The Right State

It may be too early for some, but I wanted to get an early start on the Congressional elections for 2006.  In my own district 17, the seat is currently being held by Democrat Chet Edwards who survived a nail-biter against Arlene Wolgomuth in the election of 2004.  He was forced into a redrawn district after republicans won control of the Texas House and Senate in 2002.    Chet has survived using two major themes: his support of the military and his ties to his alma mater, Texas A&M University.

I live in a very conservative district whose main focus has been national security and conservative social issues.  Like others in my district, I considered Chet Edwards as someone who was a conservative democrat in the manor of Zell Miller, former Senator from Georgia.  I have just recently found this is not the case.  Somehow Congressman’s rhetoric has not caught up with his voting record.

I found his voting record in two different websites: On the Record and Project Vote Smart, both of which are non-partisan voter information sites.  Here is his record.

1. Voted NO on making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime. (Feb 2004) (I guess voting yes would lead to making abortion illegal since the law would define an unborn baby as a life)
2. Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother’s life. (Oct 2003) (A particularly vicious type of abortion)
3. Voted NO on forbidding human cloning for reproduction & medical research. (Feb 2003)(See Voting Yes on banning human cloning)
4. Voted NO on funding for health providers who don’t provide abortion info. (Sep 2002) (Denies funding to providers who don’t discuss abortion, what a crock!)
5. Voted YES on banning human cloning, including medical research. (Jul 2001) (Does this look like sticking your finger into the wind to see where the wind was blowing)
6. Voted NO on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad. (May 2001)
7. Voted NO on federal crime to harm fetus while committing other crimes. (Apr 2001)
8. Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortions. (Apr 2000)
9. Voted NO on barring transporting minors to get an abortion. (Jun 1999)
10. Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record. (Dec 2003) (You don’t need to add anything here.  NARAL-National Abortion Rights Action League, just a pro-abortion group)

Considering all of the above, I am not sure why the people of central Texas would vote for this guy.  He does not represent my views or those of anyone else I know except for some “Yellow Dog Democrats” who will vote for their fellow democrats no matter who or what is running.

The man Chet will be running against will be Van Taylor of Dallas.  He is a former Marine, veteran of the war in Iraq, and now a businessman.  Van won his primary against Tucker Anderson of Calvert during a vicious primary election in which he brutally attacked Tucker.  Because of this primary, most Republicans I know will support Van Taylor, but will do so reluctantly.

More of Chet Edwards voting record on other posts.

Tags: Politics, War by Chuck
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I ran across an article written by Joy Stephenson in our local Navasota Examiner that I really enjoyed.  It takes a look at the sensitivity police gone overboard.  It is well worth the time it takes to read.

Americans are being driven crazy by the sensitivity bunch.  Some years ago, I accepted the fact that the ancient story of “Little Black Sambo” should have its name changed.  I complied and read “Little Sammy” to my grandchildren.  To this day they don’t know who Sambo is or was.  They never inquired about his race.  Following the example of former President Bill Clinton, they did not ask and I did not tell.  Sammy was just a little boy, like them.

But now they have gone too far.  It has been suggested that the story of Humpty Dumpty be changed so that the unfortunate egg could be put together again by all the king’s men.  Our children are not strong enough to handle a broken egg?  What do they think at breakfast time?  Remember “Baa Baa Black Sheep?”  He had two bags full of wool.  The sensitive folk want him to be colorless.  Maybe gray.  No.  That would offend delicately balanced old people.  Mary’s little lamb which once had “fleece white as snow” will have to change.  The poem hints that the lamb was better than the other lambs because of his snow white fleece.  What were those rhyme writers thinking?

I was handling all those things fairly well when I heard about the Texas soccer team which wanted its name to be The 1836.  The suggested title was quickly withdrawn because of the sensitivity of Hispanics.  Apparently its pains those of Mexican descent to be reminded that our state seceded from their country, fought and won a war to gain freedom from Mexico and became an independent nation.  To Texans, 1836 was a date to be honored.  The whole thing ended later at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Are we supposed to pretend that war never happened?  Are we no longer allowed to “Remember the Alamo?”

Few Texans complain when Cinco de Mayo is celebrated each May.  If we cannot publicly recognize that we won battles, we will have to give up the Fourth of July.  It might be hurtful for the Brits.  Can people really leave their homelands and come to a new country and instantly begin working to make the new place just like the old place?

There has long been a push concerning the names of sports teams.  It is considered unforgivable to name one for an Indian tribe.  Perhaps we could try soothing names such as The Butterflies or The Daisies, The Lemmings or the Kitty Kats.

Our Country is so concerned over this silly stuff that we are unable to use profiling in our search for terrorists, even though we are pretty cotton picking sure that they are Middle Easterners.

Meanwhile, as Americans at home are struggling with what is acceptable speech and what is not, our speech is being threatened by thin-skinned wimps as we watch those at Guantanamo carefully serve meals acceptable to Muslims and handle their religious literature with gloves rater than with their infidel hands.

The fact remains that most Americans try had to be tolerant of newcomers, but the word police are too much.  Remember Goliad, too.

What else can you say?

Article used with permission.  Thanks to the Navasota Examiner.

Tags: Culture by Chuck
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Harry Reid is getting desperate.  President Bush is going around the country explaining why we are in Iraq and to assure them that we are winning the GWOT.  Apparently it is working given Reid’s response.  As usual the Senate Minority Leader is content with being a messenger of woe.

Reid said the U.S. was “failing three different ways in Iraq.” Military efforts have lagged, the economy is crippled by decreased oil and electricity production, and attempts to form a representative government are behind schedule, he said.

“To me it shows how dangerously incompetent he is,” Reid said. “‘Stay the course, mission accomplished, bring ‘em on’ — the American people are sick of that. We need to change course in Iraq. … I think the president burying his head in the sand is not going to do the trick.”

Reid described conditions in Iraq as “low-grade civil war.”

“I don’t know how you define civil war. We know they’re killing an average of 50 Iraqis a day. At least it’s a low-grade civil war,” he said.

Harry Reid is sounding more like Cassandra in Greek mythology who is willing to stand before and camera or podium preaching gloom and doom.  But unlike the prophetess, Reid is not telling the true story, nor does he have any insight into the future.  In fact, very little of what he says comes true.  There is a difference between a civil war, and hoping for a civil war so you can profit politically from it.  Some prophet.  He just wants power.
I like Tucker Bounds, spokesman for the Republican National Committee, take on Harry Reid.  He said

…the situation in Iraq is getting the “utmost attention from the president and Republican leadership,” and he accused Reid of blocking efforts to fight the war on terror and wanting to “cut and run.”

“Harry Reid is the figurehead of a party that stood in steadfast obstruction to virtually all the tools that are being used to keep the American people safe and being used to help win the war on terror,” Bounds said.

Hat tip to Fox News.

Tags: Iraq, Politics, War by Chuck
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