senate and House Republicans saw their stars burn out.  The fire was fueled by the scandals of Mark Foley, Dan Abramoff, and the democrat-like spending of men and women who pretended to carry the banner of Reaganism while they really dragged it (and us) through the mud.

Did some good come from it?  Yes.  Lincoln Chafee has been relegated (we hope) to the ash heap of history.  Many more corrupt and immoral republicans who made a mockery of the conservative supporters they took for granted are now looking for jobs as media pundits and/or college professors.  And more importantly, an opportunity has been presented to the heirs of Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt that we all need to embrace.

We must return to the platform of cutting spending to compliment the tax cuts that we must now protect.  We must re-embrace the Reagan ideal of smaller government by working for the elimination of the Department of Education and other useless government departments that have been on life support for the last 20 years.  We must continue our battle to protect the unborn while standing opposed to the destruction of life and the allure of cloning to create viable stem cell lines when there are many other sources that do not require man playing god.  We need to re-visit decades old treaties that require us to provide limitless defense of our allies at tax-payer expense when our allies are capable of protecting themselves at their own expense.  We must continue the war on terror but we need to reject the current plan as well as the democratic proposals of appeasement and dialogue and embrace an approach born from the tactical lessons we learned from our best military minds.  Lessons that were successfully implemented in past armed conflict that can be adapted to this current battle.

We must demand of our congressional representatives that they agree to term limits, the same term limits that we require of presidents, governors and mayors.  We must reject the slick salesmen of race politics and relegate them to the ash heap of history.  We must stand opposed to the radical special interests who seek to subjugate our republic for their own gains.  We must work towards removing radical, activist jurists and replace them with strict constitutional interpreters who will enforce the law rather than try to write laws that create rights that the founders never intended.

There once was a vision of a shining city on the hill.  If we are to survive as a people and a nation and bequeath on to our children the greatness that America was meant to be when our founding fathers signed their names to the Declaration of Independence and when they embraced the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, we must embrace the vision and dream of a shining city on the hill and make it real.  We owe our children that much.

 

Donald Spampinato Jr.

I am 39 years old, the same age that Donald Spampinato Jr. was when he died in the 9/11 attacks. Five years ago I worked on Long Island and was on my way to work when the attacks occurred. I watched the second jet hit from the Wantagh Parkway and I watched the towers fall from my office in Jericho. All the time I thought about all of the parents in those towers, like Donald, who were thinking of their loved ones at home. Now that I work in lower Manhattan and my office overlooks Ground Zero, I still cannot comprehend the helplessness the victims had to have felt when thinking of those loved ones as the reality of the moment struck home.

This weekend, as all of us prepare for the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I found myself not far from where Donald lived with his wife and their three sons. I was umpiring a little league double header for 9 year olds. The same age that Donald’s son David is now. As I looked for information about Donald I learned that while he worked in Manhattan he still made sure that he was home to coach his sons in baseball. I realized that if they still played I might encounter them one day. I know that although there father is no longer able to coach them he is still watching them and still coaching them in there hearts.

Donald may not be able to teach them how to stand at the plate anymore, but one of their coaches will take the time to do so. He may not be able to tell them how to choose the pitches to swing at or how to time their swings, but perhaps an uncle of a family friend will do so. He may not be able to remind them when they don’t make a play or get a hit that they are just little boys playing a little boys game and that it is all for fun, but I am sure that there mom or their coach will speak words of encouragement.

And as little boys do when they do not make a play or get a hit, they will get upset and perhaps they will cry. My promise to Donald, a man whom I have never met and who is greatly missed by his loved ones and especially his boys, is if I am the umpire for his sons when this happens I will take a moment to let them know that they are just little boys playing a little boys game and that tomorrow is another day and everything will all be alright.

In a disturbing story posted on the Weekly Standard website (http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/622bqwjn.asp) and featured on the Drudge Report details how UNIFIL,  United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has regularly posted on their web site the positions of Israeli Defense Force detachments along with their relative strengths, armaments and movements.  Some of these reports were posted within 30 minutes of UNIFIL learning the information.  At the same time, UNIFIL did not post similar information about Hezbollah.

The article also detailed how when 3 Israeli soldiers were kidnapped just feet from a UNIFIL outpost, the UNIFIL forces did nothing to prevent the abduction.  Additionally, they denied the existence of video tapes detailing the abduction, eventually admitted to a single tape existing until ultimately admitting that 3 tapes in total exist.  During the nine months that Israel requested and pleaded for the tapes and the UN denied they existed, excerpts from the tape were featured prominently on Syrian and Lebanese TV.

All along, the UN and UNIFIL stated that they were acting as the neutrals that they were and that to turn over any information to Israel would jeopardize their impartiality.  All of this comes out after the end of a two week period that saw the adoption of a cease fire that benefits Hezbollah and the announcement by Kofi Annan that the French would lead the 15,000 strong multinational peacekeeping force that the cease fire called for.  These would be the French of Jaques Chirac who along with Jimmy Carter placed all of the blame for the current problems and the ongoing unrest in the Middle East at the feet of Israel.

The lesson learned here is this.  If you are an entertainer who gets drunk and blurts out despicable comments about the Jews and then show immediate contrition, you are a vile anti-semite who should be shunned and vilified.  I call this person a sad and troubled individual who needs help and support.  However, if you are a politician or a world leader who blames Israel for all of the problems in the Middle East and then do everything in your power to provide aid and comfort to the terrorists who have sworn to wipe Israel off of the map, you are a visionary statement who should be praised and embraced by the Democratic Party.  I call this person an heir to Hitler.  Sieg Heil Hillary, Sieg Heil.

Today I came across two different stories in the news that made me recall the nine most frightening words in the english language according to Ronald Reagan, those being "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

The first story was about the FDA approval of the sale of the Plan B morning after birth control pill without a prescription to women 18 years or older.  The story was reported with the breathless enthusiasm that is de rigueur for the mainstream media.  The news drone talked about how this move by the FDA is the culmination of a long struggle to ensure that women had control of their own reproductive health.  It then cut to a sound bite from your garden variety feminist who claimed this ruling as a minor victory but that the fight will go on to ensure that the minimum age is dropped. 

As I researched the story online I read who the pharmaceutical company that manufactures the Plan B pill is pushing to get the minimum age dropped to 16 or possible 14.  I also learned that in order to by this 'miracle' pill over the counter, the purchaser only needs to provide proof of age.  So in reality, the minimum age part of the requirement is not important because just like with the purchase of beer or cigarettes, under age consumers can always find a willing adult to make the purchase.  So the pharmaceutical company and the pro-abortion folks get their wish after all, that being a parallel increase in profits and terminated pregnancies.  Of course, the fact that health professionals believe that the reproductive systems of women under the age of 18 may not have developed enough to accept this drug without damaging side affects but at least the profits and the abortion rates go up.

The second story was about how a group of concerned bureaucrats are pushing to have all playgrounds made safer.  A noble pursuit indeed.  But in the same story I read how these same well-meaning government drones are also behind the elimination of tag and dodgeball in school also.  It seems that tag promotes violence and aggression and that dodgeball promotes bullying.  I imagine that the next step is to take a page from an elementary school in New Zealand that I heard about a few years ago that had a zero tolerance policy in regards to weapons that included the kiddies using their fingers to simulate a gun!

When I was a kid (some years ago I might add) I played in a playground that was a deathtrap compared to the ones my daughter plays on and I survived.  I got some bumps and scratches (as did the little girls I played with) and we not only survived but we learned how to play without hurting ourselves again.  While I think it is tragic that the story I read about the safe playgrounds stated that last year there were 200,000 playground related deaths, I would love to know how many of those were due to kids playing unsupervised on equipment that they were to young for.  And as for dodgeball, I was not that good in the beginning but I got better and so will all of the kids who play.  And if any of you who played prison dodge, you will attest that just because you got out it did not mean that you could not still play and win.

And when I got older my friends and I new that while scoring with a young lady was the main focus in our teen years (aside from arguing who was better, the Mets or the Yankees) we also knew that if we got the young lady in the family way there would be major hell to pay so we kept it in control until we were older and wiser.  Unfortunately, the same government who seeks to protect our children in their early years from the teeter totter of death also wants to assure our children that in their teen years the possibly dangerous solution to an unwanted teen pregnancy is a willing adult (and you don't have to be related) away.

  

Today my wife and I received a packet from my daughters elementary school.  To my daughters delight she learned that she was put into the class with the teacher she hoped for.  Also in the packet was a letter from the principal, the school cafeteria menu and one thing I was not expecting.  Information about AIDS awareness education.

Now, as the father of a perfect 9 year old self-described tomboy, the last thing I was expecting was the last item.  But, after discussing it with my wife we agreed that she should participate.  The school gave us a complete outline of the course and what it would cover along with a form to opt our child out.  Fortunately, our school district is not as liberal as most so we feel safe in the belief that they will not be teaching anything that is inappropriate.  But like good parents, we will monitor the content throughout the year. 

Now, while my mind was satisfied with our decision, I began to think about the lessons that some areas of society would have us teach our children.  Those on the left would have us teach our children that the best way to prevent AIDS is to use condoms.  These same people look scornfully on the concept of abstinence until marriage.  While this is a dimwitted view, it does fall in line with other lessons that the left (and their supportive pals in the media) would have us teach. 

For instance, we should legalize marijuana but outlaw tobacco.  While I smoke the occasional cigar or indulge in a pipeful of tobacco, I fully recognize that smoking is dirty habit.  Or, we should teach our daughters about choice when it comes to unplanned pregnancies but the only choice they should make is to terminate the child.  I guess adoption is only acceptable when it is done by an unwed hollywood starlet.

The media, for its part, looks scornfully on Mel Gibson for getting drunk and saying some rather moronic and vile things but we should all tune into Oprah the next time Robert Downey Jr gets busted for drug possession and wants to have a healing session on the couch with the queen of voyeurism.  (As a side note to the Gibson debacle, on the same weekend former President Carter blamed all of the problems in the Middle East on Israel.  I am pretty certain that is antisemitism but he was sober!)

The scariest part about all of these lessons that the left (and some on the right who just want to be loved by all while retaining political office) is that the machinery is in place for them to achieve their goals in the form of the NEA and the UFT.  But there are two monkey wrenches that can be thrown into the machine.  First, is for parents to be vigilant in monitoring their childrens education and to speak up when they see something wrong.  Second, is for true statesmen (and women) to run for office and for school boards.