Thieves Drunk With Power...

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan vetoed a transportation bill passed by Congress because it had 157 instances of pork — money set aside for Congress members' pet projects that would ostensibly be considered too wasteful to pass as laws on their own merit. President Reagan made a show of his veto making it a symbolic stroke against government waste.

Now in 2005, Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress. Early on a Saturday morning in August — the day of the week, and the month of the year, least likely to attract media attention — President Bush signed into law a highway bill passed by his own party with more than 6,000 pork barrel projects. President Bush had told Congress that he would veto any highway bill spending over $256 billion. The final cost of this highway bill he signed is $295 billion. This $39 billion increase is the direct result of the Republicans “buying” the votes needed to pass that shameful sell out of the American people – CAFTA. Everyone knew that in order to get CAFTA passed there was a lot of pork promised in the highway but $39 billion is nothing less than criminal.

The Republican Party has completely abandoned the limited government principles they have stood for in the past. Government spending under the GOP's reign has soared to historic highs, any way you want to measure it. In stark contrast to President Reagan, President Bush refuses to rein in spending. He hasn’t used his veto a single time since taking office — the longest such streak in U.S. history. What is truly amazing is the sheer arrogance with which the Republicans have chosen to govern. There are no more statesmen left in Washington, only a single group of power hungry thieves…

Declarations of Emergency...

In the past week the governors of Arizona and New Mexico have declared states of emergency. California is considering such a move as well. This was done in order to get federal funds to handle the enormous influx of illegal aliens that have entered their states. This has become a huge national problem that the Bush administration and Congress have refused to address. What makes this weeks declarations a bit unusual is that the governors of Arizona and New Mexico are both Democrats. This had been a conservative and Republican issue in the campaigns and they have failed to act. Now they risk having the Democrats do an end run on them and take this as one of their issues. These 2 governors have not asked for additional border agents or help from the Minute Men groups. They have just asked for more money, which must be a natural reaction for Democratic politicians.

We as a country can not continue to allow all these illegal aliens coming in unchecked. It is estimated that 700,000 illegals a year come from Mexico alone. About 80% of all the crime along the Arizona border is being committed by illegal aliens. There are about 3 million illegal immigrants in California alone. There are 30,000 undocumented felons in California prisons. This is costing the states affected millions of dollars each year to deal with these problems. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks the United States requested 2,000 more border agents, yet the Bush administration authorized only 200 in its most recent budget request. All we hear out of Washington is how we need these people to take the jobs Americans wont and that we need a guest worker program. What we need is border security and enforcing the laws we already have on the books. The federal government has refused to enforce the laws and has refused to help financially with the states now being overwhelmed. Once again we have been sold a line by the federal government and they are preparing a new sales pitch for the campaigns in 2006 and 2008. I think yet again they will make promises and then never act…

The Gaza Sellout...

It is a painful time in the history of Israel. Troops are being used to forcibly remove Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip. It is a huge mistake to leave this land and allow the Palestinians to take it over. Does Ariel Sharon think for a second that giving up this land will bring peace to that section of the Middle East?

I have heard the argument that the Gaza Strip is too expensive and difficult to defend. That may be true but it is a horrible idea to give this land up. The Palestinians have no real ruling authority or government. So who is getting this land? The PA, Hammas, Al-Aqusa Martyrs Brigades? How can you give up land to people with no controlling group? This may result in a civil war with groups fighting for control of 100 square miles of land. The Gaza Strip may just become a base for future terrorist attacks.

Where was the negotiation in all of this? The Palestinians have not given up or conceded anything in all of this. This was not land taken from the Palestinians; it was barren land that Israeli settlers have made their home. Why didn’t Egypt give some land to this process? It tells the rest of the murdering thugs in the Middle East that terror will get them what they want. The Palestinians have no skin in the game and now will try the same terror tactics to try and take the West Bank. Fox News reports that U.N. funds earmarked to help alleviate poverty is being used to fund a Palestinian political campaign under the slogan, "Today Gaza, tomorrow the West Bank and Jerusalem. The Palestinians have not even waited for the Israeli settlers to leave before they have let the world know their next move.

I wonder what the next move for Israel will be. Now that they have given the Palestinians a state I hope they don’t have to go to war to take it back and drive the Palestinians out. I also wonder how the rich Arab nations will react. I would like to see them supply financial aid to help the poverty and improve the employment situation. Will Israel have to build a wall around the Gaza Strip? This week's confrontations should bolster the argument that Israel is making a huge concession that deserves international recognition.

Let Them Eat Cake...

Some of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay have gone a hunger strike. Depending on whom you believe the number is either 50 or 180. Either way, who cares? Who has instructed these guys that going on a hunger strike will get them media coverage? They claim that they are doing it to protest the mistreatment at the military facility in Cuba. Some are also doing it to protest the amount and quality of their drinking water. Huh?? Is it not chilled enough? Not sparkling enough? Perhaps it doesn’t come with a wedge of lemon. Maybe they would be much happier in a Syrian or Iranian jail. Maybe the jail in Kabul would be a good place for them. What do you think would happen if they started a hunger strike there? Nothing. More food for the other inmates. They would be allowed to starve if that was really their intent. I think in those prisons they might have a real complaint about the water. A spokesman at Guantanamo Bay has said that some have begun eating again. I suppose the brook trout almandine with steamed vegetables, warm dinner rolls and desert was a little too much to pass up.

My feelings on hunger strikes is to let them do it if they want but to completely ignore them. This goes for any hunger strike. If someone refuses to eat that’s his or her business not mine. They will eat when they get too hungry or too weak. The only reason people do this is to try and draw attention to some cause and the media is only too happy to accommodate them. All too often during these “hunger strikes” the person is drinking juices, protein drinks and vitamin pills. Sounds like someone on a diet to me. Maybe Ted Kennedy and Michael Moore should go on a hunger strike to draw attention to the national problem of obesity…

NCAA - The New PC Police...

The NCAA has decided to ban the use of American Indian nicknames or logos from postseason tournaments. Starting in February, any school with a nickname or logo considered racially or ethnically "hostile" or "abusive" by the NCAA would be prohibited from using them in postseason events. Mascots will not be allowed to perform at tournament games, and band members and cheerleaders will also be barred from using American Indians on their uniforms beginning in 2008.

Who is this elitist group to determine what is offensive? What is their definition of hostile or abusive? They have decided that the nickname “Warrior” is acceptable provided the school does not use Indian symbol. Do they think that only American Indians were warriors? The school, North Carolina-Pembroke uses the nickname Braves but they are exempt. The reason why? Because the school has historically had 20% of the students who are American Indian. Schools choose American Indian names and mascots out of respect and honor, not an insult. What is the next step for the NCAA, to ban all mascots because some moonbat may find it offensive? Do they really think that this will improve conditions on the Indian reservations? No, it is just their “cause de jour”. This is such a joke.

These guys sound like members of Congress. They are ignoring all the real issues in college athletics and are worrying about whether a team has an Indian name or mascot. What they should be focusing on and trying to fix is the terrible graduation rate for most Division 1 football and basketball programs. The use of performance enhancing drugs. Recruiting violations. Alumni violations. Criminal behavior by the scholarship athletes. They need to tie the graduation rates to the number of scholarships a school can offer. If the graduation of scholarship athletes in a schools program drops below a certain level they lose 1 scholarship. Below yet another level, another scholarship and so on. The NCAA has become a big business and the students are the ones that suffer. This board at the NCAA have bright futures in Congress by ignoring the real issues and only addressing the non-issues…

The DNC and Bush's Health...

This past weekend the results of President Bush’s annual physical were released to the public. His doctors reported that he was in superior physical condition. They attribute this to his 6-day a week exercise routine. This is good news to everyone except the DNC who issued a press release. Why does this even require a response? The Democrats are so obsessed by the fact they have been beaten by Bush that nothing can pass with out a negative response.

They have decided to blame the national obesity problem on President Bush. They have to be kidding right? It must be Bush’s fault that Americans are so overweight.

DNC spokesman Josh Earnest said, “President Bush's has dropped the ball when it comes to fully funding physical education in public schools and women's athletic programs at the college level”

And, "His personal habits indicate that physical fitness is not just fun and games for him. Don't our kids deserve the same opportunities to be physically fit? President Bush should stop running from his responsibility and make sure that all American children have access to physical fitness programs."

And this, "While obesity has been declared an epidemic in this country, Bush's education policy is putting children at risk with cuts in physical education and school athletic programs".

Most PE classes have become optional and have been replaced by “touchy feely” courses in the public schools. I don’t recall the administration being responsible for this. If the schools have any athletic facilities they have to be Olympic sized pools and state of the art weightraining equipment all costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. What ever happened to kids just going outside for gym class and hitting or kicking a ball around? Running? Playing tag or touch football? Oh no, those are way too competitive for the kids. Someones self esteem will be permanently damaged. I guess this is Bush’s doing too.

Parents have decided that this is just fine with them. This is very wrong. It all fits in with the poor parenting that goes on in this country these days. I see minivans and SUVs lined up at the bus stops daily to pick up the kids and drive them a quarter mile to the house. This is NUTS! If parents started buying fruits and vegetables instead of cookies and soda their kids would not be getting so fat. If they sent them outside to play with other kids in the neighborhood after school instead of letting them play XBOX, watch TV, or use the computer to IM the kid across the street they wouldn’t be such meatballs. This clearly must be the President fault too…