Do We Have A Crisis of Courage?

Arizona Senator Jon Kyl has an excellent piece here on what he alleges is America's crisis of courage. He quotes at length from a speech given by Alexander Solzhenitsyn to Harvard graduates in 1978: "Should one point out that from ancient times decline in courage has been considered the beginning of the end?" He lamented that "[N]o weapons, no matter how powerful, can help the West until it overcomes its loss of willpower."

Kyle states, "At stake in the war on terror is nothing less than preserving Western civilization, as Solzhenitsyn sensed almost 30 years ago: "The fight, physical and spiritual for our planet, a fight of cosmic proportions, is not a vague matter of the future; it has already started."

Kyl believes that the "fate of future generations depends on how we answer the enemy's challenge today. To do that, we must clearly understand the nature of the threat we face – and we must marshal the courage and character necessary to prevail."

Hat tip Austin Bay

What Are You Going to Be When You Grow Up?

I am in the kitchen scrubbing some pots and pans. Three-year-old Sara, five-year-old Greg, and six-year-old Jon are at the kitchen table talking about what they want to be when they grow up. Greg summarizes the results of the discussion. "When Sara grows up she is going to be a mom. I am going to be a policeman. Jon is going to be a cowboy. And I have no idea what Dad is going to be!"

Oh Sure, They're All Reaganites!

Jonathan Martin, writing in Politico.com, nails the three Republican front runners, who all now say they are Reaganites, but whose track records reveal otherwise.

How do Our Troops Feel About Criticism of the War?

John Bolton Warns: U.S. Needs To Keep Its Focus On Stopping Iran's Nuclear Weapons Build-Up

"Not only have the diplomatic efforts towards the Axis of Evil been too weak but United Nations negotiations have also been protracted and allowed Iran and North Korea to more fully develop their nuclear and missile delivery programs." These are the opinions of FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog, who brings us these comments made by John Bolton at Japan's National Press Club in Tokyo.

Does Hillary Have Baggage?

Via Fulloneous Flap's Dental Blog

Are You A Patriotic Terrorist?

Want to read a great piece of satire? Go to the Huffington Post and read the latest by Greg Gutfeld. He writes about "patriotic terrorists." A patriotic terrorist is "an American who claims to love his or her country while enjoying the enemy's success against said country. It is a person who gets deeply offended if you question their patriotism, while also appearing to share the same ideals of the more spirited folk who like to blow up innocent people."

There seem to be quite a lot of these folks now-a-days. Gutfeld compares them to Al Qaeda:

"-Both patriotic terrorists and Al Qaeda want the US to abandon Iraq, for that reveals Bush and America to be monstrous, laughable failures.

-For patriotic terrorists and real terrorists, car bombs going off is music to their ears. It proves that you can't offer democracy to troubled countries, as long as you've got terrorists standing in your way. And that's great news for everyone who believes in checks and balances between the haves and the have nots! (Note: "haves" means the US. "Have nots" means those who hate the US)

Are you a patriotic terrorist?

If you are intensely critical of the US, while tolerating homicidal enemies who condemn everything you previously claimed you are for - human rights, voting rights, gay rights, women's rights, porn - then you're a patriotic terrorist.

The only difference between a patriotic terrorist and a real one? Real terrorists are simply patriotic terrorists who've taken the extra step - choosing to actually die for their beliefs - rather than simply talking about them at Spago. If Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, Michael Moore, and their ilk had real cojones, they'd all be wearing cute black vests - but stuffed with more than dog-eared copies of Deterring Democracy."

Read the whole thing here.

SNL Nails Chris Matthews and Hillary Clinton

Via Hot Air

Kids Can Be Kids

There are a couple of parenting items in the news today. I just heard Sean Hannity discussing one of them. Apparently in California some politician wants to criminalize parents who spank children. Some little children need to be spanked, and some do not. Child protection agencies in urban areas get hundreds of child abuse calls weekly, many of them very serious cases of abuse or neglect. Do you really think we need to add spanking to that mix? I do not.

Betsy Hart has a column today about parents posting job charts for kids. We have designated chores for all of our kids, and the system works pretty well to give them an understanding that everyone needs to contribute. We do have to change the jobs every so often to make sure that everyone is carrying their share of the family responsibilities. Believe it or not, some children just want to do the least amount they can get by with! Read Betsy's whole column here.

Brown On Black Gang Violence in L.A.

Jeremiah Marquez of the Associated Press has a story today about Hispanic gang members in Los Angeles targeting blacks. Two young black girls have been killed in separate incidents. Police say they are going to identify the worst gangs and crack down. Alex Sanchez, a former MS-13 member says that all the gangs are going to want to be in the top ten of the identified worst gangs! Gang members outnumber police four to one. Read the whole article here.

Six-Year-Old Sings To Her Brave Brother

This is one that probably will not get much play in the MSM, but I am impressed! Hat tip RightWinged.

The Danes Are At It Again!

The Danes are at it again. They seem to have a marvelous way of playing with people who take themselves too seriously. This time it is Al Gore's cage that is being rattled. Mr. Gore is challenged in the Opinion Journal to answer questions about his catastrophic claims resulting from global warming. You can read the entire excellent article, entitled, "Will Al Gore Melt?"here.

As for us here in Colorado, we have had it up to here with global warming this winter. Just before the first of many snowstorms there was a global warming protest in the local park. Many protesters dutifully put up yard signs after the protest, warning of the dire consequences of global warming. Those signs have been buried in snow since December 20! I'll take a picture of one and post it, if the snow ever melts down to the top of the signs.

Is Your Life Worth Less if You Are Not White?

John Andrews has a column in today's Denver Post that is thought-provoking. He discusses the "widespread lie that if you are not white in America, your choices matter less and your life is worth less." He points out that Dr. Martin Luther King gave his life to prove this lie to be false. Andrews also notes that "gang culture flourishes in the poisonous atmosphere of that lie." Andrews asks us to consider "the moral bankruptcy implicit in our designating gangsters as just another culture in the first place."

Andrews points out that "multiculturalism started out benignly with diverse foods and fashions. But its spineless tolerance for every group's redefinition of right and wrong now invites social suicide." Read the whole column here.

Hillary Clinton Announces Presidential Run

Gateway Pundit has a list of records established by the previous Clinton administration:
"* Number close to the Clinton machine who have been convicted of or pleaded guilty to crimes: 44
* Number of convictions during his administration: 33
* Number of indictments/misdemeanor charges: 61
* Number of imprisonments: 14
* Number of presidential impeachments: 1
* Number of independent counsel investigations: 7
* Number of congressional witnesses pleading the 5th Amendment: 72
* Number of witnesses fleeing the country to avoid testifying: 17
* Number of foreign witnesses who have declined interviews by investigative bodies: 19

The Clinton machine now holds the record for the administration with:

* The most number of convictions and guilty pleas
* The most number of cabinet members to come under criminal investigation
* The most number of witnesses to flee the country or refuse to testify
* The most number of key witnesses to die suddenly
* The greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions
* The greatest amount of illegal campaign contributions from abroad.
But, there is now hope that these records will be broken!...

Hillary '08!"
Photo by Gambits

Colorado Viewed As Lucrative Market For Gangs Who Smuggle Drugs, Guns, and Humans

The Rocky Mountain News finally decided Colorado's gang problem merits a front page story. It is entitled, "Serious,on the rise." Data from law enforcement puts the number of confirmed gang members at 12,741, but that count may be low, because they do not include every city in the state. Gangs from Mexico and Southern California have moved into Colorado, trafficking in drugs, humans, and guns. Mexican drug cartels ship drugs up Interstate 25 to Colorado, and then gang members take over distribution. The other major interstate highway is I-70, giving us the link to California. It is not just the large urban areas. Small towns like Greeley and Longmont have huge populations of gang members. Kansas City and Phoenix have problems similar to Denver.

Confident, Assertive, Relaxed, "In Control" Parents

Although my wife and I have graduate degrees in psychology and social work, guess who we look up to for parenting advice? Our main man is Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel! Mostly by example, he gives great advice on how to be the leader of your pack. And, if the leader does not lead, the pack will come up with their own solutions, most of which you will not like! If you are a parent, and you have not seen this program, I highly recommend it.

The pack leader does not have to yell and scream, but he or she does have to be confident, assertive, relaxed and in control. Are you?

Also, the leader's issues are not the child's issues. You may have guilty feelings about trauma that your child may have experienced, even though you did not cause the trauma, and, as a result, you do not provide him with the structure or discipline he needs. The child then fills that void by acting aggressively. Children, however, need you to be a confident leader who will provide for them and assert dominance. No, you will not see words like dominance in the average book on parenting.

Parenting is all about earning trust. Your children are looking to you to provide leadership, which means both structure and nurturance. Only when you provide both will they settle down. Either you lead or they will. Which do you want?

Gangs: America's Domestic Terrorism Problem

Dave Krieger, columnist for the Rocky Mountain News, is continuing to focus on the gang issue in Denver. He has written a superb column here about the deafening silence of current pro athletes and local politicians to the problem of street gangs. He refers to this problem as "the domestic terrorism problem." By that he means that the gangsters are "using terror to get away with murder, scaring potential witnesses silent by killing a few." One of his most potent lines is, "Never mind Baghdad, what sort of offensive would it take to secure the streets of Denver and Aurora at night?"

I also heard Krieger talking about this issue on the Peter Boyles radio show this morning. They talked about the fact that the community has committed to a local fund-raising effort to raise thirty million dollars in order to do some things the Democrats have asked for in order to hold their convention in Denver in 2008. What? Balloons? A golf cart to get Teddy Kennedy around the Pepsi Center? Of course, the point Krieger and Boyles made is this: If that thirty million dollars could be spent on prevention programs and beefing up the police work on gangs, how much more good could be done for this community?

On a related note, I have been hearing about brown on black gang violence in Los Angeles. Something about the Mexican gangs calling a truce in order to allow blacks to go grocery shopping? Has anyone heard about this?

It's Their Business. They Can Do What They Want With My Money

I learned today that Xcel Energy is going to give one million dollars to the Democrats for their convention in Denver in 2008. I am so glad my heating bills are going for such a good cause!

Beware Of The "Tolerant" Left

Congressman Dennis Kucinch is heading up a subcommittee and says he wants to "move the progressive agenda to where it is visible." Leftists have been unable to compete in the talk radio marketplace, so now they will try to use their new power in Washington to force us to listen to them? Watch this guy closely!
Thanks a lot, Ohio!

Let's Not Jump On This Guy's Bandwagon Too Fast!

Mitt Romney sounds very different today than when he was trying to out-liberal Ted Kennedy in their U.S.Senate race twelve years ago. He is definitely a fast talker. What do you think?