5 more years

Well, he is the future.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ impressive performance in seven starts was enough for the Green Bay Packers to sign him Friday to a lucrative contract through the 2014 season.

Rodgers signed the deal after practice at about 1 p.m. Terms were not disclosed.

“I’m very excited knowing that my future is going to be here in Green Bay,” Rodgers said. “I appreciate the commitment they’ve made to me. Hopefully, I can prove to them that they made the correct decision to give me this extension.”

Rodgers, 24, signed a five-year, $7.66 million contract in August 2005 after being the 24th selection in the first round. He was playing under his existing contract, which included a base salary of $1.052 million in both 2008 and ’09, although his ’09 base salary would have increased substantially because of an escalator clause.

Solid.

Is Rodgers a worthy successor to Brett Favre?

“I don’t know if I’m going to compare him to anybody,” said Thompson. “We just think he’s going to be a very good NFL quarterback.

“We’re looking at it from a longer view rather than just the last two months. I do think he’s gone in and played the games well. He’s had good command of the huddle. He has handled the chaos of an NFL game pretty well.

“We think he will continue to develop in his craft.”

Now it's official.

Dear Mr. Obama

Peggy Joseph Thinks Obama Is Going To Pay For Her Gas And Mortgage

Wow.

NPR

I got fired up this morning on my drive to Green Bay. NPR and the ridiculous Joy Cardin had the Political Science professor from UW-River Falls on the show.

Kudos to the completely ignorant caller for asking why Sarah Palin keeps attacking Barack Obama and when are people going to stop asking "Who is Barack Obama?"

How about when Barack Obama stops hiding his citizenship record, or when Barack Obama stops fist-pumping his just-now-proud-of-America wife, or when Barack Obama makes it known that he actually renounces terrorists like Bill Ayers and Rev. Wright.

From all I know, and it's not a lot, I have no idea what Barack Obama, a four-year State Senator, is doing running for President of the United States. Even Clinton recognizes he needs the help of others because he doesn't understand. Translation = Obama is not ready to lead.

And another thing - Sarah Palin has endured nothing but vicious attack after vicious attack and has held her own among a liberal media elite who have backtracked every rule they put in the book about female leaders and press coverage. They're taking us backward, and Sarah Palin is only doing her job.

Who is Barack Obama?

Race in the movies

Bradley effect hits hollywood?

LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) -- Is there a "Bradley Effect" when it comes to the box office?

For those perhaps not paying close attention to the presidential election, with Sen. Barack Obama ahead in every national poll, political pundits have been feverishly inserting the words "Bradley Effect" into articles and sound bites in an effort to ratchet up the election-eve drama.

The expression explains in racial terms the 1982 defeat of Tom Bradley, a black Democrat who was at the time the mayor of Los Angeles, by his white Republican rival, George Deukmejian, in their quest for the governorship of California: The theory goes that despite polls predicting a Bradley win, white voters pulled the lever for Mr. Deukmejian.

If Obama wins, it's all moot!

When will we recognize a film for it's actors and not actors for the color of their skin?

I voted!

and I didn't even get a crappy sticker! Thus a rant is in order...

Having gone Tuesday to the Madison City Clerk's office to check it out, I saw the lines around the building's first floor and realized I'd have to come back at a time when I could actually wait. But who actually has a time of their day allotted to "waiting in line" for whatever task needs to be accomplished? Ah yes, the guilt of one's "civic duty."

Anyway, I arrived a few minutes before the office opened today at 8, little did I know people had been gathering inside for an hour to form the line. Already 80 people back, if not more, I settled in for the long wait.

Indimidation set in. Every second person had to be wearing an Obama button, or three. Fine, deep breaths, these people don't know what they're doing.

And while you can call me whatever you like, liberals scream their political identity. They don't quietly disclose it, or keep their beliefs to themselves, nose in their Time magazine or Isthmus paper. Rather, they scream it. By how often they wash their hair, the number of buttons on their purses slung across their bodies, Birkenstock sandals, a nose tipped in the air. Whathaveyou. Am I stereotyping? Absolutely! Is it more often than not, true? Absolutely!!

A rather liberal-appearing lady came in and observed the line, a shocked look on her face as most of us had. She mentioned to the Obama-button wearer near me "oh this looks great for us!" "For us." Yes, it sure does. Students who wouldn't get up at noon if you paid them, and teachers off from school this week, also parents with their young, impressionable youth in tow. It looks great for you who want a Universal health care, irresponsible O-bomb-us attitude, white-hating, inexperienced, tax-raising, one-party-government loving..sigh...community organizer in the White House.

I can only hope there were a few quiet folks in line with the same fears as I, minding their own business and calmly waiting to cast their vote for John McCain today.

I'm Voting Democrat

Isn't it true...?

Biden interview - Are you joking?

Biden better be joking. What a phoney. What a jerk.

Deanna Favre and family are bloggers

And I will always love Brett Favre.

Check out their new blog.

Which way will the cookie crumble?

Two cookie contests claim they predict the winner of the Presidency. The "Busken" contest - never heard of it!

The Busken Cookie Poll, in which the chain of Cincinnati-area retail bakeries sells cookies bearing cartoon images of each candidate, as of Thursday morning had Mr. Obama ahead 6,477 to 3,090 -- a 68% to 32% margin. Daily updates can be found at www.busken.com.

Unscientific? Perhaps. But Brian Busken, VP-marketing of the family business, said that since the poll's inception in 1984, it has accurately predicted the winner of the presidential election every four years and never been further than 4 percentage points from the final popular vote tally nationwide. (Note: While the website shows a smiling Obama cookie and a frowning McCain cookie, the cookies sold in stores have both smiling.)

Making McCain frown on the website cookie? How rude!

However, Cindy McCain may be her husband's saving grace with Oatmeal Butterscotch.

For the last four presidential elections, Family Circle has asked the candidates’ spouses to share their favorite cookie recipe. Then they asked readers to vote for the best. Since that 1992 election, the ballots have been accurate predictors of who’ll end up in the White House.

So when the votes were counted in the latest cookie election, Cindy McCain’s Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies garnered 4,123 votes while Michelle Obama’s Shortbread Cookies earned 3,440. That’s a vote of 54 percent to 44 percent.

That's 54% of Family Circle readers who said so.

McCain voted with Bush

I'm getting pretty sick that this ad is the only Obama ad I have seen in three days. And I've seen it multiple times.

Are we trying to move backwards, or forward?

Headbutts

You gotta love a head-butt expression of "good morning, friend."

Right on, Coach

Eyes on the prize, boys.

Mike McCarthy during his weekly visit with Fox Sports Radio today said he does not want talk of Brett Favre to be part of the Packers' locker room.

McCarthy was asked about the report that Favre shared information with the Detroit Lions before the Packers played them in Week 2.

"You know, it's really a conversation that I really don't want to be part of," McCarthy said. "I really don't want it to be part of our locker room. I think as an organization we've moved past that situation. I thought we've answered the questions forthright throughout the whole process and training camp. And we really just want to move on with our season. So I really don't have any comment on any of the stuff that's out there."

Sick of Tina Fey Palin

I'm tired of Tina's version. It's just redundant now. This review of Palin's latest Pennsylvania appearance, is to say the least, refreshing.

"Isn't She Lovely?" That's the Stevie Wonder song that introduced vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin to Lancaster, Pa., early this past Saturday morning.

And no one blinked. Don't get me wrong, she is lovely, but isn't that a beauty pageant anthem? Of course, it is the same song that escorted Michelle Obama off stage at the Democratic National Convention. But she's the wife, not the candidate.

It was an odd start to an oddly tame political rally. Certainly, most of the 8,000 or so Pennsylvanians gathered at the minor-league baseball stadium were on their feet and cheering or clapping much of the time. But the rally was fairly devoid of shout-outs or extremely boisterous behavior. Maybe that was a reflection of the swing-state crowd, which included more large families with toddlers and retired servicepeople than super-amped lifelong Republicans. One mom whose baby rode on her hip in a sling pinned a sign to the outside that read, "Sling vote for Palin." (The Amish farmers in attendance -- more than a dozen that I saw -- also failed to contribute to the din.)

That doesn't mean she wasn't a hit, of course. ..

Now, you big-city cynics may not get the God and country all rolled up into one, but it is still an ingrained truth in the middle states. (Full disclosure: I am a registered Independent now living in the swing state of Pennsylvania, after eight years of living in New York City. And yes, I get a lot of mail.)

And that's what Sarah Palin gets about the conservative middle in America. They do put a lot of stock in family and faith, and voting on one issue is a way of life. Literally. (Just as large numbers of the opposing viewpoint base their vote on one issue.) And, by the way, just because they're not knee-deep in irony doesn't mean they're stupid sheep. When Ms. Palin said she and Sen. John McCain would balance the budget in one term, the retired serviceman sitting behind me said, "That's ambitious." (He later told me that he was voting for Mr. McCain, saying "I could never vote for Obama," because of what he perceived as a lack of support for the military.)

Ms. Palin toted baby Trig on her arm as she made her way to the podium, bundled in bunting (it was about 40 degrees and very windy, although she charmingly declared the weather "toasty warm to me") and reminded us that special-needs children "inspire a special love." (One of my friends, who was not at the rally and whose first cousin is an adult with Down's Syndrome, observed that anyone who might be inclined to comment about why the baby is on display so often instead of napping and having his needs more carefully attended wouldn't or couldn't because of the perception they'd be attacking special-needs children.)

Ms. Palin's other hits were other Ronald Reagan references, promises for no tax increases and several mentions of Mr. McCain's war record.

She did bring up "Joe the Plumber" (six references) and ACORN. She talked about renewed drilling in the U.S., but that only prompted a scant crowd chant of "Drill Baby Drill." By my count, there were only two mentions of "maverick." There were zero uses of the phrase "doggone it" and the only "you betcha" to be seen or heard was on a protest sign out front ("Pitbulls make poor diplomats. You Betcha.").

And so she left the stage again to the strains of "Isn't She Lovely?" -- and so she was.

Gavin Rossdale - Love Remains The Same

Looking forward to seeing Nights in Rodanthe and this song. Who knew it was Gavin Rossdale?

Yes, I'm a total girl some days.

A Flirting Favre

Favre denies talking to Detroit. Some say he did, some say he didn't. Rumors, in general, blow.

Did Brett Favre -- T.O.'ed at his old team -- give the Lions a helping hand against Green Bay in Week 2?

Ask the dueling NFL insiders.

Fox's Jay Glazer says he did. NBC/Sports Illustrated's Peter King says he didn't.

Said Glazer, on Fox's pregame show Sunday: "Brett Favre called the Detroit Lions, starting off with Matt Millen and then the coaching staff, and gave them a 90-minute dissertation on every single thing that the Green Bay Packers do on offense."

Countered King later: "Favre text-messaged me before he went out to play the Oakland Raiders and said that was 'total BS.'

"He vehemently denied the story. I also spoke to the Lions COO and he said, 'Our coaches are perplexed. There was no coaching of our coaching staff by Brett Favre.' "

Asked about the report by the Associated Press, the Packers had mixed reactions.

Said Charles Woodson: "I know he's been the greatest player around here for a long time, but there's no honor in that."

And Donald Driver, one of Brett's buds: "I'd rather not know what it is and not comment on it."

Who doesn't love double D- Donald Driver?

But here's the bottom line. Let's stop trying to make Brett Favre the news in Green Bay and Wisconsin. He's not. He plays for the Jets now and should be New York news, grace ESPN, and get his kicks from Sports Illustrated and SportsCenter. Text message or no text message, Packer fans are concerned with Aaron Rodgers and our guys.

And another thing: Charles- focus on your job, and you can beat any team regardless of the inside scoop they may or may not be getting.

PACK IN THE GREEN!

4-3 Feels good.

Obama's already history

This is here in Wisconsin, people!

The Racine school district’s use of an eighth grade textbook that includes a chapter on Democrat Barack Obama but nothing on his opponent John McCain is unfair and troubling, the Wisconsin Republican Party argued Thursday.

A parent complained on an Internet blog about the textbook that includes a chapter on Obama called ‘‘Dreams from My Father.’’

The school district said in a statement that it has received no complaints about the book, which it first used last school year. Even so, the 21,000-student district said it was reviewing its policies regarding the book’s use in a literature class.

The textbook, ‘‘McDougal Littell Literature,’’ is published by an arm of Houghton Mifflin Co. A spokesman for the publisher, Richard Blake, said the book was compiled in 2005 before Obama ran for president.

The latest version of the textbook, with a 2009 copyright, and all future versions will not include the Obama chapter to avoid any appearance that the publisher supports one political campaign over another, Blake said.

Wisconsin Republican Party executive director Mark Jefferson accused the Racine district of being a ‘‘satellite campaign office’’ for Obama. Deciding to use the textbook was at best very poor judgment and at worst intentional indoctrination of students in Democratic politics, he said.

‘‘That offends a lot of people in our party and justifiably so,’’ Jefferson said. ‘‘You don’t have to look very far outside of the Democratic presidential nominee to come up with other stories of inspiration as well.’’

Maybe this is out of the hands of the Obama campaign, but honestly.

Phil Walzak, spokesman for Obama’s campaign in Wisconsin, declined immediate comment. The chapter in question includes an excerpt from Obama’s 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention and a portion of his 1995 autobiography.

I don't mind the speech excerpt. It was a beautifully delivered speech. But that was in 2004 when the world believed Obama could be a moderate figure for unity.

No comment?

Yard Sign

Frightening mentality

Comments like these, aren't safe for America:

I hope everyone knows that Barack's idea to have a government be larger part of your life is only to help. He wants to be there for people in crisis. And honestly, he DOES want to spread the wealth. He wants to take some money from people who can afford to give something and give it to people who have nothing.

He's a regular Robin Hood, ain't he? Well, I'd rather the so-called "rich" people have a chance to employ more of the "people in crisis," and they'll still pay more than 50% of the tax burden for the rest of us.

But with a candidate making statements like "we're going to change the world," it's no wonder the 17 year old is excited.

The supremely confident demeanour and exalted rhetoric of the Democratic nominee at a New Hampshire event betrayed that he is a man convinced he is poised to make history.

"I want you to believe," said the candidate, clad in an open-necked shirt and barn jacket. "Not so much believe just in me but believe in yourselves. Believe in the future. Believe in the future we can build together. I'm confident together we can't fail."

There was a carnival atmosphere among the crowd of some 4,000, who almost drowned Mr Obama out as he reached his crescendo and said: "I promise you. We won't just win New Hampshire. We will win this election and, you and I together, we're going to change the country and change the world."

Change the country, that's for sure. And not for the better.

On the verge of socialism

McCain is just calling a spade, a spade.

CONCORD, N.C. – Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Saturday accused Democratic rival Barack Obama of favoring a socialistic economic approach by supporting tax cuts and tax credits McCain says would merely shuffle wealth rather than creating it.

"At least in Europe, the Socialist leaders who so admire my opponent are upfront about their objectives," McCain said in a radio address. "They use real numbers and honest language. And we should demand equal candor from Sen. Obama. Raising taxes on some in order to give checks to others is not a tax cut; it's just another government giveaway."

McCain stoked the crowd by accusing Obama and his fellow Democrats of assuming they will not only win the White House but expand their congressional majority.

"Did you happen to see that Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi anticipates a 250-seat majority" in the House, the senator asked. "My friends, we can't let that happen. My friends, taxes will increase, spending and they'll concede defeat in Iraq."

We can't let that happen.

Sly's for McCain

The script for reality is pretty brutal...yes, Sly, it is.

Awesome.

W

Who's going to see this? I'm still debating...but probably will.

The short and snappy title W. reflects the style and focus of this entertaining but superficial biopic. Don't "misunderestimate" us, to paraphrase President Bush: The performances are good (some scarily realistic), and the movie is enjoyable to watch. But as a probing analysis of the 43rd president, it falls short.

Though the comic moments are broadly funny, sometimes bordering on campy, the focus on George W. Bush's evolution into a politician leaves questions unanswered. Perhaps director Oliver Stone didn't intend W. to be a serious biopic. But enough moments of melodrama are juxtaposed with the comedy to make you wonder what tone he did want to strike.

It's not enough to go for the easy laugh by highlighting Bush's mangled syntax and malapropisms. Neither is it sufficient to rely on facile pop psychology to explain his motivations and actions.

One is left wondering how much armchair analysis was derived from research and how much was based on the suppositions and speculation of Stone and screenwriter Stanley Weiser. This is not to say it's not good fun, but how close does it come to accuracy?

W. could have benefited from the perspective that comes with time. It might have been a better film had it come out later, when shading and context could have been added. To assess his true character requires knowledge of Bush's final few months in office and how his decisions spill over onto the next presidency.

Stone paints him as the family's black sheep and tries to inspire empathy, or at least understanding, for the man. The younger Bush is portrayed as hellbent on gaining the approval and love of his father, former president George H.W. Bush.

It's entertaining to identify the recognizable Bush administration movers, shakers and advisers and see how accurately they are portrayed, in speech and demeanor. Josh Brolin gives a strong and credible impersonation of George W. and brings the man to life. He nails the vocal cadence and absorbs his look and mannerisms. Richard Dreyfuss does a great Dick Cheney.

If not for the Dick Cheney...

I love a man who stands up

Believe it and be strong about it. I’m Young, Black, Hispanic and Voting for John McCain. Here’s Why. is an op-ed by a third year Harvard law student. Way to go, voice your vote!

Far from being the post-racial campaign that pundits have talked and written about for months, this election cycle is proving to be the most racialized ever. Every word, gesture, act or omission is scrutinized by the media for double-meaning or racial undertones. But when we move beyond race and talk about what really matters -– the qualities we all seek in a president –- things become clearer. Senator John McCain is the best man for the job.

This doesn’t take anything away from Senator Obama. As a young Black and Hispanic male, I see Senator Obama as a role model. No one can deny his amazing achievement and inspirational life story. I also understand the concern of the Black and Hispanic communities given the Republican Party’s unfortunate recent history with regards to race. Senator McCain however, represents the best of what the Republican Party has to offer: service, experience, independence, judgment and pragmatism.

Senator McCain is a well-respected and known reformer. Significantly, McCain took on the entirety of the Republican establishment on immigration, offering leadership in devising a respectful and effective immigration policy. Unfortunately, the discourse surrounding the immigration issue from more xenophobic parts of the party has turned off many Hispanics to the GOP entirely. But it can’t be denied that McCain refused the politically expedient route and stood by his principles. This is the sort of bravery we should seek in our leaders.

The popular Democratic talking points that paint McCain as the second coming of President Bush miss the mark. McCain has repeatedly illustrated that he is his own man on issues of the highest import: interrogation techniques, diplomacy and nuclear proliferation, even the handling of the War in Iraq. Senator Obama’s record, on the other hand, reveals few attempts at bipartisanship and even fewer instances of the senator taking a principled stand in opposition to his party. With a country as divided and polarized as ever, can we really expect someone with the most liberal voting record in the entire Senate (see The National Journal’s 27th annual vote rankings) to compromise, to heal, and to unite? I have my doubts.

In spite of the utter incompetence of Congress, Senator McCain has proven himself willing to do what it takes to get the job done. McCain-Feingold, McCain-Lieberman, McCain-Kennedy, the Gang of Fourteen –- the list goes on. Senator McCain’s record indicates an individual committed to doing what is right, not simply what is politically expedient. It belies a man of deep conviction, of even temperament and sound judgment. Senator McCain might not always say or do what’s popular. Perhaps that’s why he’s losing this race. But perhaps that is exactly why he should be leading us through the next four years.

Well done.

Moveon.org: Talk to your parents about McCain

Voting Republican just once... could actually save our nation from socialism.

And maybe that's why your tv show is trash too.

Our House

Lambeau's #1!

A trip to an NFL stadium to watch a pro football game is no small undertaking these days. It's a major investment in time and especially money, though it's an investment that millions of Americans are all too happy to make over and over again.

Last month we set out to gauge just how happy the paying customer -- you -- are with your local NFL product. What are you getting in return for your patronage? We asked readers to complete an extensive online survey ranking their hometown NFL stadium in everything from ticket prices to hospitality to the product on the field -- winning matters, after all.

The winner, for the second consecutive season, was Green Bay's Lambeau Field, which scored in the top five in each of the five categories.

Darn straight! We've got the best field - and FANS - in the nation!

A whole new coffee cup

7-11's prelim polling.

The end of conservatism...

I had to post the whole thing. It's just that scary.

All of a sudden, this election is shaping up as a verdict on capitalism. The Obama campaign wanted it to be about George W. Bush. The McCain campaign wanted it to be about character. But instead, because the markets are shooting off in all directions like bullets from a dropped pistol, the stakes have suddenly been raised dramatically.

We are in the midst of the worst panic in history, it’s true (because it is global). But as historian John Steele Gordon helpfully pointed on in the Wall Street Journal, panics are not unusual in American history. We’ve experienced them almost every 20 years since 1819. Gordon blames Thomas Jefferson, which is intriguing, but the point is that we’ve always emerged from these periodic paroxysms intact and our economy has continued to grow. Gordon believes more sensible banking policy would prevent future panics. But if we elect a crypto-socialist like Barack Obama and give him a bigger Democrat majority in the House and a filibuster-proof Senate, banking regulation may be the least of our troubles.

Well, you may say, “Win some, lose some. McCain isn’t all that great anyway. Conservatives and Republicans will simply have to examine their consciences and come up with a winning strategy for next time.” Perhaps. But there are a few problems with that sanguine approach.

In the first place, the Democrats can, with a super-majority, change the rules of the game. They can make the District of Columbia the 51st state with two new senators (guaranteed to be Democrats in perpetuity). They can reinstitute the so-called Fairness Doctrine that required radio stations to provide equal time to all political viewpoints. While the doctrine was enforced by the Federal Communications Commission, radio stations shied away from politics altogether. With the demise of the doctrine, conservative talk radio flourished. Liberal talk radio has never found much of an audience. Reviving the doctrine would kill one of the principal irritants to liberals and Democrats — to say nothing of disemboweling the First Amendment.

To elect a super-majority of Democrats at a time of economic dislocation is to flirt with depression. Nearly all economists agree that two moves by the Hoover administration deepened and prolonged the panic of 1929 and turned it into the Great Depression. One was raising taxes and the other was imposing protectionist trade policies. Senator Obama proposes to do both of those things. Obama’s smooth reassurance that only the top-five percent of earners in America will see their taxes rise is a) almost certainly false, and b) besides the point. If the most productive members of society — those who create the majority of jobs — are taxed we will have fewer jobs. It’s the old rule that if you tax something you get less of it. While Obama is killing jobs by taxing the productive, he proposes to “renegotiate” NAFTA and other trade deals thus putting the one bright corner of our economy, the export sector, in his crosshairs.

Obama has a million schemes to redistribute the wealth of the top five percent, (who by the way, already pay more than 50 percent of the taxes in our steeply progressive system). He wants to provide college for “anyone who wants to go and agrees to perform community service,” and community development block grants, and childcare, and universal pre-school, and housing, and retirement and on and on. He seems determined that more people will ride in the wagon than pull it.

“Well,” you may say, “if the Democrats drive the country into a deep recession, so much the worse for them. The Republicans will come back strong — even with two senators from D.C.!” Perhaps. But in hard times people tend to ask for more government, not less, and this tumble started while George W. Bush was in the White House. Franklin Roosevelt continued to invoke the boogey man of Herbert Hoover long after the Depression was his own. In fact, Democrats used Hoover successfully for 40 more years!

Finally, there is a one-way ratchet in public policy. Liberal reforms are never undone. How hard have conservatives tried to eliminate the Department of Education or subsidies to public television? Would they have more success uncreating a new nationalized health-care system?

An Obama/Pelosi/Reid regime — if it were to get a filibuster-proof majority — will certainly be able to shift the country’s direction sharply to the Left. The only question is — would the shift be permanent?

A 51st state? = New Flag Pin which President Obama won't wear anyway... yikes.

Tax the rich? To all those non-rich, it sounds good, but Yikes.

She didn't really even get to Universal Healthcare... and YIKES! Obama will get a pass if he's in there for four years, and they'll re-elect him, blaming Bush the whole way. He'll get credit if the economy rebounds, just like Clinton.

I've been saying it for months: Once we go in that direction...we may never be able to go back.

Andy Davis

My eyes are blue though, Andy.

Hey Tommy, shut your pie hole!

We know Tommy Thompson likes the sound of his voice... I'm just thinking Wisconsin voters are over it.

"Tommy Thompson, a Republican who is a former governor of Wisconsin, said it would be difficult for Mr. McCain to win in his state but not impossible, particularly if he campaigned in conservative Democratic parts of the state. Asked if he was happy with Mr. McCain's campaign, Mr. Thompson replied, "No," and he added, "I don't know who is."

Go away.

Obama's ties

The nuts at ACORN.

Fannie & Freddie.

William Ayers, an unapologetic radical terrorist. TERROR-IST. Definition: a person, usually a member of a group, who uses or advocates terrorism.

And people are supporting a candidate with these very close ties?

In God's Time

Above all,
trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally
impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip
the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way
to something unknown,
something new;
and yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through
some stages of instability --
and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually --
Let them grow.
Let them shape themselves,
without undue haste.
Don't try to force them on,
as though you could be today
what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstance
acting on your own good will)
will make you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing
that His hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of
feeling yourself in suspense
and incomplete.

- Pierre Tellhard de Chardin

Obama is really bluffing

Swell words from Sowell.

Barack Obama's supporters often try to sidestep questions about his character and judgment by saying that we should stick to what they arbitrarily define as "the real issues." But Senator Obama's record on specific issues is as bad as his record of repeatedly allying himself over the years with people who make no attempt to hide their hatred of America...

Obama has had more than two dozen of his own earmarks in the past fiscal year, and he knows the Senate well enough to know that, if he voted against the bridge to nowhere, his own earmarks might get nowhere.

Those earmarks, incidentally, included a million dollars of the taxpayers' money for a facility where his wife works at the University of Chicago. Her salary rose by nearly $200,000 when her husband became a United States Senator-- no doubt a shrewd investment by the university that paid off.

It's merely rhetoric.

The idea that Barack Obama is somehow different from other liberal-left politicians can only be based on his rhetoric, because his actual track record shows him to differ only in being further left than most liberals and at least as opportunistic.

His talk, however, is another story. The speech that Obama gave at the 2004 Democratic convention-- the speech that put him on the national map politically-- was one which has been aptly described as a speech that would have been almost equally at home if it had been delivered at the Republican national convention.

In the world of rhetoric-- the world in which Obama is supreme-- he is a moderate, reasonable man, reaching out to unite people and parties, dedicated to reform, opposed to special interests and a healer of the racial divide.

It is only in the real world of action that Barack Obama is the direct opposite.

Read the rest.

Obama, overstepping?

Treason, anyone?

At the same time the Bush administration was negotiating a still elusive agreement to keep the U.S. military in Iraq, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama tried to convince Iraqi leaders in private conversations that the president shouldn't be allowed to enact the deal without congressional approval.

Mr. Obama's conversations with the Iraqi leaders, confirmed to The Washington Times by his campaign aides, began just two weeks after he clinched the Democratic presidential nomination in June and stirred controversy over the appropriateness of a White House candidate's contacts with foreign governments while the sitting president is conducting a war.

Some of the specifics of the conversations remain the subject of dispute. Iraqi leaders purported to The Times that Mr. Obama urged Baghdad to delay an agreement with Mr. Bush until next year when a new president will be in office - a charge the Democratic campaign denies.

If you're not frightened by an Obama presidency, you're not paying attention.

Money matters

From a North Dakota voter:

A few minutes of research quickly reveals that Sen. McCain not only pays his female staff as well as his male staff, but that he actually pays them more - and he also employs a much larger percentage of female employees than Sen. Obama. Sen. McCain's female employees are paid 104 percent higher wages than the men. Sen. Obama's female employees receive an average of $6,000 less than their male counterparts.

I'd apply with McCain.

Love the Diddy Retort

I got up in arms over Diddy's "bugging out" comments.

Gotta love the Retort. "Stop stimulating the victim mentality."

Amen.

Talking Dolls

I'm sure you'll all snopes this one, but talk about scary.

Fisher Price's Little Mommy Real Loving Baby Cuddle and Coo doll is supposed to utter only one actual word: Mama. The rest of the sounds emanating from the speakers inside the doll are just cooing and giggling sounds. Or are they? Some say they hear the words "Islam is the Light" among the baby babble are demanding the toy be removed from the shelves.

Others say in addition to promoting Islam, the doll also utters the phrase "Satan is King". Now, that makes absolutely no sense to me as Islam is most definitely not a pro-Satan religion. Is someone trying to indoctrinate our children or just confuse them?

This may sound like a few parents getting up in arms over what is in all likelihood just a misunderstanding, but the Wal-Mart in Owasso is taking it seriously. They've pulled the doll from the shelves. And in response to emails from a local television station, Fisher Price's parent company, Mattell, has issued a statement on the matter. They admit that one of the baby noises may indeed sound like the word "light", but insist that the rest is just gibberish. "We have found that if told to listen for a particular phrase, you may hear something similar due to the power of suggestion," the statement says.

Either way, odd.

Shattered Dreams

For a special family...

"Shattered dreams are never random. They are always a piece in a larger puzzle, a chapter in a larger story. The Holy Spirit uses the pain of shattered dreams to help us discover our desire for God, to help us begin dreaming the highest dream. They are ordained opportunities for the Spirit first to awaken, then to satisfy our highest dream." - Larry Crabb

But to believe the truth of this when all hope seems lost, all dreams truly shattered, all God's faithfulness hidden.

Oh Lord, we pray. Amen.

Matt Wertz I Will Not Take My Love Away

Quality praise.

Obama's idea of contributing

"Part of the problem is...people don't feel as if they are sharing the burden with other folks. It's tough to ask to a teacher making $30-35,000 a year to tighten her belt and people who are making much more than her are living pretty high on the hog. And that's why it's important for the President to set a tone that says all of us are going to contribute, all of us are going to make sacrifices."

So those making above $250,000 as they are targeting are going to pay more than they pay now and the "middle class" gets a break. Actually - everyone else, believe it or not - is going to have to pay more taxes into the Federal Government under President Obama. Small businesses will have to pay more than they already do in mandates and fines. They will have to lay off their employees when they can't provide benefits for them because they are being taxed out of business. There is no other way to pay for his spending plan.

You think Sarah Palin is "rich"?

In 2006, the Palins paid $11,944 in taxes on $127,869 in income. In 2007, they paid $24,738 on $166,080.

The Palins paid in nearly $25,000 in taxes in 2007 - more than 200 times the amount they paid the year before on an income increase of only 30%. She paid more than my yearly salary in taxes. I actually do consider that sharing the tax burden.

The trick? Sarah Palin and people like her- with kids, demanding jobs, home mortgage payments, car payments, health and medical bills, energy costs, and loans to pay - have a lot to worry about and pay for each month. I'm single, in a small rented apartment and working hard, on a budget with similar payments (though not as hefty).

But we both choose to live within our means. We invest. We work hard. We pay the government what they ask of us. And we shouldn't have to pay for someone else to get health care. Palin deserves a doubled tax credit for each of her kids. I don't have kids, so I get something else. Like a choice on my healthcare.

Senator Obama wants the "rich" to pay for us bottom-feeders. I'm saying No Thanks. We shouldn't have to rely on the "rich" to fund the government programs we rely on. I think I'll work two jobs and take my own trash to the dump for crying out loud.

Betcha that doesn't quite mesh with Biden's definition of "fairness," eh?

McCain catching up on YouTube

The senator - or at least his campaign - can use a computer.

Sen. Barack Obama is beating Sen. John McCain in the YouTube sphere, but with the help of advertising, the Republican candidate has been able to close the gap some.

Where Mr. Obama has been posting vast quantities of video from appearances around the country, Mr. McCain's team has been posting easy-to-digest 30-second and 60-second ads.
The day after the first presidential debate, a McCain video of Mr. Obama agreeing with him on multiple points helped Mr. McCain beat him in channel views.

As has been widely noted, these so-called TV spots may or may not get much airtime at all, but on the web they serve as de facto national ads; they are embedded and linked to on blogs. And a few of them have ended up on national TV, free of charge, thanks to cable news channels.

Two weeks ago, for example, the McCain campaign posted a 30-second spot called "McCain Is Right," which was merely a montage of Mr. Obama crediting Mr. McCain for being right during the first debate. That video, posted right after the debate last Friday Sept. 26, helped Mr. McCain get more channel views than Mr. Obama on Saturday, a day when the nation was digesting who had won and why.

Keep it up, bloggers.

The Obama team routinely churns out a dozen YouTube videos in a single day. Since the beginning of the campaign, Mr. Obama's channel has had 69 million views to Mr. McCain's 18 million.

But ever since the nominees were selected and Mr. McCain focused TV attack ads on Obama and posted them on the web, Mr. Obama's volume advantage has diminished.

Mr. Obama narrowly won August, 9.3 million to Mr. McCain's 7.6 million. In July, a month when Mr. McCain had some big web hits, including the now-infamous ad comparing Mr. Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, Mr. McCain had 3 million YouTube-channel views compared with Mr. Obama's 3.2 million.

Debate #2

Quick thought, as I'm watching my VHS taped version:

McCain's a sprightly old man. He really has energy - and spunk for a 72 year old.

Kudos, LTE writers

This, a good LTE.

Nik Wilder: Obama has many questions to answer 10/01/08

Dear Editor:

Barack Obama tries to paint John McCain as an old fogey, but it seems most of Obama's supporters are old people. Most of us young people are tired of Obama using his color to elicit sympathy votes. We had nothing to do with the past segregation that he keeps alive in his mind.

We young people want to know why the seasoned voters are voting for Obama. Answers to these questions might help us understand.

Why did Obama vote present, excused or absent 232 out of 573 times?

Why did Obama spend 20 years learning from a preacher who was videotaped screaming "God damn America"?

Why did Obama speak to 200,000 people in Berlin, but did not visit our wounded soldiers in the same city?

Why do old people say that Obama is so eloquent? Young people see him as evasive.

Why did Obama attend a $5,000-a-seat Hollywood dinner two weeks ago while thousands of children went to bed hungry?

Why is Illinois' health care no better than any other state's when Obama touts himself as a health care champion?

Why does Obama want to "talk" to the heads of the renegade nations who want to destroy us?

What is Obama going to change and how is he going to change it?

Nik Wilder, Merrill

I'd like to know, too.

You think it's going to get better?

The cover of Drudge is just frightening right now.

Stock marget plunging, Ebay cuts 1,600 jobs, China cancels diplomatic talks with US, world banks are spiralling out of control, and we've got a candidate for President that's in cohoots with unapologetic terrorists.

SO let's blame the President!

WAKE UP people! It's not going to get any better overnight. And 6% more Americans want an inexperienced Obama administration to fix it?

Did I mention, they are beginning the busloads of homeless voters? Nightmares.

Biases clear

The article begins:

"Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, champion of sweeping progressive initiatives, is focusing on basic services and holding taxes down in a proposed 2009 budget."

Brown. Nose.

What job is Dean Mosiman looking for in the Mayor's office?

Cieslewicz today will propose a $237.9 million "share the pain" operating budget that raises city taxes $53 on the average $247,974 home.

The proposed budget, a 6 percent spending increase — the largest Cieslewicz has ever offered — delivers new money for police, fire, the library and Metro Transit, but freezes or cuts spending in many areas.

"You'll find no extreme cuts to any one agency, but many small cuts," Cieslewicz said. "We did manage to keep long-term commitments."

The 2.9 percent increase in taxes on the average home is among the fifth-lowest in 30 years, but overall tax collections are up 8 percent, the biggest increase since 1993.

"I was focused primarily on taxes on the average home," Cieslewicz said. "That is what people experience."

The mayor was able to keep taxes on the average home far lower than overall tax collections because the city has closed some Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts, which put a lot of new property value on the tax rolls.

Awesome. Tax the successful, feed to welfare class.

The budget, he said, "is a realistic, practical response to the challenges we're facing."

Did he get the idea from Obama/Biden? Oh so practical and "champion" like.

Let the punishment fit...

Thinking outside the box, or the wheel:

Fed up with all of the cars parked along the street in her quiet neighborhood, an 89-year-old grandmother in Germany started slashing their tires. Altogether some 50 tires were vandalized before a neighbor spotted and reported the nefarious nana. The granny, Heidi Kohl, eventually confessed and was fined, but the story doesn't end there.

When she told authorities she wouldn't be able to pay, they decided to have her work off her debt. They instead sentenced her to hard time knitting sweaters for her victims... she has since moved to a retirement home.

As the article mentions, if the people are happy, who are we to question the judgment of the authorities? It certainly is original.

And she'll have plenty of time to pay her fee.

Warren Sapp dances

It took me about 5 years to stop hating Tampa Bay, now that they're out of our division.

I thought I'd never forgive Sapp for his cheap shot on Chad Clifton.

But this is too fun to watch. He's actually a good dancer and likeable.

Joe McCain warns of Northern Virginia

McCain's brother has a point.

Joe McCain, speaking at an event in support of his brother, called two Democratic-leaning areas in Northern Virginia "communist country," according to a report on The Washington Post's Web site.

"I've lived here for at least 10 years and before that, about every third duty I was in either Arlington or Alexandria, up in communist country," Joe McCain, a Navy veteran, said about his military postings. He spoke at an event in Loudon County, Va.

Joe McCain then apologized, but the remark drew laughter at the event, according to the report.

Forget apologies. I grew up there and wasn't allowed to say in my high school government class, "Let's close the borders and not let anyone else in to America until we know who's here," only two days after 9/11.

Virginia has long been a Republican stronghold in presidential elections, but Democrat Barack Obama is running even or ahead of McCain in recent state polls. Obama is being helped by fast-growing communities in the Washington, D.C., suburbs of Northern Virginia, which tend to vote more Democratic than other parts of the state.

One of those areas is Arlington, Va., where John McCain owns a condominium.

"This was Joe McCain's unsuccessful attempt at humor," said McCain campaign spokeswoman Gail Gitcho. "John McCain and Sarah Palin are committed to winning the support of voters in Northern Virginia and understand the region's importance to victory statewide."

PLAIN

Why does the word "PLAIN" seem to be the most difficult word for all drive-thru employees?

Can someone please exPLAIN!?

Zoo rampage

What a beastly child.

A 7-year-old boy broke into a popular Outback zoo, fed a string of animals to the resident crocodile and bashed several lizards to death with a rock, the zoo's director said Friday.

The child then went on a killing spree, bashing three lizards to death with a rock, including the zoo's beloved, 20-year-old goanna (an Australian lizard), which he then fed to "Terry," an 11-foot, 440-pound saltwater crocodile, said Neindorf.

The boy also fed several live animals to Terry by throwing them over the two fences surrounding the crocodile's enclosure, at one point climbing over the outer fence to get closer to the giant reptile.

In the footage, the boy's face remains largely blank, Neindorf said, adding: "It was like he was playing a game."

By the time he was done, 13 animals worth around $5,500 had been killed, including a turtle, four western blue tongue lizards, two bearded dragons, two thorny devil lizards and an adult female Spencer's goanna, Neindorf said. Although none were considered rare, some are difficult to replace, he said.

Just like when you can't pay a restaurant, get sudsin' those dishes.

This kid should work at the zoo until he can pay it back.

ESPN Sunday Conversation with Aaron Rodgers

Not to be distracted by his awful haircut, Rodgers is good s**t.

New Kids On The Block - Step by step

Would you look at those dance moves?!

Buckeyes vs. Badgers

It was entertaining until the 1:00 minute mark.

ESPN - Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Wisconsin Badgers Box Score, October 4 2008 - NCAA College Football

Floating house

I saw a floating house-like structure out in the middle of Lake Monona today...

how do I get one?

Palin of the corn

Debate reaction

Note: I am biased.

Greta Van Susteren's a cheesehead, she's a midwesterner, and likes the Palin-plain-speak.

I, like Greta, truly enjoy Sarah Palin. We, American people, like her, she speaks to us. And tonight, she literally turned to the camera and spoke to the American People.

A brilliant tactic, Palin was focused and sharp. Continually unafraid to respond to Biden's attacks, statements, and accusations toward McCain, Governor Palin answered the questions the way she knew viewers would respond to best. She spoke quickly, she was frank, she was knokwledgeable, and in good humor.

She was unapologetically comfortable and confident -her confidence only increasing as the debate went on. I can't say the wink at her teacher-father in the audience doesn't help with the likeability, oh, and the "bless your heart" comment to Gwen as she thanked her.

She pulled out the wit and the balls from her Gubernatorial campaign tapes and reminded Biden himself that we're not looking at the Bush administration anymore, we're moving ahead.

While some may not like her style, I think the polls may swing a little her way this next week. But as 24 hours is a week in politics, 4 weeks can be an eternity.

For tonight though, sure, hand me a Palin Pom-Pom.

A win!

"Palin made no gaffes."

awesome. more later.

Mr. Heath's class

"Everybody gets extra credit for watching this debate." - Sarah Palin

Man, she's likeable!

McCain's camp moves to Maine

"I come from Detroit where it's rough and I'm not a smooth talker." Said once by Eminem. Said now by John McCain's campaign...

Pulling out of Michigan.

McCain-Palin Political Director Mike Duhaime told reporters this afternoon that "the [Michigan] operations will be scaled back" but they still will have a presence. Resources will be specifically shifted to Maine, where McCain is "opening up an aggressive front" and where the state's four Electoral College votes are split.

Smooth move?

It's VA that worries me.

Obama has succeeded in making the traditional Republican strongholds of Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia competitive. McCain staffers say that Obama may be ahead in some competitive states, tied, or just slightly behind McCain in others, because McCain has been "letting" Obama spend his cash there while McCain waits to make his move. But once he does, particularly the competitive states with strong GOP constituencies, will "snap back aggressively in our favor," said Strimple.

Let's go, people!

SATC

Gotta love the special edition movie of Sex and the City.

Miranda: This is weird, not talking.

Carrie: I'm upset.

Miranda: Carrie, I understand but it just happeneed. I never meant to hurt you. You have to forgive me.

Carrie: You know? No.

Miranda: No, please what were you gonna say?

Carrie: You badger me to forgive you in three days and you won't even consider forgiving Steve for something he did 6 months ago.

Miranda: It's not the same thing.

Carrie: It's forgiveness.

That's what it's all about.

Fireproof

Anyone seen it?

Box office watchers keeping an eye on this past weekend's grosses might have been surprised by one of the films to make the top-five list, but to some on the outskirts of Hollywood, the results might not seem so miraculous.
Kirk Cameron stars in 'Fireproof.'

While the heavily promoted new releases "Eagle Eye," "Nights in Rodanthe" and "Lakeview Terrace" were expected to draw in audiences over the weekend, taking the top three spots, respectively, "Fireproof," a movie made for less than $500,000 and showing on some 830 screens, took in $6.5 million over the weekend. (By comparison, "Lakeview Terrace," the No. 3 movie, earned $6.9 million on 2,467 screens.)

Intrigued.

Sing for Change Obama

Nevermind the socialist comparisons, this is just annoying.

It's a conglom. Yes you can...be quiet now.

Mo Rocca, here: http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2008/09/30/let-us-pray-to-obama/

Why bother with approval ratings now?

The lame duck isn't going to get any more popular until we nab Bin Laden. And at this point, I don't think that would even do it.

According to a Sept. 26-27 USA Today/Gallup poll, just 27% of Americans approve of the job George W. Bush is doing as president, the lowest rating of his presidency.

Bush has registered 28% approval ratings several times this year, in the spring and summer months as gas prices rose. His high rating for the year is only 34%.
The all-time low rating for any president is 22%, for Harry Truman in February 1952. Bush now joins Truman and Richard Nixon as the only presidents who have had approval ratings of 27% or lower in Gallup Polls.

Bush, like Truman, has the distinction of having some of the highest individual approval ratings in Gallup polling history and some of the lowest. That includes a record-high 90% approval rating for Bush just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Truman recorded an 87% approval in 1945 just after V-E Day.

Polarizing...ooooooh!

Couric's ratings up

Let's be clear: They want to "get" her - Palin, that is. Katie is a mastermind at trying, but she hasn't really succeeded yet. And the public loves to watch a good squirm.

Katie Couric's series of buzzworthy interviews with Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has given "CBS Evening News" a boost.

Couric scored an exclusive interview last week with Palin while the Alaska governor was at the United Nations General Assembly to meet with world leaders. Those interviews -- which included several clips that received a lot of Web traffic -- appeared on "Evening News" on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Neither newscast beat ABC and NBC, but "Evening News" showed ratings increases on both nights. Wednesday's household rating was up 14 percent to a 4.1, compared with ABC's 5.6 and NBC's 5.3; Thursday was up 8 percent to a 4.0, compared with the 5.4 that ABC and NBC received.

So even while I'll cheer Sarah on when she's not as strong, the ratings aren't because Katie's any good. It's because the viewers are waiting...for the "gotcha"!

Squirrly Dems

Why is no one talking about this?

The financial markets were teetering on the edge of an abyss last week. The secretary of the Treasury was literally on his knees begging the speaker of the House not to sabotage the bailout bill. The crash of falling banks made the earth tremble. The Republican presidential candidate suspended his campaign to deal with the crisis. And amid all this, the Democrats in Congress managed to find time to slip language into the bailout legislation that would provide a dandy little slush fund for ACORN.

ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, a busy hive of left-wing agitation and "direct action" that claims chapters in 50 cities and 100,000 dues-paying members. ACORN is where Sixties leftovers who couldn't get tenure at universities wound up. That the bill-writing Democrats remembered their pet clients during such an emergency speaks volumes. This attempted gift to ACORN (stripped out of the bill after outraged howls from Republicans) demonstrates how little Democrats understand about what caused the mess we're in.

If it were reversed... now that'd be news.