Hang together or separately...

Next week is an important meeting of the RNC. There are two issues that MUST be considered together or separately; but they MUST be agreed upon, and put before the Congress.

Securing our borders is doable and MUST be done. Enforcing our immigration laws for those inside and outside our borders is doable and MUST be done. The President's "guest-worker" program is a separate issue. This program needs to be presented as a legal hiring of workers from outside our borders. They are "guests" , not illegal aliens. They are "workers" , not illegal aliens. The guests - workers must return to their individual countries after their work is completed or if they want to become citizens of America they MUST apply for citizenship.

"It's pretty clear where the American public is on this issue -- they want the border fixed. They want the government to do something about employers who hire illegal workers. I believe that's essentially where the Republican Party is," said Randy Pullen, the national committeeman from Arizona who is sponsoring the resolution, By Stephen DinanTHE WASHINGTON TIMES .

Issue one: Secure Borders. Issue two: Illegal Workers. Issue three: Guest - Worker Program. While we agree that these issues are interrelated and overlap, we do not believe that one all encompassing piece of legislation is needed or necessary. Separate issues call for separate treatment. Each must be strong in its own language and be compatible with the other related laws. The laws MUST then be enforced.

"Never give in..."

Say what you will, the truth will eventually surface, and then all will see who really want to see. Rally Round the (White) Flag, Boys!Democrats finally find an Iraq policy they can get behind by Edward Morrissey in The Daily Standard has some insight, and outright truth.

" AFTER THE MURTHA COMMENTS, the GOP challenged the Democrats to go on record with a Congressional vote for retreat. Almost the entire Democratic caucus cut and ran from their embrace of the cut-and-run strategy--the House voted against the non-binding resolution for immediate withdrawal 403 to 3. The height of Democratic pusillanimity came when GOP Rep. Sam Johnson, a former Vietnam POW, asked for three extra minutes to complete his remarks. Several Democrats voiced objection. The speaker demanded that the members objecting identify themselves--and none would even stand for their own objection."

Charles Krauthammer's real assessment of "The Truth about Torture" in the Dec. 5 issue of The weekly Standard is worth reading. He gives three kinds of war PRISONERS:

First, the ordinary soldier caught on the field of battle. "There is no question that he is entitled to humane treatment."

Second, there is the captured terrorist. He is an unlawful combatant. "Breaking the laws of war and abusing civilians are what, to understate the matter vastly, terrorists do for a living. THEY ARE ENTITLED, THEREFORE, TO NOTHING.

Third, there is the terrorist with information. "Here the issue of torture gets complicated..." Case in point - A terrorist. lets say, has planted a dirty bomb somewhere in New York City. It will go off in one hour. Our terrorist knows where the bomb is; but he is not talking.
Question: "If you have the slightest belief that ( water boarding or other torture) will get you the information to save a million lives, should you be permitted to do it?"

Krauthammer maintains that there are two exceptions to the so called McCain " No Torture" law. First is the "ticking time bomb" and the second is the "slow-fuse high-value terrorist."

Other writers in Newsweek and the National Journal make the same exception.
Dr. Dean's message to the terrorists is that he has thrown in the towel and raised the white flag of surrender. To the terrorist, I say and I will" Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." Winston Churchill.

Now for the Gnu News...

There is good news about our economy. Economists had forecast GDP would advance at a 3.6% rate in the July-to-September quarter. The economy has now expanded faster than 3% for 10 straight quarters.3.8% growth in spite of hurricanes is excellent. Think what it might have been. The tax cuts have stimulated the economy.

President Bush's nomination of a highly qualified replacement for Alan Greenspan as Federal Reserve Chairman is expected to pass Senate confirmation easily. This is great news. Economist Ben Bernanke is expected to follow Greenspan's guidance. Mister Greenspan is seventy-nine years old. "He has won praise for his guidance of the world's largest economy." See the story by (Mario Ritter) for details.

"Withdrawal...

Charles Hurt covers the story of the Harriet Miers nomination withdrawal in the (Washington Times) today.

Is there still faith in the advise and consent? Does the President and his staff listen? These are questions that can be answered - Yes! We the people do still matter. We thank Harriet Miers for withdrawing her name and we thank President Bush for accepting her withdrawal. She may yet serve as an ambassador or other high government post. She is a well qualified person.

Many Conservatives including this blogger called for the withdrawal and we are pleased. We resoundingly disagree with Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat that the nominee MUST be in the mold of Sandra Day O'Connor to unite the country. He knows, as does the entire world, that President Bush said he would appoint a nominee in the mold of Scalia or Thomas.

We are asking the President to nominate a highly qualified person with a clear record of Conservative judicial thinking. The person does not have to meet a test as unifier, female, black, Hispanic or any other label to serve on the Supreme Court. The person does have to be a CONSERVATIVE in the mold of Scalia and Thomas. That and that alone will satisfy.

"So many questions...

Phyllis Schlafly of (Eagleforum) has some questions, and they are the same questions that many other Conservative supporters of President Bush have.

You said, "Trust me." But why should we trust you when experience proves we could not trust the judgment of President Reagan (who gave us Justices O'Connor and Kennedy) or President George H.W. Bush (who gave us Justice Souter)? Are you more trustworthy than Reagan or your father?" I guess this one is the hardest question for me.

Why would you ask me to trust you when your nominee is not known to be in the mold of Anthony Scalea and Clarence Thomas.? These have been accused of being far RIGHT. Two more far right judges would give the Court a chance to stop far LEFT legislation from the bench. This is the ONLY chance we have. From what we have seen Roberts and Meirs are not far RIGHT. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is far LEFT - an ACLU lawyer.

Would it be out of the question to nominate a person that was known to be as far RIGHT as Ginsburg is LEFT? It is not out of the question, it is expected. It was a big part of the 2004 campaign; you would be able to appoint two or more Conservative Supreme Court Judges.

Why would you ask me to trust you with an unknown when there are plenty of known Conservative Scaleas and Thomas' who are on record as Conservative? They have fought the good fight and kept the faith. You have a right to nominate anyone you want. But we have a right to question your judgment on this most important nomination and we do.

"The power of the President...

It might be a little early but the "next disaster", hurricane Wilma, may be in my state of Florida. I want to thank President Bush for reducing her from a class 5 to a 2 or 1 class by the time it reaches his brother. Governor Bush and the rest of us are ready. We've been through this several times so it's hard to blame the President for favoritism. Maybe there is some sibling rivalry. But he did keep the hurricane stronger when it hit some who chose to live below sea level, and were not related by blood.

FEMA came by my place after we had four hurricanes in six weeks. I had a large pine limb through my livingroom roof and water damage. I told them to help those who had lost everything. They sent be a copy of their report. "No SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE" - and no check came. I was pleased. My nearby neighbor had no damage but received a LARGE check. She also was well pleased.

" I Spy...

Work continues at "The Company" as those entrenched continue to resist change. Is there a need for change at the CIA after 9/11/01? The failed political policies of the Agency to undermine the 2004 election, ( Wilson & blame - WMD), and retain the job of those who failed with WMD briefs became more important than National Security.

Clearly there was internal confusion in the CIA on their Iraq-Niger intelligence. But the National Intelligence Estimates states that as early as 2001 "...Niger planned to send several tons(500) of 'pure uranium' (probably yellowcake) to Iraq... , this was cleared by the CIA for the Presidents speech. That is enough for ten bombs.

Now comes the TWIST and the MSM's cry "Where are the WMD"? Is this POLITICAL, you bet. Plant two estimates, later to be called CONFUSION, and condemn the President with either - "there is NO evidence or there IS evidence for Iraq having capability of WMD."

Today David Ignatius (Washingtonpost.com) discusses the "Danger Point In Spy Reform." Ignatius speaks of the " incomplete effort to restructure the intelligence community." It is human nature to resist change. It is more so if you are a D.C. bureaucrat.

He concludes with"The half-baked intelligence reorganization should go back in the oven. Negroponte, supported by President Bush, must finish the process -- and consolidate this overlayered bureaucracy. Getting intelligence right is a life-or-death matter for America, and, so far, it's only partly right."

I wholeheartly agree that the process started by President Bush MUST be finished. I disagree with the tone of the article that this "Spy Reform" is being botched by President Bush's Republican Porter Goss as director of the CIA. The ones sent to bring about REFORM, call the"Gosslings" at Langley by the LIBERALS is a sign of their hatred of this President. That's POLITICAL.

Bill Gertz in his book, "Breakdown" has it right. There is enough blame to go around in both Democrat and Republican Administrations. The intelligence failures that led to September 11, 2001 was a "life-or-death matter for America." That was and is bigger than "MY JOB" at the CIA or "HOW CAN I GET POLITICAL ADVANTAGE FROM THIS TRAGEDY."

"American conservatism...

Today in the WSJ Rush Limbaugh makes the conservative point. We conservatives know what we believe and we hold our elected officials accountable. Whether its President, Senator, or Congressman we will let them know that we do not support any who go against our stated beliefs. Contrary to Liberal Democrats and their MSM spokesmen who see this inside accountability as a split in the Conservative Party we see it as healthy.

Conservatism and Liberalism are at odds with each other. The last two election cycles have gone Conservative. That could change if the two change or if one begins to merge into the other. Conservative Republicans have worked long and hard to obtain a majority in the two houses and the White House.

The Supreme Court, unlike the elected officials, does not allow itself to be elected. The founding fathers saw this as a good thing. It allows the individual judge to make decisions based on the constitution without the pressure of special interest groups and their money. The Supreme Court has legislated from the bench and it is time for it to stop. Now is the time to make that clear. A Conservative President is expected to nominate and a majority of Conservative Senators are expected to confirm a Conservative Supreme Court nominee.

"ABC does it right...

BRAVO ABC - yes you heard it right. Today, ABC News is breaking a disturbing report, the result of a four-month investigation, regarding the safety of nuclear reactors on university campuses across the country. Many were not guarded or even protected. That is GOOD reporting.

Tonight on Primetime at 10:00 pm ET. ABC News shared its findings with officials before going public so that these security lapses could be addressed before they were widely known. Now that is responsible journalism. We could use a great deal more of that.

President on war...

The New York Times carries the President's( transcript). "I'm honored once again to be with the supporters of the National Endowment for Democracy.

Since the day President Ronald Reagan set out the vision for this endowment, the world has seen the swiftest advance of democratic institutions in history. And Americans are proud to have played our role in this great story."

Thus began the speech of WHY we are in a Global War, WHERE Iraq is the center, WHAT has happened, and is happening , and How our President believes that it will end. It is truly a great speech. It will be attacked by the MSM as - STILL NO DATE FOR WITHDRAWAL!!! ETC.

On another front,(BBC) Press Office, reports "President George W. Bush told Palestinian ministers that God had told him to invade Afghanistan and Iraq - and create a Palestinian State, a new BBC series reveals." In yesterday's post, we stated that no one doubted that President George W. Bush was a REAL born-again Christian. Real Christians know that God answers prayer, and directs His children through the Bible. He went on to say, ... by God's help he would do just that. We will wait and see what the unbelieving MSM will do with that.

White House denies Bush claimed divine inspiration. It makes for a good made for TV story draw though. The born-again Christian world view (Theism) will be on trial in the Senate confirmation hearings as well. Ms. Meirs is a committed active evangelical Christian.

The Real George W. Bush...

One thing that is being overlooked in the comments I see, is that the Republican Party knew that Governor Bush was not a Right-Wing Conservative when we nominated him for President in 2000. There were no ultra- conservatives that were electable way back then.

He had a record of working with Democrats in Texas. George W. Bush was the best candidate the Republican Party had that could be elected to the Presidency. No one questions that he is a Christian, that he is a Conservative, that he is REAL. There are Liberal Republicans, Moderate Republicans, and Conservative Republicans, and some in-between. For most of us Conservative, grassroots activists, our President is a Moderate. He has nominated two Moderate Republicans to the Supreme Court. He believes that they are the best people for the Supreme Court.

I was in the 60% group that was disappointed with the Harriet Meirs appointment. I predicted the President would nominate her, and I predicted that she would receive bipartisan support. I like so many that worked to get a Republican majority in our government wanted a creditable, with credentials Conservative nominee. Harriet Meirs is not that person.

I predict that there will be another round of posturing and protesting. The Republicans will join together to vote up or down this nominee. Its tough; because we don't know her. The President is REAL, only time will tell if Ms. Meirs is a REAL Conservative who stands for our values.

"Its morning in America..."

"It is morning in America" at least in the highest Court. Chief Justice John Rogers started his new job right on time. The Roberts Court, as it is now called is off and running with cases on labor and fuel taxes. We wish the Roberts Court well. The President nominated well, the Senate confirmed well, and we look forward to Chief Justice John Roberts serving well.

Harriet Miers was nominated to replace Sandra Day O'Connor for several reasons. The days following will bring out the research done by and for this nominee. Three reasons are evident from the git go:BALANCE - woman replacing a woman - voice for those who have not been a judge(bipartisan request) - Moderately Conservative. QUALIFIED - meets all the requirements to be Supreme Court Judge. Some of the best Supremes were not judges. FULFILLS CAMPAIGN PROMISE - President Bush promised to appoint Supreme Court nominees that shared the beliefs of the Conservative base.

There are those who will be against Harriet Miers from the Right, Left, and Against ANY Bush nominee. I predicted John Rogers and I predicted Harriet Miers. I predict there will also be bipartisan support in the Senate for Harriet Miers.

President Bush is not as Conservative as most of his base, and he is far to conservative for most of the Liberal Democrats in Congress. I am sure, in his mind, he is satisfied that he has nominated those who have fulfilled his campaign promises. More so, he believes that Rogers, and now Miers are the BEST people for the Supreme Court in America.

Showdowns in the news...

AOIFE WHITEAP, (AP )BRUSSELS, Belgium:

"The European Union insisted Friday that governments and the private sector must share the responsibility of overseeing the Internet, setting the stage for a showdown with the United States on the future of Internet governance." SHOWDOWN is the key word here.

Al Gore did not invent the Internet. The EU didn't invent the Internet, and the U N didn't either; yet all three have insisted that they have credit and some control of the Internet. Why is it that those who did not do the research, spend the money, or take the chances DEMAND their rights to take credit and have control. There has even been a call for the United(read un) Nations to TAKE OVER controll.

The UNITED STATES created the Internet! It started as a Pentagon project and its early development was paid for by taxpayers in the UNITED STATES of AMERICA. The U.S. Commerce Department retains veto power, and that is where it belongs.

There was no SHOWDOWN with the Senate confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts. No "nuclear option" was needed, just an honest, dignified, up or down vote. Each Senator stood to cast their vote, which was a nice touch.

Judith Miller is OUTED. The big SHOWDOWN with the NYT journalist and the White House turns out to be a Big Show. "Is it in their interests to turn Miller into a martyr?" Dan Froomklin, Washington Post columnist asks us. My answer has always been YES. Big Show - No Go.

President Bush will have a SHOWDOWN this week in three areas, according to Steve Holland, Reuters(search) . He will focus on" hurricane recovery, Iraq and energy." We could add that another Supreme Court nominee may be announced.

"Securing our borders...

Civilian monitors on both borders
By Jerry SeperTHE WASHINGTON TIMES October 1, 2005 immigration reform.

"We've written letters, sent faxes and e-mails, made countless calls and held town hall meetings about what is not just a public safety issue but a national security concern," Mr. Simcox said, describing his group's message to the government. "But we're done waiting for the government to do the job of securing our borders."

We have been waiting for the government to bring forth a solution to our growing illegal immigration problem. The bills working slowly through Congress are not acceptable to either side of the political spectrum. The Minutemen have been criticized; yet they have been effective. They have not caused any problem for law enforcement.

President Bush has denounced the volunteers as vigilantes. We take exception with the President at this point. The Minutemen have not assumed the authority of the law; but have assisted the law by reporting illegals to them.

It is past time for the government to secure our borders with trained people. We are at war. We salute the Minutemen for standing in the gap while our government comes to realize that we the people want secure borders.

We did not get millions of illegal aliens since 2000, nor were we at war when President Bush took office. He inherited both circumstances. We are not blaming him, we are asking him and Congress to secure our borders now. It is not asking to much for our government to stop illegal activity. We know it can be done, the Minutemen are providing the numbers. Rather than criticize them, lets replace them with trained agents.

Jerry Kilgore, Republican for Governor of Virginia, " opposes the use of taxpayer money to support and encourage illegal behavior. Kilgore opposes the awarding of government contracts, tax credits or other taxpayer-provided support for companies that hire illegal aliens."

Arnold Schwartzenegger, Republican Governor of California, "The governor stressed the Minutemen organization should be held to high standards." He went on to say that the Minutemen are there to report the illegals that the border patrol misses.

"To be, or not to be...

To federalize, or not to federalize is the question. Governor Jeb Bush, "I am proud of the way Florida has responded to hurricanes during the past year. Before Congress considers a larger, direct federal role, it needs to hold communities and states accountable for properly preparing for the inevitable storms to come."

He goes on to say in the Washington Post today, "As the governor of a state that has been hit by seven hurricanes and two tropical storms in the past 13 months, I can say with certainty that federalizing emergency response to catastrophic events would be a disaster as bad as Hurricane Katrina."As a Florida resident who experienced these hurricanes and storms, I can testify to the need for first responders, and the work that they do after the federal people leave. These disasters have not divided us, they have drawn us closer together. We pitched in and helped each other. If Donna Brazile, from Al Gore days, can say,"Mr. President, I am ready for duty... then the rest of the Democrat party can, and should also.

The up or down vote, and the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts, was as it should be. We are pleased. That was the way the people's business was done in the not too distant past. A Liberal President nominated a Liberal person, and the Senate confirmed that person; because the voters had elected a Liberal President.

The voters elected a Christian Conservative as President, and then the voters re-elected President Bush. He is expected to nominate Conservative people to open judgeships. If President Bush nominates the most conservative person in America, and the Senate confirms that person, the Court will still tilt Left.

There would be three Conservatives, one Moderate, and FIVE Liberals. Sen. Arlen Specter has called upon President Bush to nominate a person to keep the Court "evenly divided." He means by that a MODERATE like himself. Conservatives are calling for a CONSERVATIVE to keep the Court close to balanced. Liberals are DEMANDING that a CONSERVATIVE President nominate a LIBERAL. To their way of thinking a Six to Two, and one Moderate would be "evenly divided." Will the Court be even, or uneven? That is the question. "To be, or not to be...

"They lied...

Who knew? Did the MoveOn.org group know that Fenton Communications was advertising twisted quotes? FactChecker.org says THEY KNEW!

Those who are attacked in this advertisement said what they had been told by the CIA. The CIA got it wrong; but that does not make those who reported their findings liars. All of the White House staff and members of Congress were briefed by the CIA, and ALL received the SAME wrong information.

The White House and the Congress did not know that the information was wrong. They did not "LIE" when they acted on the FALSE information. They did not knowingly pass on falsehoods; but the MoveOn.org and associated groups DID - They have LIED.

The anti-war groups are the same old group with the same old false accusations we saw in the Vietnam war. The leaders used the attack American and defend the Communists then also. For those who seek the truth, read the full quotes and you will find "they look a bit different when read in full context."

Thursday should give us a Chief Justice for the U S Supreme Court. The President is said to be ready to announce his nominee to replace Judge O'Connor. We look forward to President Bush's nominee. He said he would name future justices in the mold of Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. President Bush is a man of his word.

Harriet Miers has been searching for the person that meets those qualifications. Harriet Miers could be that person according to this AP article. As the Court now stands, whoever fills this spot will have the "swing" vote on upcoming crucial Court rulings. Our prayers are with the President as he makes this choice.

"Drastic times call for...

Surely, surely we can pull together this time. Rita and Katrina have done their work, now lets join together and do our work. Everyone needs to give.

The public outpouring has been simply amazing. Business has made huge donations. The President has asked for and the Congress has approved billions for relief and recovery. The economy is growing at 4% in spite of our war and weather. Now, how to pay for them?

Billions of tax dollars are flowing into Washington due to President Bush's TAX cut. That needs to stay; but more "pork" has to be cut. We must go back and cut bills. There are a lot of nice things that aren't necessary. These are well known to the President, and to Congress, and to me, John Q. Citizen. "Drastic times call for drastic measures."

"And now for my next nominee...

Flight or Fight, that is the question. Could the White House and the Congress enjoy a majority without the conservatives? How many liberals worked for them?Is there any moderate nominee that Sen. Kerry would vote for?

If the President were to nominate a conservative that would fight the liberal Senators for conservative issues, would that set a terrible precedent?These are some questions that are circulating around the conservative base. Just how hard are the liberals working to bring this nation together? President Bush's favorite Judges are Scalia and Thomas; nominate a Janice Rogers Brown. Mr. President, look her square in the eye, and say, "GO GET EM Judge Brown."

In these times one must stand up for what is right, and not what is politically correct. We are fighting a GLOBAL war against terrorism, we are fighting an ENERGY war against democracies, we are fighting a POLITICAL war against those who would turn Natural disasters into political gain. Mr. President I know some are advising you to nominate a person that will keep the Court "evenly divided." When Chief Justice Rehnquist was the "lone ranger", the ONLY conservative, then EVEN didn't matter. Eight to one was not even, and FIVE to FOUR is not EVEN. FIGHT!

"This is the stuff...

"As the waters clear"by The Washington Times reporter, Michael Barone takes a look at New Orleans after the hurricane, and after the BLAME GAME.

Will the press learn anything from their biased reports? Probably not. IF they were going to clean up their act, they would have done it by now. Will we the readers and watchers learn to take their reporting with a grain of salt? I believe that is what a lot of us have done.

"Lower taxes and less bureaucracy," these are TWO keys to a CONSERVATIVE recovery response that calls on the business community to get involved. This is the HAND UP rather than the RAISE TAXES and give HAND OUTS approach of left wing Democrats.

An( OP/ED) piece in the Los Angeles Times calls for OVERWHELMING Senate confirmation of Judge John Roberts. It will indeed be "a damning indictment of petty partisanship if" , and that is the big word - IF there is not an "overwhelming" majority Senate confirmation of the moderate Judge John Roberts. IF the Democrats have nightmares about voting for a MODERATE to replace a CONSERVATIVE, then it is easy to see the drift LEFT in liberal dreams.

"I for one have woken up in the middle of the night thinking about it, being unsure how to vote," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). The terror of self-serving politics can bring nightmares according to the senior Sen. from N.Y. The real fight, IF there is one, will be the nominee that is to replace the moderate O'Connor. "This is the stuff dreams are made of...".

"Man is a political...

I believe the confirmation of Roberts will show the hand of those who have more politics on their mind than justice. "Man is a political animal."---Aristotle.

Robert Novak's , (Chuck Schumer's Defeat) "Schumer was good; Roberts was better" - we could say Schumer is a POLITICAL lawyer, while Roberts is a LEGAL lawyer. Schumer brought his politics to the hearing, while Roberts brought the CONSTITUTION to the hearing.

Robert Novak makes two very good points.FIRST: Because the President chose a nominee that is near perfect for the Chief Justice position; and in light of the committee Dems. voice against Judge Roberts, the President is free to choose anyone, because the Dems. are going to vote against ANY nominee. Second: The Court may be back on its way to judging each case based on merit, and how it stacks up against the Constitution.