FauxNEWS

Foxnews has an article in which black pastors are accusing Planned Parenthood of targeting blacks moreso than whites. They base this on the fact that the founder of Planned Parenthood was a believer in eugenics, the fact that blacks are given abortions at about five times the rate of whites, and the fact that Planned Parenthood is willing to target blacks for “services” if overtly racist donors ask them to.

Just follow this link to see all the details for yourself.

Below, I have excerpted a few paragraphs from the above link, and added some bold for myself. Both the excerpt and the entire article are worth a quick read.

Sanger, a pioneering advocate for universal access to birth control for women, was also a proponent of “eugenics,” a philosophy that advocates social intervention, like birth control and abortion, for “improving” the hereditary traits of the human race. According to biographies written about Sanger, who was the sixth child of 11 eleven born to a rigid Catholic family in upstate New York, her support for this practice was focused on the “unfit” and the poor — slum dwellers — as they were called at the time, by making contraceptives more available there.

Over the years, comments made by Sanger about reproduction among the poor and minorities have led to her reputation as a racist and a belief that she wanted to “weed” out blacks from society. Planned Parenthood has disputed that caricature and has pointed out her supporters in the black community, including Martin Luther King Jr., and W.E.B DuBois. Nevertheless, Childress and others repeatedly invoked her name as a major force behind a century-long “genocide” on the black community.

According to a report released by the group of Students for Life America on Tuesday, black women are 4.8 times more likely to have an abortion than white women, while the black population in the U.S. is in decline. Black women account for 36 percent of those having abortions in the U.S. today, according to group, while black children make up 17 percent of live births.

“Contrary to the public’s belief that Planned Parenthood is helpful and supportive of family planning and the health of the mother and child, recent news and research show that the roots of its foundation have continued to give birth to continual hatred and disdain for minorities that its founder saw as ‘unfit,’” the group says in its report.

In its response, Planned Parenthood emphasized that 97 percent of its services are focused on providing contraceptives, breast and cervical cancer screenings and sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment — not abortions.

What does the bolded part mean? Well, it means that as long as you get birth control pills for three years, the one month you have an abortion keeps their averages just as shown. That’s right, they average an abortion once every three years for each client they have. That’s just plain ol’ math.

Planned Parenthood should be referred to as an abortion advocate, not as anything else. Their agenda is obvious, and their means of achieving it is also obvious: killing babies, and doing it before they are born.

I read the headline and could not believe it, but when I read the whole article it does not come as a surprise.

A California judge rejected a foster teen’s request for early enlistment with the Marine Corps —and a $10,000 signing bonus — reportedly on the grounds that the judge didn’t approve of the Iraq war.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Marilyn Mackel denied 17-year-old Shawn Sage’s request to join the military last October, according to a report in the Los Angeles Daily News.

“The judge said she didn’t support the Iraq war for any reason we’re over there,” Marine recruiter Sgt. Guillermo Medrano of the Simi Valley U.S. Marine Corps recruiting office told the paper.

“She just said all recruiters were the same — that they ‘all tap dance and tell me what I want to hear.’ She said she didn’t want him to fight in it.”

Sage, a Simi Valley, Calif., resident, begged the anti-war judge for permission to join, according to the Daily News.

“Foster children shouldn’t be denied [an] ability to enlist in the service just because they’re foster kids,” Sage told the paper. “Foster kids shouldn’t have to go to court to gain approval to serve one’s country.”

Sage plans to join the Marines when he turns 18 in June and his case has prompted a Republican lawmaker to introduce a bill that would allow foster teens to enlist in the military without the express permission of a judge.

The outrage that I am feeling right not about this liberal anti-war hack of a judge cannot be put in words.  suffice it to say I hope that more of this sort of insanity is brought to light and maybe someone will try to get her removed from the bench.  We can only hope

There are three types of people when it comes to global warming,  First are the world is falling/overheating fear mongers whom all have an agenda and want the rest of the world to do things to “save the planet” but at the same time do nothing themselves.  Next are those that sit back and laugh at the first group and say it is all crapola.  Then there are those that will make efforts to do things to help, but do not sell out to the widespread panic and fear that the first group is spewing.  I like to believe that most reasonable people would fall into the third group, the problem is the more the first group runs around making fools of themselves, and telling us we are all going to die because of the polar ice caps melting, and the rain forest’s being burned down, the more people gravitate towards the second group, just to further aggravate the panic mongers, and all the while more and more concrete evidence is coming forward from multiple people in the scientific community that are proving these fools wrong.  Take the article on Foxnews.com, which basically comes out and blasts all 3 candidates for POTUS, and the rest of the global warming camp, as being wrong.

John McCain, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton all promise massive new regulations that will cost trillions of dollars to combat global warming. McCain says that it will be his first task if he wins the presidency. After consulting with Al Gore, Obama feels the problem is so imminent that it is not even really possible to wait until he becomes president.

Ironically, this political unanimity is occurring as global temperatures have been cooling dramatically over the last decade.

Global temperatures have now largely eliminated most of the one degree Celsius warming that had previously occurred over the last 100 years. Hundreds of climate scientists have warned that there is not significant man-made global warming.

So here we have a conference that is basically saying that 99% of the things that humanity has done with regards to trying to fix global warming are a waste of time and money, as well as the proof that it is not man, or cows, or anything on this planet that is causing the overwhelming majority of the changes in temperature that have been going on, that it is the one thing in this solar system that we cannot control in any way THE SUN.  Read the 2 articles attached they show that those that are screaming that the sea is rising are about as correct as chicken little or the boy that cried wolf. 

Lois Kohlhorst, State Rep Newsletter   

The attached letter from our State Representative, Lois Kohlkhorst, is mainly on the subject of the TTC.  It states that the comments submitted right now on the TTC website, www.keeptexasmoving.com,  are very important to pass how we feel onto the purse strings for this boondoggle, the feds.  The town hall meetings were “information Only” and now comments submitted on the official website or at one of the official meetings verbally or in writing are official public record.  They will be used to determine the path forward.  We all need to tell them what we believe.

I thought that I was going to go to an information meeting in Bellville and impart the revelation to them that this project only helps Mexico.  I was surprised that they started out their spiel saying just that as the intent of the highway.  If you look on their website they call the I-35 Corridor a “Corridor form Mexico to Oklahoma”, and they call the the I-69 corridor a “Mexico to Northeastern Texas Corridor” (Although it is actually to Southeast Cananda).  Both are designed to bypass Texas and supplant Texas transpotation and shipping interests.  Mexico is improving and building ports which will take business from US ports, Mexican trucking companies will have a huge Boom and all this will be provided by our Governor to them on a silver platter at Great expense to Texans. 

We all have to put comments into the website now if you cannot go to one of these meetings.

I submitted the following at the Feb 26 meeting in Sealy:

_____________________________________________

TTC Not in Texas’ Interest:  SHAME on Perry and his Whole AdministrationOpinions of: Rick Minter, Sealy, Texas 77474;      Feb 26, 2008 I attended the last TTC information fest to let the Perry Machine know that what they were doing is NOT in Texas’ interest, but instead in the interest of Mexico and foreign parties.  I was unpleasantly surprised to find out; that was the design intent of the project.  The State not only knew this but they meant to design it that way.  SHAME on THEM. Mexico is expanding ports and rail systems to take business away from the US and Texas and Perry is providing the infra-structure to this end at OUR expense.  He must be confused which side of the border he is paid to attend to.  SHAME on HIM.  PERRY and Company are :-         Using Texas money to promote,-         The Taking of Texans’ Land,-         Removing Taxes from local Texas Municipalities-         To build an enterprise that benefits foreign interests.SHAME on THEM We need to expand the Interstate System.  The building of Interstates does not bypass smaller towns, but instead helps them grow.  To aid trucking within Texas we could build bypasses around population centers within the Interstate system so they can avoid some of the traffic associated with these population centers.  To transport freight we need to expand the rail systems, which are MADE to Transport Freight.  They do so much more time, effort and Fuel efficiently.  Why is the Texas Department of Transportation needing us to tell them this????  SHAME on THEM. The TTC tries to bypass the whole State. This Project name needs to be a little bit more descriptive.  We should change it to one of the following:-         The Perry-Clinton NAFTA Highway-         The Texas Bypass-         The Mexican Trucking Companies’ Expressway

-         The Terrorist Throughway

___________________________________________________

A friend shared this example of what he sent through the website:

_________________________________________________

“This plan is awful.  It is one thing to confiscate people’s land in the name of the public good; unfortunately this project is not done in the name of public good, but rather in the name of corporate and political greed.  This project is not needed, when the state already has the land and right-of-way dedicated to highway systems that could be expanded and serve the same purpose as the TTC without confiscating and destroying homes and land.  Furthermore, Rail systems are far more efficient and safer for everyone in terms of accidents and in terms of homeland security. 

The people have spoken, and the people are against this enormous abuse of their property rights and the rights of their neighbors.  TXdot and the Texas politicians associated with this porkbarrel should not disregard this righteous anger as something that can be “educated” out of the people.  This kind of abuse caused the Boston Tea Party and TXdot had better start listening before they go the way of the British.

Get everyone to let them know what we think.

Thanks to Jason Bellows for an interesting and well researched article.

Life Without the Moon
Written by Jason Bellows on February 19th, 2008 at 10:58 am
From DamnInteresting.com

Earth’s MoonLife is a tenuous thing. Earth is just within Sol’s habitable zone, and constantly pelted with solar radiation and cosmic rays. Rocky scraps of cosmic afterbirth constantly cross Earth’s orbit, threatening to eradicate all terrestrial life. In point of fact, it is almost certain that countless Extinction-Level Events would have sterilized the surface of our plucky planet had it not been for our constant companion and benefactor; a body which unwittingly wards away many of the ills that could befall us: the moon.

I have been listening to the various talk radio hosts on my way to and from work, and the refrain seems to be unanimous, if not completely in harmony: Vote for John McCain, since he’s so much better than Hillary or Obama.

They then go on to cite the fact that the next president will get 2 or 3 or 17 Supreme Court Justice appointments. Isn’t that one of the reasons they told us to vote for Dubya? And when we tried to put our justices on the bench, we were blocked by 14 Senators, led by… John McCain. Well, that’s a good reason to vote for him; so he can appoint Justices that he worked to prevent us from appointing last time.

Now, we conservatives want our families, homes, jobs, and businesses protected. They are being threatened by terrorists, declining wages, and increasing prices, in no particular order. One way to attack these problems would be to close the border, which would prevent terrorists from walking across the border, stop wage decreases due to cheap labor, and protect our economy from exported funds.

We might have done this, but then, a Senator came up with a plan to allow folks to stay here and continue in their pursuit of low-paying jobs at the cost of US citizens, but then they’d get a chance to become citizens themselves. Who was behind this amnesty plan? John McCain. Only the absolute OUTRAGE by the VAST majority of US citizens stopped him from implementing his amnesty plan. Yet now he claims he’s heard us… but won’t say he’s not still for amnesty and a “path to citizenship” for the law-breakers in our midst.

Then, we had a problem with Congress working a bit illicitly. Congressmen were taking funds without paying for them in the House Banking Scandal, and others were taking bribes to keep failed businesses open, to lose even more funds that were eventually paid back by US taxpayers. Who was the ONLY republican implicated in these schemes? John McCain.

Yet, now, McCain is our saviour. The one to deliver us from the woes of Hillary and Barack. Am I the only one who realizes that most of the problems we’re having as a nation derive from actions mostly done by the US Senate? Yet, now, we’re all-but assured to have a US Senator as our next president… Barack, Hillary, or Johnnie Boy.

Yet, we’re told to suck it up, and vote yet another non-conservative into office because he’s not as bad as the other guy. I’m beginning to feel a bit used. I’m continually stepped on for the benefit of others, yet when I complain, I’m only told how much worse it could be. I guess a doormat is better than a toilet bowl, but, still, I’d prefer to be in a better position than either of these.

I am probably going to sit out the next election. I won’t vote for Clinton or Obama, but I don’t see where McCain, the cause of most of the ills he’s supposed to address, is much better.

I’d rather keep my PERSONAL dignity and let the country go where it may.

I’m tired of being taken for granted, and I won’t be supporting any of these pandering fools.

I Refuse to be a Doormat Conservative, again.

The Marines, VS Beserkley

I don’t know if you folks have been following this, but it is worth paying attention to.

As a Southerner, I have watched the Berkeley vs. U.S. Marines brouhaha with a very keen interest. I’m not all that sure those people in Berkeley know what can happen to people who decide to mess around with the United States government.

Somebody really ought to clue those folks in with a little reality check.

This is worth a close read.

It would be hilarious if all PGR riders from across the US would converge on Berkeley and giv’em hell.

Here is some more action you can take.

UPDATE: Berkeley, California city officials met Tuesday night and REFUSED to issue an apology to the Marines!

Additionally, they also neglected to rescind their earlier resolution giving the radical left-wing organization Code Pink a parking space in front of the city’s Marine Recruitment Center and a noise permit.

So it appears that the harassment of our brave men and women in uniform will continue in Berkeley with the tacit blessing of city officials!

The City Council — after hearing criticism from you and tens of thousands of your fellow patriotic Americans — did however vote to rescind the letter they approved a couple of weeks ago calling the Marines “uninvited and unwelcome intruders.”

While this is a small victory, apparently Berkeley city officials think that patriotic Americans like you will simply go away and not bother them anymore based on their half-hearted action.

But if they really supported our troops, why did they VOTE DOWN a motion to apologize to the Marines and why are they continuing to sanction the harassment of our brave men and women in uniform?

Berkeley leaders — and other lefty city officials across America — need to know that half-hearted actions and crocodile tears simply are not enough!

We need to intensify our campaign in support of Senator Jim DeMint’s legislation to cut off Berkeley’s earmarks and give them instead to the Marines.

Use the link below to send your urgent and personalized Blast Fax messages to President George W. Bush, Senator Jim DeMint, and the GOP leadership of the House and the Senate.

This is entirely true!

People are most likely to become depressed in middle age, according to a worldwide study of happiness. The team of economists leading the work found that we are happiest towards the beginning and end of our lives, leaving us most miserable in middle years between 40 and 50.

The results, published in the journal Social Science & Medicine, showed that people’s levels of happiness followed a U-shaped curve, a pattern that was remarkably consistent in the vast majority of countries the researchers looked at, from Azerbaijan to Zimbabwe.

For both men and women in the UK, the probability of depression peaked at around the age of 44. In the US, men were most likely to be unhappiest at 50, while for women the age was 40.

The worst time in my life was in my late 40’s and early 50’s. CONOCO, the company that I faithfully worked for for 15 years forced me and several other near 50/over 50 Engineers to retire early. I felt like I was finally hitting my knowledge and experience peak. All they could see was that we as a group made too much money, so that was a tough time.

Read the rest.

Any of you in the bottom of the”U”?

Did any of you see this?

Anti-Bush campaign planned

That is truly insane!

Did any of you see this?

Anti-Bush campaign planned

That is truly insane!

To whom it may concern:

From the news reports of the first few primaries this presidential season, I see that it is being reported that the GOP voter is not as energized as the Democrat party voter, and that donations to democrats are coming in at a faster pace than they are coming in to the GOP coffers.

Apparently, those of you in power are at a loss as to why this is happening. After all, the current crop of GOP presidential candidates are no worse than the democratic corollary, so that can’t be it.

Let me explain it to you. Please bear with me as I elucidate the key points.

In 1994, Newt and company gave us a Contract with America, where you and they promised to bring ten important items to a vote if we put you in charge. You brought them to a vote, and passed a few of them. Although we really wanted all them to be passed, we allowed you the explanation that all you had done was promised to vote on them, not to pass them.

In fact, we liked this so much, we figured that having the GOP in charge of the whole Congress while the Bill “the Great Prevaricator” Clinton was president would be a good thing. This being so, we, the American people, put the GOP in charge of the Senate, as well.

So far, things were going pretty well for all of us. In fact, we even privately were thinking that this was the end of the democratic party altogether.

To butcher an old movie title, “a funny thing happened on the way to permanent GOP control.”

For some reason, once the GOP had the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, something happened. They stopped being conservative. They started spending like drunken sailors. They started paying off cronies, stealing, cheating, and everything that the democrats had been doing.

We should have seen this coming. When Bill Clinton perjured himself, the GOP wouldn’t convict him. Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m pretty sure that anyone else who was caught lying in court would be convicted. Why wasn’t Clinton convicted? Because the GOP had become democrats.

And now, we have one of the worst offenders, John McCain, as a possible front runner in the presidential nomination process.

Why is this? Have the voters from the 1990’s gone away? Are we no longer conservative?

Quite the opposite. YOU, the GOP, are the one who is no longer conservative, and us conservatives have stopped supporting you. We will no longer vote for the “lesser of two evils.” We will no longer vote for you, because “they” are worse.

We want conservatives. We want people who want to do what’s right for America, not what’s right for them and their friends.

Give us what we ask for, and we’ll come out in droves. We’ll send you more money. We’ll get you back in power.

As it is, though, we’ll probably stay home or skip the box. We figure that letting you get unelected is the easiest way to put a conservative in your place. Even if it means four or eight years of Obama or Mrs. Bill.

You did this to yourselves. You are the one to blame.

See the level of support and passion that Dan Patrick got from his constituents. He won in a veritable landslide. That’s because he is a conservative, and did what he said he would do. He’s going to win in a landslide, again.

Look at Shelley Sekula Gibbs. She is not a conservative, and the voters are not as passionate about her, nor will she win with as big a majority.

Just open your eyes, and clean the horse stall that the GOP has become. We’re waiting for you to change BACK to what we support.

Best regards,
An ex-GOP voter, who’d like to be one once again

Michael Yon is now being reported on by The New York Times! Who’d a thunk it!

Read the article.

15 months of Democrats changing things:

October, 2006:  George Bush has screwed up this war.  We need to elect Democrats to fix it.  Here’s a bunch of websites, news reports, and editorials that say so.

It’s the economy you say?  So what should the government do about it?  The answer is right there in the title of this post.  I think it explains my complete lack of enthusiasm about any of the presidential candidates, actually.  As usual, Thomas Sowell of NR does an excellent job of making the point:

Recently, Professor N. Gregory Mankiw of Harvard, a former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, noted that people in Congress and the White House were wondering what they should do about the current economic situation. His suggestion: “Absolutely nothing.”

It is not just free market economists who think the government can do more harm than good when they intervene in the economy. It was none other than Karl Marx who referred to “crackbrained meddling by the authorities” that can “aggravate an existing crisis.”

Ronald Reagan and Karl Marx did not have much in common, except that they had both studied economics.

After the departure of Senator Phil Gramm and House Majority Leader Dick Armey, Congress has been an economics-free zone. There is not one economist among the 535 members of Congress.

But, in an election year, that is not a political handicap. Santa Claus has won far more elections than any economist.

So where have all the free market, laissez faire types gone?  In short, I don’t think it an unfair assesment to say that we, the voters, are entirely to blame for the missing element of good fiscal thought in politics.  We’ve become addicted to government “gimmes” and we vote accordingly.  How sad and utterly shortsighted that is.

You can read the entire article here.  It’s not very long and, as I say, it’s very well written.  Sowell has consistently been one of my favorite writers at NR.  The man just makes sense.

Rudy Giuliani graduated from Law School in 1968. Until 1977, he worked, at different levels, as a District Attorney or in a DA’s office. Once again, this gets a “go” from me in regards to my litmus test. Anyone who graduates near the top of his class, then does public service for little power and pay is most likely a patriot. After spending four years in private practice, he returned to public service in 1981, as the number 3 man in the US Department of Justice.

His prosecutorial record is impressive. Over 4000 convictions, with only 25 reversals. In 1993, he was elected mayor of NYC, and literally brought law and order to the streets. He took NYC from a dangerous, crime-ridden hole into a liveable, safe large city. As far as law and order is concerned, even Fred Thompson’s TV character can’t really compare.

He has been the steward as taxes have gone down, the number of welfare recipients have gone down, crime has gone down, organized crime has been broken up, and, in general, New York city became less of a hell hole.

Mayor Giuliani changed party affiliation to republican when Reagan was elected. This puts him outside the “opportunistic republicans” who switched parties in the early 1990’s to take advantage of the Gingrich Revolution in Congress. His GOP credentials are real, as is his public service. For reference, see the Mafia Commission Trial at Wikipedia, as well as realize he was named person of the year in 2001 by Time Magazine, back when Time was temporarily selecting people who deserved it, rather than trying to select people to make political points.

Giuliani’s leadership during and after the 9/11 attack was the focus of much praise from both sides of the aisle, as well as the media. He held the city together, and showed American defiance by turning down $10 Million from Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Alsaud, who is not exactly against terrorism or for America. At the time, I think nearly all of America backed him in this, and were proud that he had done it.

Giuliani’s greatest criticism comes from the pro-life crowd. In the past, he has stated that he is morally against abortion, but supports a woman’s right to choose. I question whether such a position can actually be held in the same person. Regardless of my doubts, Giuliani has not been a proponent of either pro-life or pro-choice positions. Apparently, he has ignored it except when asked direct questions about it.

Dr. Ron Paul has tapped into the approximately 15% of the nation that is fed up with business as usual. I see his supporters as the Kinky Friedman type of voters from Texas’ last Gubernatorial election. (Disclaimer and disclosure: I voted for Kinky Friedman.) This is the fraction (and possibly “faction,” as well) of voters who don’t like any of the other choices, want something done in their interests instead in the interest of the politician, and like a candidate who says what he thinks. These are a few of the things that Ron Paul has in common with Kinky Friedman.

Ron Paul was born in Pittsburgh, PA, August 20, 1935. He is a physician, specializing in Ob-gyn. He was a US Air Force Flight Surgeon during the Vietnamese War. This makes him another American Hero, by default, if not with the strong credentials that McCain holds. This service means that Dr. Paul passes my litmus test: He is a patriot. Say what you like about him, his motives in running for president are obviously to do what he thinks is best for America.

Dr. Paul ran for president in the 1988 election under the Libertarian banner. Once again, I mention that these are the folks who hang out outside the Harris County Courthouses calling for the impeachment of whatever office holder is currently in office. I happen to be mostly libertarian myself, but resent these people for driving sane people away from even looking in to the Lib. party. Frankly, I wish they’d just go away.

Libertarians, including Dr. Paul, feel that less government is the best government. I happen to agree with this position. Dr. Paul says all the right things in regards to domestic policy. He is for lower taxes, less government intervention, and more freedom. He votes Constitutionally, meaning that he looks at the Constitution for the United States of America, and if he can’t see a justification for the legislation in that document, he votes against it. I wish all of our politicians did the same.

Dr. Paul, though, loses my vote when he talks about foreign policy. I don’t know who his advisors are, but whoever they are, they are doing a poor job in this area. Dr. Paul would do well to just shut up, rather than continue to blame America for being attacked by Islamic terrorists. He recently stated that Benazir Bhutto’s killing was also fomented by US foreign policy and his basic foreign policy is for the US to be “neutral.” This sounds great in theory, but I don’t know how well it will work in practice. For one thing, we need the cooperation of other governments to forward deploy our equipment, as well as support our troops outside the US.

I figured I should get this one out of the way as soon as possible. Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is anything but an American Hero. Like her unfaithful husband, she loathes America, its military, and everything it stands for. From what I can tell, her entire biography consists of:

Graduating from Law School
Being involved in the Watergate Investigation
Marrying Bill Clinton
Arranging probably illegal investment and real estate deals
Trying to socialize American medicine
Failing at everything she’s ever done until
Getting elected Senator in an anti-carpetbagging move

If I’ve missed something, please point it out in the comments.

Finding an adjective to describe her is difficult. Some that are undeniably accurate include: narcissistic, selfish, volatile, vicious, and machiavelian. Her good qualities include…. well, help me out if you can think of any.

She is undoubtedly a socialist and does not trust the common man. Her actions indicate that she never underestimates the stupidity of the common man. During this election, the only questions she takes are pre-vetted, planted, or prepared. Now that she has been caught doing so, she no longer takes questions.

She has attempted to be on all sides of issues she cannot avoid, such as the Iraq War. She has changed her position on this no less than six times. At least a waffle only has two sides. Hillary seems to be able to change her position faster than an aerometer in a windstorm. She undoubtedly learned this from her husband, who was much better at it.

Her second greatest asset in this election is that her opponents are at least as unlikeable, inexperienced, and socialist. Her greatest asset is the support of 90% or more of the mainstream media, including all the major alphabet networks. None of them will dare to ask any questions that may make her look bad, or report anything that might put her in a bad light.

She wants your money and if elected, like her husband, will cost you in the pocketbook; will cost the country in international respect; cost our security by gutting the military just at a time we need it the most.

Clinton is the only opponent that might cause me to vote for McCain.

Without a doubt, Senator John McCain is an American Hero in the truest sense of the word. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1958, and became a Naval Aviator. For those of you who are unaware, Naval Aviators are the best in the world. This is not to take anything away from the Air Force aviators, but landing on a moving platform just slightly smaller than 10 football fields while going a couple of hundred miles per hour is not for the weak at heart.

Then-Lieutenant Commander McCain was piloting his A4 Skyhawk over Vietnam on October 26, 1967 when he was shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Whether Jane Fonda was manning the gun at the time is unknown, but unlikely. He was captured, and spent the next six years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, one of the most brutal prisoner of war camps during this conflict. The fact that this small-statured man came through this relatively intact and normal is a testament to his internal strength and fortitude.

As I said, he is undoubtedly a true American Hero and deserves our praise, thanks, and eternal gratitude for what he went through in the name of our country. Many left-wing blogs are questioning facts about his imprisonment and service (reference 1, reference 2, and reference 3), but these are the same kind of people who “support the troops, but not the war,” which translates into, “No one will listen to my anti-American swill if I don’t at least pay verbal homage to our children in harm’s way, even though I would put up a ’sailors and dogs keep off the grass’ sign in my yard if I thought I could get away with it.”

They tend to question how he came through the torture and privation in such good health, saying things like “During that interview, McCain again seriously violated the Code of Conduct by failing to “evade answering questions” to the “utmost” of his ability when he, according to the DOD report, helped Barral by answering questions in Spanish, a language McCain had learned in school. On Dec. 7, 1969, McCain was moved out of isolation and into the “Hanoi Hilton” with other prisoners of war.”

So, after only two years, he was moved out of solitary, and didn’t do his “utmost” to put up with torture… I can’t even comment on the inanity of this statement. He was being tortured and trying to survive in brutal conditions. Anyone who questions his credentials as an American Hero is no true American Patriot, in my not-so-humble opinion.

Why am I then not going to support his presidential candidacy? Well, “being a patriot” is definitely on my list of “musts” for anyone hoping to get my vote (as an aside, this is also the reason I refuse to support either of the Clintons in any endeavor they undertake), but “being a hero” is not. McCain therefore passes my first test, and probably the only litmus test I have, for getting my vote.

With the first primaries starting in less than two weeks, I am going to be posting a few articles on the candidates. I have been thinking very seriously about whom I am going to support. Please comment on the candidates themselves in the comments, but as always, any comments are welcome.

This is not meant to be an endorsement of any candidate in particular. Since I am still undecided whom I will support, I cannot very well endorse him. I can, though, say that there are quite a few candidates whom I will not be supporting. Those who know me can probably guess a few names, I’m sure.

“Not endorsing” does not mean “suggesting one does not vote for this candidate.” These will be my opinions, only, and are only presented as such. I invite other authors to post their views, as well, either as comments here, or as their own posts. If you email me the text at wine_drinker at hotmail dot com, I’ll add it to the body of the post. Just be sure to let me know which candidate you want the text to go with, if it isn’t obvious.

Since he’s surging in the polls, I’m going to write my first opinion piece today on… (see next article).