The Right State

A recent Gallup Poll finds that 70% of Americans now believe the threat of global warming is real.  Is global warming real?  It depends on who you ask: an environmentalist or a scientist.  The environmentalist will tell you that man is the problem.  Over the last couple of hundred years man has spewed millions of tons of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the air which has the effect of keeping warm air trapped at the surface. Thus as time passes, the earth warms up more and more.

The other side says there is no way man, who is a mere insect on this planet, can influence the earth in this way.  In this line of thinking man is too insignificant to change earthly patterns.

The truth?  I think the whole global warming thing is a load of garbage.  According to The New American the sun is the guilty party.

The real culprit in “global climate change” is the sun: Long-term studies document that fluctuations in the intensity of solar radiation are closely correlated with warming and cooling trends in the Earth’s temperature. These facts are scrupulously ignored by those determined to use the “global warming” myth to destroy industrial civilization.

Humans can destroy the planet but we can not significantly change the global temperature.  The environmentalists have created a firestorm all on their own.  And they have convinced the MSM, schools, and most Americans that we are indeed able to influence our own global temperature.  As a result President Clinton signed the Kyoto Treaty forcing the United States and other ‘industrialized’ countries to spend a significant amount of money ($350 billion in the US by 2012) to make our factories more ‘green.’  And to think it is all B.S.

In spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the people of the world has trepidation about Global Warming that borders on panic.  According to the Lone Star Times, Canada has just signed on to the Kyoto Treaty even though sixty of their own scientists are telling the Canadian politicians that global warming is a load of crap.  CNN is doing a study on Global Warming.  And as stated above, most Americans think it is real.  So far, our scientists have not been heard from.  David Holcberg writing for Capitalism Magazine says that most scientists agree that global warming is nonsense.

The evidence debunking global warming is indeed so forceful that 17,000 U.S. scientists signed the 1998 “Oregon Petition,” declaring that “There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate.”

Just to give an example of how insignificant humans are to the world temperature, take the case of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines.  It blew up unexpectedly in 1992 and put out more pollution into the air than all cars since their inception.  According to tests, the volcano caused the temperature in the stratosphere to increas as much as 3.5 degrees Centigrade at some latitudes for more than 2 years afterwards.  And the sulfur dioxide released equaled approximately 22 million tons.

How are we as humans ever going to be able to top that?  We can’t.  We are too insignificant by the world’s standards.  Global Warming is a farce, brought on by those who know better, Al Gore for instance.  Lets drop any pretense about how the Kyoto Treaty will help the planet and go on to something more important.  Its time to go to another horror show.  We have beaten this dead horse long enough.

Hat tip: Lone Star Times

Tags: Culture, Politics by Chuck
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Everywhere you turn, people are saying, “The Democrats are coming! The Democrats are coming!”  At least that is what the Dems are proclaiming.  The question is, do we believe them?  Do they have something, or is this just another empty promise?  From Howard Dean to Nancy Pelosi to the MSM to the moonbat blogosphere, all are predicting a big win by the Democrats in November.  If you read some of the left leaning blogs like the one here, what you get is fairly typical.  They all seem to have some things in common.  One of the main frequently quoted posts is by Carl Bernstein in Vanity Fair.

For one of the guys who broke the Watergate story, he is all over the map, lacing his article with words used to paint a picture of corruption, like Nixon, Watergate, and abuse of power.  Bernstein makes sure his readers understand his message: Bush must go.  His obvious goal is to generate enough of an outcry among Democrats to justify impeaching President Bush.

How much evidence is there to justify such action?

Certainly enough to form a consensus around a national imperative: to learn what this president and his vice president knew and when they knew it; to determine what the Bush administration has done under the guise of national security; and to find out who did what, whether legal or illegal, unconstitutional or merely under the wire, in ignorance or incompetence or with good reason, while the administration barricaded itself behind the most Draconian secrecy and disingenuous information policies of the modern presidential era.

There is a mouthful there.  Either the President knew what he was doing and lied to the American people.  Therefore we need to impeach him.  Or Bush did not know what his subordinates were doing and he was incompetent.  Therefore we need to impeach him.  Either way, Bush is bad!  The evidence should speak for itself.  There has not been a terrorist attack on this country since 9/11.  Bernstein goes on with a litany of unsubstantiated charges, distortions, or outright lies to encourage the radical left to support impeachment and win back Congress.  Among the charges include: torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo, wholesale N.S.A. domestic wiretapping in violation of the law; brutal interrogations of prisoners, the nonexistence of W.M.D. in Iraq; the role of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney’s chief of staff in divulging the name of an undercover C.I.A. employee; the non-role of Saddam Hussein and Iraq in the events of 9/11; the death by friendly fire of Pat Tillman, the lack of a coherent post-invasion strategy for Iraq, the so-called Downing Street Memo and the need to invent almost any justification for going to war in Iraq (including sending up an American U-2 plane painted with U.N. markings to be deliberately shot down by Saddam Hussein’s air force, a plan hatched while the president, the vice president, and Blair insisted to the world that war would be initiated “only as a last resort”).

Oh, my gosh!  What kind of kool-aid is Bernstein drinking? While we are at this stage of blaming the President for everything we can think of, lets continue the barrage.  I am sure George Bush had something to do with the steering of Hurricane Katrina into the overwhelmingly black town of New Orleans, because he hates black people.  He knew about 9/11 before it happened having been warned ahead of time by the Saudis.  His family had JFK killed.  The Bush family controls the world’s supply of oil.  Have I left out anything?  Next thing these moonbats will claim is that Bush is secretly working with Extraterrestrial Life to take over the world.  The problem with the article is that none of the President’s actions occurred in a vacuum.  If there was a Presidential abuse of power (there wasn’t), then Congress let him do it.  The Legislature has the power of the purse to stop funding of any program.  They can call witnesses and generally cause havoc within the offending agency involved in abuses of any kind.  The problem is all their witnesses say the President is right.  The Democrats could change the way we do things, but they don’t want to fix anything, they are complaining to gain a political advantage.  And by the way, there was no torture at Gitmo or at Abu Ghraib, Saddam did have WMDs, and the President has the authority to wiretap phone calls to other countries.  As for the rest, I am not even going to waste my time explaining B.S.

The other thing that these left leaning posts have in common is the fact they want to use the impeachment of the President issue (or at least the attempt to impeach President Bush) to gain both houses of Congress.  The article Bernstein for example goes on and on, before he eventually gets around to saying why he is writing this article.  Twice he mentions the talk in the White House where there is talk of a nightmare scenario in the Republican camp in which

…the Democrats successfully make the November congressional elections a referendum on impeachment—and win back a majority in the House, and maybe the Senate too.

The other shoe drops.  The Dems are playing politics with the security of this country.  Win at all costs is their motto. The only nightmare scenario I see is if the American people believe this load of nonsense and vote Democrats into both houses of Congress.  Then President Bush’s lost momentum on his agenda will be the least of his problems as the Dems will come up with any excuse to belittle, emasculate, or impeach the President.

In contrast to these left leaning blogs, Michael Barone writing for Real Clear Politics gives a very concise view of how the Democratic Party could conceivably capture Congress without using the impeach Bush mantra.

If the president’s job rating is above 50 percent, his party tends to suffer only narrow losses or even, as in 1934 and 1998 — and almost in 1962 — makes gains. If the president’s job rating is significantly under 50 percent, his party tends to lose lots of seats.

It is a simple numbers game all tied to the President’s job approval rating.  There may very well be a majority of Americans who wish to see a change after several years of Republican rule, but to turn Congress over to the Party who does not know how to secure America is not very smart.  As Hugh Hewitt said in his book, “If it’s not close, they can’t cheat;” the Democrats can not be trusted with the security of this nation, ever. (paraphrased)

Tags: Politics, War by Chuck
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Where is the illegal immigration issue going to take us?  More and more the left leaning schools are opening their doors and allowing their students participate in protest marches.  Michelle Malkin carried a story of an elderly couple whose house was vandalized by rock and egg tossing teenage protesters.  Interestingly, the couple was Hispanic and tried to tell the kids they needed to be in school and learn English.  The MSM would have us believe all Hispanics are together on this issue.  Guess not.

This confrontation points to the growing problem of out of school adolescents causing problems.  I stated here on Tuesday April 11^th that I believed the protests would eventually turn violent.  In some instances they have, but not as much as I would have believed.  Of course Congress is in the middle of a two week recess, so the illegal immigration issue is off the front burner.  But I believe we are in the calm before the storm.  May 1^st marks a day protest organizers have set for immigrants not to go to work.  There may be some violent clashes then, but wait until many of these same illegal immigrants try to go back to work after being fired, which has happened on other marches.  That is when the real violence starts.

When these protest marches first took place, most of us realized from the abundance of Mexican flags that these people’s first loyalty was to Mexico and then to the United States.  For a while the protest organizers took the time to pass out US flags, but that pretence seems to be over.  Now the signs of ‘Reconquista’ and ‘this land is ours’ dot the marches.  The picture on the right is typical of the ‘this is my land’ genre.  This is just the calm before the storm.

It does make you wonder what these teachers are teaching these teenage delinquents.  This land belongs to the people of the United States, not to people who illegally gain access to this country by crossing a river.  I would be a whole lot more sympathetic to someone who obeys our laws and does not complaint about rights they are NOT entitled to have.  During Hurricane Rita, we let a Hispanic family stay at our house for a few days after they fled Houston.  Suppose after a couple of days, this family had demanded to be made a part of our family.  When we said no, they protested and picketed our house.  We called the police, but it was too hot of an issue for them, so they did nothing (ICE).  The demonstrations caught the attention some of our more liberal neighbors (Democrats) who decided to placate this family by changing the rules of the Home Owners Association.  Now we have to let this family stay.  We as a country are in the same situation.  These people came in, want the same rights as those who came here legally, they protest, ICE doesn’t do their job, and the Democrats are lining up to soothe their ruffled feathers.

Kick back and sit tight, this thing is just getting started.

Tags: Immigration by Chuck
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Off with his head, cry the critics of Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld.  So seven Generals are crying for Rumsfeld to be fired, all during a time when we are fighting the Global War on Terror.  President Bush apparently is not amused by these critics, firing back that he and he alone makes the decision whether or not to replace a cabinet member.  As the Decider-in-Chief the President is happy with Rumsfeld and is not planning to replace him any time soon.

Pressed to respond to critics who say he is ignoring the advice of respected former military commanders, Bush vigorously stood by Rumsfeld.

“I listen to all voices, but mine is the final decision,” he said. “And Don Rumsfeld is doing a fine job. He’s not only transforming the military, he’s fighting a war on terror. He’s helping us fight a war on terror. I have strong confidence in Don Rumsfeld.

“I hear the voices, and I read the front page, and I know the speculation. But I’m the decider, and I decide what is best. And what’s best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense.”

Let’s see if this new title catches on like “Leaker-in-Chief” did.  I doubt it.  As the Decider-in-Chief the President makes no bones why he is sticking with Rumsfeld even though talking to the press about personnel matters is not something he normally does.

You have to give credit to the President, he did not stick his finger into the political wind like some politicians are apt to do.  He vigorously defended his Secretary.

In response to the seven generals coming out against the embattled Secretary of Defense, four others, Lt. Gen. John Crosby, retired Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney (Fox News analyst), retired Maj. Gen. Buron Moore (Fox News analyst) and retired Maj. Gen Paul Vallely (Fox News analyst) have come out in support of Rumsfeld in an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal.

More than likely, Mr. Rumsfeld’s departure would create new problems, starting with a crisis of confidence in Iraq about American staying power. What do Mr. Rumsfeld’s critics imagine Iraqis think as they watch former commanders assigning blame? And how would a Rumsfeld resignation contribute to the credible threat of force necessary to meet America’s next major security challenge, which is Iran’s attempt to build a nuclear bomb? Sacking the Defense Secretary mid-conflict would only reinforce the Iranian mullahs’ belief that they have nothing to worry about because Americans have no stomach for a prolonged engagement in their part of the world.

I agree.  I agree.  I agree.  Their complaining is just so much sour grapes.  Besides, such a move as replacing the Sec. Def. would only embolden the terrors.  Believing they are tiring America the terrorist would renew their attacks with unequaled fury.  By sticking with Rumsfeld the way he is, the President is proclaiming loud and clear for all to hear, we are winning with Donald Rumsfeld, and I am sticking with him.

Tags: Texas by Chuck
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Here we go again.  The Texas Legislature is taking yet another whack at beating the court ordered deadline to overhaul the financing of Texas schools.  The court ordered the state to fix the problem of having a statewide property tax.  The state legislature has six weeks left to come to a solution.  I don’t have much confidence in the legislature pass a property tax relief bill or to get along with each other.  So far all they have been able to do is to point fingers accusing each other of dropping the ball.  This will be the fourth special session in two years to fix the funding problem, not including the regular sessions.  From personal experience, I can say property owners need a break.  Taxes have gone up every year until they have finally reached the state maximum.  Since schools says they need more money, appraisers have dutifully increased property values in order to secure more funds.

With an expanding economy, the state has an abundance of funds, over $8 billion in surplus.  According to the AP, Gov. Rick Perry wants the legislature to buy down property taxes by a third with the surplus.  Unfortunately, this is only a temporary stop gap measure which will get around the court ordered deadline this year and maybe next, but in the end, the lawmakers are going to have to find an equitable way to finance schools without going after property owners.  Frankly, they have had two years to fight and squabble, but have yet to find a solution.  I, for one, am ready.  Taxes are too high and are not spread out evenly.  The Republicans have a majority in the state legislature and a Republican Governor.  It time for them to start acting like the majority party.  And if the Democrats do not go along, leave them behind.  Just fix the problem with our taxes.

Tags: Texas, Politics by Chuck
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Jane Fonda really wants to get involved in the protest against the Global War on Terror, but feels like people will remember her for what she did in Vietnam rather than her comments on the present war.   According to the AP, Fonda feels she can no longer help the anti-war movement.

“I wanted to do a tour like I did during the Vietnam War, a tour of the country,” the Oscar-winning actress said Monday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “But then Cindy Sheehan filled in the gap, and she is better at this than I am. I carry too much baggage.”

Baggage is right.  Let’s take a look back at some of Jane Fonda’s ‘activities’ during that very divisive war.  Fonda went to Vietnam and praised the fighting spirit of the North Vietnamese while ridiculing the Americans.  She even had her picture taken on an anti-aircraft gun, one used to shot down our American pilots.  Her propaganda had the effect of encouraging our enemies.  Then Fonda also had her famous radio broadcast part of which is below.

As I left the United States two weeks ago, Nixon was again telling the American people that he was winding down the war, but in the rubble-strewn streets of Nam Dinh, his words echoed with sinister (words indistinct) of a true killer. And like the young Vietnamese woman I held in my arms clinging to me tightly–and I pressed my cheek against hers–I thought, this is a war against Vietnam perhaps, but the tragedy is America’s.

One thing that I have learned beyond a shadow of a doubt since I’ve been in this country is that Nixon will never be able to break the spirit of these people; he’ll never be able to turn Vietnam, north and south, into a neo-colony of the United States by bombing, by invading, by attacking in any way. One has only to go into the countryside and listen to the peasants describe the lives they led before the revolution to understand why every bomb that is dropped only strengthens their determination to resist.

There are a great many veterans out there like myself who will never go see a Jane Fonda movie, who will never allow a Fonda video in my house, and can never discuss the Vietnam War without thinking of Jane Fonda.  And then she thinks an apology for her ‘bad judgment’ and ‘thoughtlessness’ will make everybody forget.  Wrong!  The people of Georgia have not forgotten.  The AP continues.

Last month, the Georgia Senate overwhelmingly rejected a resolution honoring Fonda, an Atlanta resident, for her work preventing teen pregnancy, donations to universities and charities, and role as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.

Her political activities protesting the Vietnam War, including a trip to North Vietnam in 1972, have long made her a target of veterans.

You think!?  What did the AP think veterans would do, kiss and make up, forgive and forget?  Jane Fonda’s acts of propaganda for our enemies killed American soldiers.  I like General Westmoreland’s sentiments that he should have had her arrested and shot for treason.  You can mark some things down as youthful indiscretions, but Fonda’s actions go way over the top and they will not be forgotten.

Now Jane Fonda is going to help us all out by turning her attention to the Global War on Terror.  America has not forgotten the last time she tried to help us out.  Note to Fonda, we do not need your ‘enlightened’ help.  We were attacked and finally we have a President who knows how to respond by attacking those who would do us harm.  As for comparing yourself to Cindy Sheehan, I only wish you were like her.  Cindy’s 15 minutes of fame are over and nobody took her seriously.  Why can’t you just go away never to be heard from again.  Oh, well.  It was a nice thought.

Tags: War by Chuck
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You are at The Right State.  I am trying out a new theme which has more options than the one I was using.

Tags: War by Chuck
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Happy Easter everyone.  This is the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3: 16-18.  NIV)

There are those who believe the world came into being by a cosmic accident and that life just began all on its own.  These same people also believe that life has no meaning since there is nothing after death.  I can not do that.  For me, life needs meaning.  We are here for a reason.  To believe that we are the result of happenstance, a roll of the dice whose, whose very existance is so improbable as to not be a chance at all takes real faith.  I believe we were created for a reason.  God made us in His own image and we were perfect.  But we moved away from God and did things our own way, worshiped our own gods.  So God sent His son, born of a virgin, lived the perfect sin-free life.  Then Jesus died on the cross to bridge the gulf between us and our creator that was caused by our sin.  The blood sacrifice that was required to wash away our sins was achieved by the crucifixion of the perfect man, the Lamb of God.  And now because of what Christ endured, we can have a relationship with God.  We can now spend an eternity with our Lord.  He suffered through humiliation, shame, and torture to rectify the situation that we ourselves caused, by sinning.  The bible tells us that all men have sinned which leads to separation from God.  Jesus was nailed to a cross to die.  You see, it was not man who kept Jesus on the cross, it was love.  The love that Jesus has for us, sent Him and kept Him on the cross. And because of what Christ did for me, I now have purpose, a reason for being, a reason to exist.  

Godspeed and have a safe trip if you are traveling. Have a great weekend!

Tags: Culture by Chuck
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LaShawn Barber has a great post on the Duke University Lacrosse rape case which she appropriately called, The Black Helen of Troy.  (For more concise information on the rape/seduction of Helen of Troy look here)  According to one of the commenter, a father of one of the boys, the DA has no case.  Turns out one of the main players accused of the rape was in New York City at the time.  Considering the number of interviews the DA has given since the case became public, it sure looks like he is trying to curry favor with black voters.  Looks bad for the DA.

Can anyone say Tawana Brawley?  The DA has no case: no DNA evidence, no collaborating evidence, no witness, no testimony.  Check that.  There was DNA evidence, it just did not belong to any of the 46 white Duke Lacrosse players.  The some can point out that if the players did not rape her, they will most likely be exonerated.  But what about the players good names.  They have been tried in the press and by an ambitious politican who hopes a conviction will win him an election.  Win at all costs, even if you have to falsely destroy somebody to do it.  Despicable conduct on the part of a politican.

If it turns out the stripper was not raped and the Duke players were falsely accused, she should be charged with a felony, not the usual misdemeanor.  In this case, she should go to jail.

Tags: Culture by Chuck
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There has been a lot of talk recently concerning Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.  With the mullahs ruling the country and a president who ambitiously pursues an Armageddon type of confrontation with the west and Israel, the world may well be heading headlong into a war with Iran.  H-bomb on Ankle Biting Pundits wonders if America has the will it needs to take on Iran.

I don’t know if the looming threat from Iran will result in an invasion or not. I do know this country is not prepared for another long struggle, which is what is required if we are to depose the fascist Iranian clerical regime and replace it with something closer to sanity.

Half the country–more than half, perhaps–believes Iraq has been a terrible adventure and has lost the will to see through our mission there. The consequence of such a loss of spirit is to cede all of the Persian Gulf to Iran; it will empower them instead of knocking them back on their heels.

Let’s make this perfectly clear; it is the ‘cut and run’ Democrats who seek every opportunity tag the US with a loss.  They are stuck with a Vietnam complex seeking a loss where there is none.  Most historians consider the Tet Offensive a tremendous loss for North Vietnam which led to much of the publics disaffection with the war.  A war in which perception is greater than reality.  We won the Vietnam war, but that is not how the left sees it.  But if you consider the Vietnam a loss, consider this: It was the American press who lost that war, not our soldiers.  It was Jane Fonda and her antiwar bunch that lost that war, not the military.  It was many in Congress who had no guts to finish the war, not our fighting men and women.  And now these same ones are determined to lose this war in spite of our accomplishments.  How can our military win every engagement and lose the war.  They can’t.  A fact most Americans, I believe, understand.  Maybe H-bomb has seen a poll that I have not.  Sure there are areas in the war effort where we could do better.  But the point is that while most Americans do not believe the war is going well, most think we are winning.  We will only lose if we lose our nerve.

H-Bomb makes one point I agree with 100%.

Make no mistake, each “Bush Lied!” chant from your leftist neighbor, each “bring them home now” bloviation from the MoveOn.org buffoon in your neighborhood empowers the clerical regime in Iran. What is more, this loss of spirit is the result of a deliberate and coordinated campaign of deception by people out of power and desperate to do anything to get it back.

The Left will do anything to regain their power in Congress and the Presidency.  And they will lie, cheat, or steal to do it.  Then when anyone on the right questions some of the their outrageous comments, they say we are questioning their patriotism.  Well, I am questioning their patriotism!  I lump Jane Fonda, the MoveOn crowd, Michael Moore, and the Hollywood left into one basket.  Along with that group, throw in Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton, Edward Kennedy, John Kerry, Carl Levin, Charles Schumer, Russ Feingold, and Robert Byrd who never miss an opportunity to bash the President, belittle our troops, and kowtow to their liberal co-conspirators—the MSM.  Their outrageous comments have emboldened our enemies, killed our soldiers, continue to dishearten the American people, and have encouraged the terrorists into believing they will outlast us.  It is time to hold the ‘cut and run’ group accountable for their comments.

Martin Luther King once stated that evil prevails when good men do nothing.  The same applies here.  Its time for Republicans and Conservatives to quit being so nice and start playing hardball with the left.  We don’t need to lie.  All we have to do is to tell the truth.  We are at war with those who would kill us if they could.  This is a war we must win if we are to survive as a country.  These defeatists, on the other hand, want another Vietnam, they want to ‘cut and run,’ they want to give up, and they want America humbled–brought to its knees.  Its time to call them by the labels they have earned. They are defeatists, they are quitters, these losers WANT America to lose, and they are NOT patriotic.

I trust most of the American people can see through the shenanigans of the left.  We need to win in Iraq.  We must stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.  Otherwise what would we tell our grandchildren?  We had the chance to protect America from terrorists, we lost our nerve.  We had the chance to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons, but we capitulated to the left instead.  Sorry.

Tags: War by Chuck
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