Rights that are not

Bill Whittle from the National Review says it perfectly:

Simply this: Constitutional rights protect us from things: intimidation, illegal search and seizure, self-incrimination, and so on. The revolutionary idea of our Founding Fathers was that people had a God-given right to live as they saw fit. Our constitutional rights protect us from the power of government.

But these new so-called “rights” are about the government — who the Founders saw as the enemy — giving us things: food, health care, education... And when we have a right to be given stuff that previously we had to work for, then there is no reason — none — to go and work for them. The goody bag has no bottom, except bankruptcy and ruin.

This is a major difference between conservatism and liberalism. There is always one thing to remember: What the government gives, the government can take it away.

An Obama landslide win (thanks to ACORN)?

Unfortunately for McCain/Palin, several swing states are now leaning Obama/Biden, so much so that many Democratic strategists are predicting a landslide victory. Maybe thanks to ACORN, too, for hounding already-registered voters and boosting registration beyond 100%!

Behind the scenes of campaigns

The candidates always put up their best smiles on the campaign trail. The general public usually sees the best of the candidates. CBS News' Dean Reynolds provides readers a behind-the-scene look at both candidates and campaigns. And he has some poor reviews for Obama and his campaign...

Defending Palin's kind of patriotism

Thomas Friedman of the NYT has a problem with what he calls "Palin's kind of patriotism":

Criticizing Sarah Palin is truly shooting fish in a barrel. But given the huge attention she is getting, you can’t just ignore what she has to say. And there was one thing she said in the debate with Joe Biden that really sticks in my craw. It was when she turned to Biden and declared: “You said recently that higher taxes or asking for higher taxes or paying higher taxes is patriotic. In the middle class of America, which is where Todd and I have been all of our lives, that’s not patriotic.”

What an awful statement. Palin defended the government’s $700 billion rescue plan. She defended the surge in Iraq, where her own son is now serving. She defended sending more troops to Afghanistan. And yet, at the same time, she declared that Americans who pay their fair share of taxes to support all those government-led endeavors should not be considered patriotic.

Not so fast, Mr. Friedman! Palin was commenting on Biden's argument of paying higher taxes is patriotic. She never said paying taxes is unpatriotic. It's a shame that the author made an incorrect and unjust assumption to pen his op-ed column.

We all know that taxes are necessary in our society. But what does the government do with our tax money? Earmarks and pork legislation. Welfare programs for people who don't pay taxes. So paying higher taxes isn't patriotic. It's actually irresponsible in our democracy as we the people ought to hold our politicians accountable for every penny.

Ultimately liberalism brought down Wall Street, not terrorists

Wall Street, the stock market, the Twin Towers. These are icons of Western capitalism, or even more specifically, American capitalism. The free market catapulted America into a world power, wealth amassed and opportunities abound. In the eyes of Islamic terrorists, America was corrupting the world -- their world of purity and faith. Our enemies would make many attempts to destroy not only these symbols of America's financial achievement, but also have no regard for human life.

Today capitalism is diseased and the American dream shattered. Al Qaeda couldn't have hoped for a better attack on America and the Western world. But this time terrorists didn't do a thing except watch TV as the news cycles break story after story of bear markets and economic doom.

On February 26, 1993, Ramzi Yousef drove a rental truck into the underground garage of the WTC North Tower then detonated the 1,500 lbs. of explosives. Six people died and thousands injured. The Twin Towers were damaged, but still stood -- an icon still.

Then the 9/11 attacks struck. Al Qaeda terrorists flew passenger airplanes into the Twin Towers, causing them to eventually collapse. Islamic terrorists danced in the streets when they saw the news footage of the towers' downfall. The stock markets closed on that day of infamy and reopened on Sept. 17 to a 7.1% decline. By the end of the week it'd fallen 14%, wiped out nearly $1.4 trillion in value for the week.

However, Wall Street titans still stood firm. Business conducted under a cloud of despair, but there were no major bankruptcies or fire sales.

Now look at where Wall Street stands today. Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Merrill, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Washington Mutual, Wachovia, IndyMac -- those are just the major institutions. Many other regional and smaller banks have failed. Subprime mortgages are blamed, but the deeper issue lies in how American liberalism influenced Washington policies and the adverse effects trickled down to Main Street from Wall Street.

Liberalism is the disease which sucked the life out of American capitalism. For decades Democrats in Washington have willingly manipulated our free market under the guise of social equality and fairness. We are now just getting a taste of the bitter fruits of their labor...

Obama meddling in Kenyan politics?

Jerome Corsi, the author of The Obama Nation, was scheduled for a press conference in Kenya to announce his findings about the presidential candidate and his connections in the African nation. Fifteen minutes before his conference he was detained by Kenyan immigration and is now going to be deported.

According to WorldNetDaily where Corsi is also a senior staff reporter:

Corsi was set to show Obama and Odinga have been in direct contact since the senator's visit to Kenya in 2006. He was to claim Obama advised Odinga on campaign strategy and helped him raise money in the U.S. for the Kenya presidential campaign.

Corsi was to report Odinga's 2007 presidential campaign strategy called for exploiting anti-Kikuyu tribal sentiments, claiming victory and charging voter fraud even if the campaign knew the election had been legitimately lost. Odinga, Corsi said, also was willing to fan the flames of ethnic tribal tensions and use violence as a last resort by calling for mass action that led to the destruction of properties, injuries, loss of life and the displacement of over 500,000 Kenyans. The purpose was to compel the Electoral Commission of Kenya to declare him the winner or enable him to declare himself the winner by force.

Who is Obama? He is becoming an international man of mystery...

Obama supporters drive homeless to vote

If this doesn't disturb you in this election, then you shouldn't vote... The bigger problem, I suppose, is Ohio's election law where people can register and vote at the same time without proof of residency.

Of course, you wouldn't read much about this in the MSM.

RNC releases fact sheet on Obama-Ayers

Today the GOP posted details of Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers on its website in an effort to bring it into focus within 30 days of the election. Ayers is a self-proclaimed domestic terrorist, and although never convicted, has admitted to the criminal deeds of bombing the Pentagon, NYC Police HQ, and other government offices.

Why Obama associated himself with this man of questionable character is certainly fair game in a presidential campaign. Do Americans care if the president befriended a radical who's unrepentant about hurting innocent lives? I would say so.

But there are those who doesn't think it matters, or at least not anymore. Howard Wolfson declares the race over in The New Republic:

Perpetually fretting Democrats will not want to accept it. The campaigns themselves can't afford to believe it. Many journalists know it but can't say it. And there will certainly be some twists and turns along the way. But take it to a well capitalized bank: Bill Ayers isn't going to save John McCain. The race is over.

The financial crisis on Wall Street has quieted McCain's voice against Obama's foreign policy and national security experience. Main Street voters are now more worried about their pension funds, 401(k) plans, and keeping their jobs.

I hope opinions like Mr. Wolfson's would only energize the conservative voters to turn out on November 4. The race is over when you cast your vote, not when somebody pens an article.

The editors of The New Yorker wants Obama to become president, while spewing the usual leftist arguments against the Bush administration's economic and foreign policies. There's too much fat in their endorsement column. Even a liberal would fall asleep reading that article of redundancy... Yes, we know you have BDS, please move on.

Economic downturn, conservatism downturn

The current economic crisis is hurting McCain/Palin big time. It's not surprising -- throughout history whenever the economy's gone sour, so did the incumbent party's approval.

There's also a lot of gloomy talk about conservatism. John Harwood of the NYT writes:

The first stirrings of conservative ascendance came in the 1950s, after Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal Coalition won five straight elections. The cultural divisions of the 1960s lent new force to Republican candidates.

But it was stagnating incomes in the 1970s that allowed Ronald Reagan to knit free-market economic policies with cultural and foreign policy conservatism into a Republican revolution. In 1994, Newt Gingrich matched his achievement in Congressional elections. Democratic politicians like Bill Clinton adapted, ending the federal welfare entitlement and declaring the era of big government over.

With the collapse of the markets, the party traditionally identified with big government — the Democrats — has reason to wonder if public sentiment has decisively shifted in its direction. “Are we looking at another inflection point today?” Michael Barone, a political analyst and historian, wrote in National Review last week. “Maybe so.”

He has a point. History doesn't lie, and history is on Obama's side for now.

Palin Derangement Syndrome starts showing its ugly head

How can you tell if you've won an argument? When your opponent can only come up with remarks using words such as "dumb," "stupid," and "idiot." Once a person starts spewing out such words in any debate, you'd know that the person is losing ground and reaching for straws.

Enter Salon's Joe Conason and his piece titled "The dumbing down of the GOP." Let's see what he thinks of Palin...

"...devoid of qualifications..."

"...ideas make no sense..."

"...inability to string together a series of coherent thoughts..."

Did Mr. Conason forget to research who Sarah Palin is? Previously mayor of Wasilla, AK, now governor of Alaska, the largest state in the union, bordering Russia and Canada and rich in oil reserves. And to reach that point in her career, she ran a tight and popular campaign against incumbents of her own Republican party. And by the way, be reminded that Obama has never ran a real campaign in his political life (he pretty much won by default to become U.S. senator for Illinois) and since joining the Senate, started his campaign for presidency. Leftist columnists need to just stay away from any talk about qualifications and abilities when their candidate is Mr. Vote Present Community Organizer.

Oh, the author manages to insult ex-V.P. Dan Quayle, too.

Maybe he is just jealous that more people were interested in watching Palin speak than read his online columns or his new book (#54,749 on Amazon's sales rank). 

MSM starts to defend Obama's tie to terrorist

Gov. Palin is going on the offensive to highlight Obama's tie to Weathermen terrorist Bill Ayers, who's gone on record of being unrepentant of his violent crimes in bombing the NYPD and Pentagon. Can you imagine the media reaction if McCain was found to be even remotely associated with such a person of questionable character? Just look at how the media went cuckoo over him owning more than one house.

Here comes Scott Shane of the NYT to clear things up for readers, mainly reiterating what the Obama campaign has publicly released already: "...the Ayers relationship had been greatly exaggerated by opponents to smear the candidate."

I'm glad Palin is bringing this up in the campaign. The general public needs to know what type of folks Obama used to hang around with. Bill Ayers had committed crimes to harm innocent people and should've gone to prison for it. The fact that Obama even sat on boards with this man to run the same organizations is really unthinkable.

Biden vs. Palin, the poll story

Everyone is looking at poll numbers to gauge the public's reaction to the V.P. debate. Ezra Klein of The American Prospect referenced CNN and CBS polls to claim victory for Obama on both debates: 2-0.

Never mind that Drudge Report readers overwhelmingly think Palin won. FOX News readers also declare Palin the winner.

Another Obama friend in trouble

The FBI has raided the office of Will County executive Larry Walsh, a former Illinois state senator and is a friend of Barack Obama.

Another story you wouldn't see on the MSM.

Biden vs. Palin, the buzz after

Here are some post-debate commentaries from pundits of old and new media...

Adam Nagourney of the NYT practically yawned through the debate based on his analysis. I've learned through the years to believe the opposite of whatever the NYT publishes.

Peggy Noonan of the WSJ gives Palin a better grade and offer her POV from being a Reagan speechwriter.

Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard calls it a comeback for Palin.

Michelle Malkin thinks "Sarah made history. Biden is history." Palin did a great job, but I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss Biden. Never underestimate the opponent, right?

Biden vs. Palin, round one

Let's face it: tonight's debate was all about Sarah Palin than Joe Biden.

We all knew Biden could handle it. The uncertainty was surrounding Palin after the MSM and blogosphere heavily criticized her lame Katie Couric interview. But I think after tonight's debate, Gov. Palin passed the test.

She had presence. You couldn't tell by her appearance that she was a newbie in the Washington political scene. You could tell she was fresh, somewhat different, but she presented herself as any seasoned politician could. She became more comfortable and confident as the debate went on. And she looked happy to be on stage arguing with a career senator.

She was a good communicator, always talked to the camera, unlike Biden who seemed to only acknowledge the moderator. She was confident enough to be on the offensive, pointing out on several occasions that her opponent simply cannot move beyond the past eight years of Bush and that the Obama/Biden plan for Iraq is equivalent to raising a "white flag of surrender." She echoed Ronald Reagan's sentiment on big government and freedom, quoting the former president: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction." Every chance she got she contrasted her partner against the opposing ticket: tax cuts vs. tax hikes, victory in Iraq vs. withdrawal, bureaucracy vs. reform.

She knew a lot of the attacks would come from association with the current administration, so she made sure those blows didn't stick. In fact, she turned them against Biden, almost insinuating that he's just an old broken record filled with BDS tirades.

What remains to be seen is how independents and undecided voters view this debate. But for those McCain/Palin supporters who were a little worried about her performance, I think they could go to sleep knowing she did well. There's always tomorrow morning to read all the analyses there is...

Teachers union encourages members to wear Obama button

United Federation of Teachers has been handing out Obama/Biden buttons for members to wear, sparking a complaint from the Department of Education. The DOE has a long-standing policy of not mixing education and politics. The UFT will challenge the DOE decision.

I'm all for the teachers' right to free speech and wear buttons for a cause within the confines of school policy. In this case, the UFT already publicly endorsed a candidate and are encouraging its members -- public school teachers -- to promote its political agenda, even during class. Public schools are funded by taxpayers and should not be a place for politics. 

Bernhard show cancelled at shelter

Unfunny comedian Sandra Bernhard has been told not to show up to headline the annual benefit of Rosie's Place, a women's shelter in Boston. Previously in a one-woman show in Washington, she had remarked that V.P. candidate Palin would be "gang-raped by my big black brothers."

Exactly. I fail to see the comedy in that too. Buh-bye, Sandra Blowhard.

Read the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act

Readers, I urge you to take a look at the revised $700 billion EESA of 2008. If you read carefully you'll even find tax breaks for Puerto Rican and Virgin Islands' rum excise tax and economic development credit for American Samoa.

Yes, I'm with you: What do those provisions have anything to do with the current crisis?

House Republicans not to blame

The House rejection of the bailout plan sure has the left wound up and ready to fire. Take Thomas Friedman of the NYT, for example:

...I’ve been frightened for my country only a few times in my life: In 1962, when, even as a boy of 9, I followed the tension of the Cuban missile crisis; in 1963, with the assassination of J.F.K.; on Sept. 11, 2001; and on Monday, when the House Republicans brought down the bipartisan rescue package.

Oh, don't be so easily frightened! How can you compare what's happening in Wall Street to the Cuban missile crisis, the JFK assassination, or 9/11?! A tanking stock market and people losing their homes aren't even close to those national crises we'd endured.

Besides, what he fails to mention is the highly partisan speech given by Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the vote. Don't blame the House Republicans, Mr. Friedman. It was the Democratic speaker who injected partisanship into the ordeal. Everyone was onboard until the speaker ranted about "failed Bush economic policies."

And obviously Mr. Friedman doesn't quite grasp the role of a representative in the House. Otherwise he wouldn't have written

...We have House members, many of whom I suspect can’t balance their own checkbooks, rejecting a complex rescue package because some voters, whom I fear also don’t understand, swamped them with phone calls. I appreciate the popular anger against Wall Street, but you can’t deal with this crisis this way.

Excuse me? House members are elected to serve their constituents, and if the voters swamp them with phone calls to voice their opinion on a bill, then it's the House member's responsibility to reflect the will of his or her constituency. It's not about anger against Wall Street. It's about fairness in dealing with the problem.

V.P. debate moderator is pro-Obama

Gwen Ifill of PBS' "Washington Week" has a pro-Obama book coming out and the McCain campaign didn't even know about it!

She should be disqualified to be the impartial moderator for tomorrow's vice presidential debate.