POST SCRIPTS

One Sunday morning, an old cowboy entered a church just before services were to begin. Although the old man and his clothes were spotlessly clean, he wore jeans, a denim shirt and boots that were worn and ragged. In his hand he carried a worn-out old hat and an equally worn, dog-eared Bible.

The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and fine jewelry. As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled by his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.

As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. "Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what he thinks would be appropriate attire for worship in church." The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.

The next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and hat. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored. The preacher approached the cowboy and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church."

"I did," replied the old cowboy.

"And what was his reply?" asked the preacher.

"Well, sir, God told me that he didn't have a clue what I should wear. He said he'd never been in this church."

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By Lourdes Medrano Lourdes Medrano - Thu Sep 2, 5:38 pm ET
Tucson, Ariz. - The United States Justice Department is filing an "unprecedented" lawsuit against Joe Arpaio, the controversial sheriff of Arizona's Maricopa County.

Scientist's Firing After 36 Years Fuels 'PC' Debate at UCLA

A longtime professor at UCLA, told that he would not be rehired because his "research is not aligned with the academic mission" of his department, says he's being fired after 36 years at the prestigious school because his scientific beliefs are "politically incorrect." But UCLA says Dr. James Enstrom's politics have nothing to do with its decision.

Enstrom, an epidemiologist at UCLA's School of Public Health, has a history of running against the grain. In 2003 he wrote a study, published in the British Medical Journal, in which he found no causal relationship between secondhand smoke and tobacco-related death - a conclusion that drew fire both because it was contrary to popular scientific belief and because it was funded by Philip Morris.

Now Enstrom says his studies show no causal link between diesel soot and death in California - findings that once again set him far apart from the pack and put him in direct conflict with the California Air Resources Board, which says its new standards on diesel emissions will save 9,400 lives between 2011 and 2025 and will reduce health care costs by as much as $68 billion in the state.

The expected benefits of the new standards have been used to justify their estimated $5.5 billion price tag, which opponents say will cripple the California trucking industry at a time when the state can least afford it. The new standards, the critics warn, also could set the stage for national regulations

NAACP Launches New Spy Site
by Tina Grazier

I don't know whether the NAACP is driven by paranoia, self-hatred or just plain old fashioned politics but they do intend to spy on you Tea Partiers so beware! Yes that's right, the NAACP has organized a community of like-minded groups in support of a new website to monitor (spy on) tea party patriots. They have put up a website and blog, teapartytracker.org where they will be posting proof in pictures and articles of racism in the Tea Party. They also continue to demand that the Tea Party denounce anyone in their membership who is racist or who makes racist remarks, as if any TPer wouldn't do that in the moment fo his own volition anyway. .

The first blog post up when I saw the site today was the photo of a man, re-posted above, who is apparently at a tea party rally. His black t-shirt with white letters makes a definite statement...but is this statement racist or extreme...and is this the best they can do:

"Blacks own Slaves in Mauritania, Sudan Niger and Haiti."

Or does this statement just state a fact that might be germane to conditions in these countries and the subject of racism? Perhaps it is meant as a rebuttal to charges that only white people are racist or that America is a hateful country because of it's history of slavery. Was he attemting to speak out against the practice as a concerned citizen of the world? Does it matter what his motive in wearing the shirt was given his free speech rights? Here is the uncomfortably sad fact about the T-shirt message:

Wikipedia

Slavery in Africa continues today. Slavery existed in Africa before the arrival of Europeans - as did a slave trade that exported millions of Africans to North Africa, the Middle East, and the Persian Gulf : Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Sudan ** Child slave trade: Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Ethiopia

USA Today

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- Poverty has forced at least 225,000 children in Haiti's cities into slavery as unpaid household servants, far more than previously thought, a report said Tuesday. ** The Pan American Development Foundation's report also said some of those children -- mostly young girls -- suffer sexual, psychological and physical abuse while toiling in extreme hardship. ** The report recommends Haiti's government and international donors focus efforts on educating the poor and expanding social services such as shelters for girls, who make up an estimated two-thirds of the child servant population. ** Young servants are known as "restavek" -- Haitian Creole for "stays with" -- and their plight is both widely known and a source of great shame in the Caribbean nation that was founded by a slave revolt more than 200 years ago. ** Researchers said the practice is so common that almost half of 257 children interviewed in the sprawling Port-au-Prince shantytown of Cite Soleil were household slaves.

The T-shirt was factual.

Another feature on the website is "the gallery" where interested parties can submit examples of "Tea Party extremism from around the country". The current crop of photo's includes people holding signs, none of which is any more inflammatory, angry, negative or bigoted than signs held by activists or Democrats against Republicans and Republican administrations in the past. Many of the signs have to do with the economy, mortgages and taxes. The people themselves are mostly pleasant looking. None were as angry or disrespectful as two photos I have from the Bush years. One is of an angry young black man with his fist in the air screaming, the other is of an elderly, nicely dressed black woman in a hat holding a sign that reads "F*** George Bush" ...she is laughing and having a grand old time with her fellow "lady" protesters. Such a message for a nice older lady though, huh? Oh...and another is of a man's naked butt cheeks with BU on one cheek and SH on the other. (I can imagine Sharpton and Jackson laughing and yucking it up over that one, can't you?) People are people, people! They do dumb things. Most just live and let live.

I would support what the NAACP in doing if there was any significant evidence that Americans in general, or Tea Party activist in particular, were committing acts of racism or violent acts in greater measure than any other groups. I'd support them if they had evidence of any incident as bad as the one in which Mr. Gladney wasattacked by an SEIU activist at a tea party town hall. There is no any such evidence against any Tea Party member or supporter.

The NAACP would do a lot more good if they created a website that portrayed incidents and photos that show racism as passe...dead...untolerated in America. That would be a site that is more indicative of the truth. A site like that would allow Americans to more easily flush away any last bits of "racist garbage" that might still line a few gutters in America and would go a long way toward influencing better relations across racial and religious lines across the world. We could act as a beacon for peace and brotherhood rather than a bunch of complaining inept whiners.

At some point we must claim victory. We must put an exclamation point on the validity of the civil rights movement and on the wisdom of the founding documents, otherwise, what has been the point? We have worked hard as a nation to put racism behind us. A continued focus on racism as a "cause that never ends" only creates resentment and division and becomes counterproductive.

The NAACP should be celebrating the fact that America has overcome. They should be looking for evidence to prove it. they should creatively seek entrepreneurial solutions for and by the black man to improve conditions for blacks across America. Peer pressure within the ranks works well. Bill Cosby has pointed the way. These things would be more in line with the original charter of the NAACP.

1. "Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not."~Thomas Jefferson
2. "Those who trade liberty for security have neither." ~ John Adams
3. Free men do not ask permission to bear arms.
4. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
5. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.
6. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.
7. You only have the rights you are willing to fight for.
8. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.
9. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.
10. Assault is a behavior, not a device.
11. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.
12. The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights Reserved.
13. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.
14. What part of 'shall not be infringed' do you NOT understand?
15. Guns have only two enemies; rust and politicians.
16. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves.
17. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

Posted by Tina

When I was in kindergarten the teacher always pinned notes for our parents to our coats and sweaters to make sure they got home in one piece and were still readable. I thought of this simple method for controlling teacher/parent correspondance for five year olds when I read about a new plan the EPA has come up with for "grading" cars. They devised a plan to alert consumers about which cars are the gawdawful gas guzzlers, which are mildly tolerable, and which are the perfect little eco-friendly models. It seems the smart guys in the EPA don't think we are old enough to manage making those determinations on our own. Just like my kindergarten teacher, Miss Brown, they have devised a special plan of correspondance.
Detroit News

"We think a new label is absolutely necessary to help consumers make the right decision for their wallet and for the environment." - Assistant EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy ** Electric vehicles will get A+ grades and be labeled against a green background. Evil family haulers like minivans will get C grades and coded in orange; trucks and other so-called planet-melters will get D grades and be labeled dark orange --coincidentally, the same designation the nation gives for "high" terror alerts. ** Along with the designations will be how much money one can "save" by buying a government-promoted vehicle or how much extra it will cost if you buy a rogue ride. It is unclear how the government figures an "A+" can be given to a vehicle that is subsidized to the tune of $7,500 and still costs more than most similar-sized rides.

Indeed! Romper Room mentality has taken over at the EPA! How does it feel to have the government treat us like children barely capable of tying our own shoes? I don't know about you, but I've had about all I can stand of busy body know-it-all elitists and their nanny governance. Time to send the entire bunch home with an appropriate note attached to their coats:

a) Johnny doesn't play well with others; I'm afraid he might have control issues.
b) Mary is always doing other peoples work for them. She can't seem to mind her own business.
c) Veronica needs to work on her people skills; she can be a little too bossy at times.
d) Freddy needs work on his manners; he keeps taking lunch items from one friend to give to another.
e) George interrupts in class simply to show us all how smart he is but never finishes his work sheets
f) Candy enjopys recess but her mind wonders in class.
g) Arthur doesn't participate in class and rarely turns in work; he does offer to hand out the cookies at snack time.

by Tina Grazier

President George W. Bush said that liberty was not unique to America but was instead "God's gift to humanity."

He strongly believed in spreading freedom across the world. He saw that growing terrorist activity was a great threat to liberty around the world. He noted that free nations do not make war against free nations. He governed and made decisions based on the notion that freedom established in a nation acts as a deterrent to those who would be tyrants using oppression and violence. Whether you agree with this premise or not, it's difficult to argue that the man we elected twice to the oval office was not committed to his vision. He stood committed and centered against incredible criticism by enemies both foreign and domestic.

I too believe in spreading freedom around the world. This can be done using many tools including, as a last resort, going to war. Because I believe freedom is God's gift I appreciate some of the comments from President Obama's speech on Tuesday night. These remarks were somewhat surprising given the vitriolic, unsupportive public remarks made by Obama and others when George Bush was president and faced with the stresses and responsibilities of commander-and-chief .

Tuesday night President Obama (unwittingly?) acknowledged the unseemliness of his past remarks against George Bush. His error was not that he desagreed with the president, that was his right, but the error was in the timing, the tone and the political motivation that colored his remarks. We can disagree about Bush's decision or how we should approach this problem going forward but we would be wise to remain mindful of the threat that remains, and will remain, for an undetermined amount of time into the future. We would be wise to be mindful too, that the contribution our military has made to many in the Middle East who also believe in freedom is immeasurable.

by jack Lee

Congressman Tom McClintock-R (shown left) is to many Californians' the epitome of what it means to be a patriotic conservative. Now that he's in Congress his popularity is spreading across the nation. Most of the people on the right side of the fence passionately agree with what he has to say. There's a lot of talk about McClintock running for president in 2012; he's that popular...now here's what he has to say about Iraq:

It was a mistake. He tells us that when George Bush unleashed the military might of the United States on Iraq he broke a long standing precedent. That precedent said the United States never goes to war against another country unless we've been attacked or we are defending an ally. This isn't just our nation's moral line in the sand, it is the litmus test that most all nations in the western world are compelled to respect either by international law or by treaty. We didn't do that, we broke our own self imposed rule and it was why our coalition of the willing was limited to fraction of what we had in Gulf I. McClintock added (police actions excluded) that if we do go to war again, it should be a declared war and then we unleash an all out campaign and we fight to the bitter end with total victory.

Despite all the many valid reasons we can raise about the Iraqi's defiance of UN sanctions, obstructing inspectors, taking pot shots at high flying surveillance aircraft and rumors of WMD's which proved to be just that - rumors ... President Bush can still be accused of lowering the bar for this nation's collective character when he ordered us to wage war on Iraq and of course remove a ruthless dictator. And as it turns out that ruthless dictator was doing all those aggressive and defiant things half-hearted and only to maintain his respect and control in a way only the Arab world understands. It was a dangerous gamble that we didn't understand and he lost.

Seven years and a trillion and half dollars later another President has claimed the war is now over. We won, let's go home, game over. And he pulled out 75,000 soldiers and left 50,000 behind as "trainers". Unfortunately, our opposition in Iraq didn't get the message, they're still fighting, still bombing and still shooting at us, only it's against fewer Americans with fewer resources. Almost to the day that American forces drew down violence erupted across Iraq and it was one of the most bloodiest week's they've seen in the last two years.

What have we gained from all this, McClintock asks? We've lost over 4000 lives in the peacekeeping effort which has been a long, expensive and deadly learning experience. We discovered initially we were about as capable of doing that mission as the Iraqi army was in facing off against us on the battlefield. Our gross incompetence was exposed repeatedly and it cost lives for difficult lessons paid for in blood. It's estimated that somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 Iraqi were killed during peacekeeping, and as for President George W. Bush...well, he appeared to the world as a man without a plan. Bush proudly and defiantly proclaimed we would be there for however long it takes and as it turns out that would (predictably) be to the very next presidential election.

Iraqi's who hated Saddam Hussein are now saying at least their was stability under his rule, with America's puppet regime they can't even keep the power on for more than a few hours a day. Corruption is as prolific as Hussein's regime was barbaric, but at least the home generator business is booming in Baghdad.

If there is anyone outside President Maliki's regime who actually likes and respects it, we have yet to find them. As one Iraqi recently said, "You can impose democracy, but you can not impose cooperation." And there it is, the factions within Iraq at each others throats. The last Iraq election is six months old and they have yet to even form a coalition government. This division serves to breed contempt and turmoil among the general the population and this is a great recruiting tool for militant forces that see a complete and total victory over the opposition as the only way out.

President Obama's speech about Iraq's destiny is in their own hands now, implying that we've done a wonderful job of setting them up for greatness. In reality, we made a mess of things and we, albeit indirectly, imposed a puppet government on them that is unlikely to last. Now we're backing out as fast as we can claiming victory and patting ourselves on the back. Obama is wishing them all much luck and they're sure going to need it...as civil war seems inevitable. I only hope the last of troops are long gone before it starts.

Sources: http://www.calitics.com/diary/11433/rohrabacher-mcclintock-admit-iraq-war-was-a-mistake

http://www.topix.com/us-house/tom-mcclintockhttp://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/an-open-letter-to-the-gop-candidates-running-for-the-1st-congressional-district/Content?oid=1968366

Posted by Tina

"Are you opposed to Obamacare or illegal immgration? You're a racist. Are you opposed to gay marriage? You're a homophobe. Did you oppose Elana Kagan's appointment to the Supreme Court? You're a sexist. After less than two years of complete Democrat control of government, there aren't many Americas progressives haven't accused of some sort of bigotry for simply having an opinion different from theirs. The politics of "hope" and "change" have devolved into exactly what those espousing them claimed they would end. Is this really Democrat's plan to win votes in November? - Derek Hunter, "You're a Bigot, Now Vote for Me! The Progressive Plan for November." - BigGovernment

Moonbat: An unthinking or insane leftist -- in other words, most modern leftists.

An explosion sent a fireball of flames against a brick wall and the steel back door to the Jacksonville, Fl., Mosque where 61 were attending worship. The blast was believe to have originated from a small pipe bomb attached to a gasoline can. A grainy video shows a man walking with a gas can moments earlier, but it doesn't show anything else.

Several months ago a crazy acting man entered the Mosque and yelled, "Stop this blaspheming!" He ran away saying he would be back.

The findings from the Sleep Research Center showed that... "the 10 minute afternoon nap significantly improved subjective alertness, fatigue and performance 30 to 60

Isn't it amazing that, within only one week of Tiger Woods crashing his Escalade, the press found every woman with whom Tiger has had an affair during the last few years? And, they even uncovered photos, text messages, recorded phone calls, etc.!

Posted by Tina

If a picture is worth a thousand words this graph has to be worth a million...but I promise I won't bore you with all of them!

The thing that's immediately noticable is the explosion in the deficit following that big "hope and change" rally that sealed the deal of Democrat controll of DC. With a super majority they easily choose the path of massive stimulus spending to "fix" the economy and create jobs.

Look closely and you will see that deficit spending is high even without war spending. At this high rate the war spending is a drop inn the bucket. Obviously blaming a "costly war" for the trouble we find ourselves in is erroneous and misleading. (imagine that!)

Now look closely again and you will see that when Republican controlled Congress the deficit was coming down. Deficits began to rise sharply with the Reid/Pelosi budget under Bush and then shot into the stratosphere when Obama became President. Placing blame on Bush or the Republicans for the fix we are in just makes these greedy, incompetent Democrats look rediculous.

HT: FOX News

by Jack Lee

There's something happening in this country that is scaring the leftists into a mocking frenzy. Anytime the liberals fear someone or something they mock it. Ronald Reagan was called Ronald Ray-gunz, the Tea Party people were slandered as tea baggers, Rush Limbaugh was labeled an out of control buffoon (yet he held the highest ratings in radio) and now comes Glenn Beck. Beck's message is one of restoring honor to America by promoting Christian values and giving our children heroes they can look up too. That outrageous message is the ultimate fodder for mockability. John Stuart has turned most of his political parody to deriding and mocking Glenn Beck and the more he does, the more powerful Beck becomes.

The right is mocked for being the party of no because they want fiscal restraint, your average American is mocked and called bigot for wanting secure borders and controlled immigration. Average Americans were again mocked and called homophobes for wanting to keep marriage between a man and a woman. The average American is strongly in support of Arizona's attempt to deport illegal aliens whom the left mischaracterizes as xenophobic. The leftists have chastised them severely. But, when the rabid left starts mocking the average American and the issues they support they are really awakening a sleeping giant.

The radical left and their socialist agenda, with all their hate, division, corruption and bureaucratic policies is what has spurred on a backlash of tens of millions of people to suddenly appear on the political horizon, like an army ready to do battle. Tea Party activists and their numbers are growing daily and their influence is being felt in Washington, known for its self-centered indifference to the will of the people.

This ground swell of activism is what has leftists in a state of apoplectic shock, so much so that they have desperately resorted to old tactics like hate mongering through race baiting and class warfare. But, this old communist rhetoric is having an unintended and completely reverse effect. Their opposition is growing stronger and they are clueless to explain why?

The far left just doesn't get how someone like Glenn Beck can call for a rally in Washington D.C. and have nearly a half million people show up and cheer at his every word. Beck's camp outnumbered a leftist counter-rally by La Raza and Al Sharpton, et al, by 5 to 1. Ironically, the vitriol in their rabid leftwing hate speeches only reflected their fear and frustration with Beck and his followers.

I have no idea where this is all going, but if I could guess I think we're in the beginning of a great moral revolution where faith, traditional family values and patriotism are uniting patriots across America in a way that hasn't been seen since our first revolution.

The average American is fed up and they willing to take extreme measures to restore America's idealism and put us back on track to a free society with a limit governance and a judicial system that respects the Constitution.

Thomas Jefferson was right when he said, ""God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ...And what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure."

Posted by Tina

Revival: renewed attention to or interest in something

Glenn Beck believes we need a revival of American values: "Our freedom is possible only if we remain virtuous. Help us restore the values that founded this great nation. On August, 28th, come join us in our pledge to restore honor at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC."

The rally, held last Saturday, was a tremendous success with thousands in attendance but not everyone was happy about it (surprise, surprise). Of all the negative comments I read, those of Howard Kurtz who wins the prize for the most bizarre observation. He made the following comment on CNN's "Reliable Sources" on Sunday:

"I thought I was at a camp meeting -- an old fashioned, religious camp meeting; I don't think that's appropriate on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial."

Strange...the day also marked the anniversary date of the Reverend Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. If I remember correctly the people gathered there filled the air with generous responses of amen, yes brother and the like as the reverend quite naturally sprinkled religious references throughout his speech:

"Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children...

...I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."...

...And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. * Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, * From every mountainside, let freedom ring!... And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Hmmm...sounds a bit like a revival meeting to me. Dr. King's speech was about honor, freedom and justice. He spoke of the God granted rights that each of America's citizens are guaranteed and about realizing and pursuing happiness through the opportunities afforded in liberty. Dr. King knew that his dream would require civility, honor, and mutual respect and he knew that we would achieve this dream by the grace of God.

Martin Luther King appropriately chose the Lincoln Memorial for his now famous "I have a Dream" speech since it was President Lincoln who directed the civil war that freed the black man from slavery and Lincoln too was a man fond of referencing God and quoting passages from the Good Book. One such reference was included in a short speech delivered to a very special group of citizens after receiving from them a very special gift:

In regard to this Great Book, I have but to say, it is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this book. But for it we could not know right from wrong. All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it. - Reply to Loyal Colored People of Baltimore upon Presentation of a Bible on September 7, 1864 (CWAL VII:542)

A second is from Lincoln's last public address:

The evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond, and the surrender of the principal insurgent army, give hope of a righteous and speedy peace whose joyous expression can not be restrained. In the midst of this, however, He, from Whom all blessings flow, must not be forgotten. A call for a national thanksgiving is being prepared, and will be duly promulgated. - April 11, 1865 (CWAL VIII:399)

Becks choice, the Lincoln Memorial, was not only an appropriate choice but was particularly appropriate for the "Restoring Honor" rally. His purpose, to remind Americans of the "values that founded this great nation" are reflections of the themes for which we remember both Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King.