This video provides some of the reasons the Memorial Cross should go from the ACLU’s perspective:

Hard to believe this is all the result of just one person, isn’t it? All the way to the Supreme Court? And yet, that is the case. Arguments were heard on Wednesday. I received this in an email from the ACLU on this topic:

Last week, the Supreme Court heard argument in Salazar v. Buono, an establishment clause challenge to the federal government’s display of a Latin cross in the Mojave National Preserve.

The Court’s questions focused largely on esoteric procedural doctrine, and while it’s always risky to predict the outcome of a case based on an oral argument, it seems unlikely the Court will rule on the broader constitutional issues in the case — namely, whether the plaintiff, a devout Catholic and former National Park Service employee, had standing to challenge the display of the cross; and whether, before it tried to transfer the cross to a private party, the government violated the First Amendment by displaying the sectarian symbol on federal land.

While the Supreme Court ultimately may pass on the loftier constitutional questions in this case, Wednesday’s argument had some dramatic moments. In the most heated exchange of the morning, Justice Antonin Scalia peppered Peter Eliasberg, the ACLU attorney arguing for the plaintiff, with questions about the significance of the cross. Justice Scalia bristled at Eliasberg’s suggestion that a World War I memorial featuring only a Christian cross sends a message of exclusion and religious favoritism, asking, “The cross doesn’t honor non-Christians who fought in the war?” After Eliasberg responded that the cross “is the predominant symbol of Christianity,” Justice Scalia pushed back, suggesting that there was no constitutional problem with the display because “the cross is the most common symbol of the resting place of the dead.” Eliasberg resisted, explaining that “the cross is the most common symbol of the resting place of Christians.” “I have been in Jewish cemeteries,” continued Eliasberg, the son of a Jewish World War II Navy veteran. “There is never a cross on a tombstone of a Jew.”

The notion that a war memorial featuring a stand-alone Latin cross serves to honor only Christian war dead — a notion Justice Scalia called “outrageous” — was echoed in a series of amicus briefs filed in the case by various veterans groups.

However the Buono case is resolved, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to convince many non-Christian veterans that an isolated, freestanding cross expressly recognizes their service to the country. And Congress’s designation of the Mojave cross as one of only 49 national memorials (and the only one commemorating World War I), joining such iconic symbols as the Washington Monument and Mount Rushmore, only compounds the problem. As one retired Army brigadier general recently put it, “The cross is unquestionably a sectarian religious symbol that, as a congressionally designated national memorial to veterans, would convey the message that the military values the sacrifices of Christian war dead over those of service members belonging to other faiths.”

Hmmm. Interesting take there on the non-Christian veterans. I would love to hear what those veterans think about this (and I say that as someone who isn’t a Christian, either. Not that I don’t appreciate who Jesus was, or his words of peace and love. I grew up as a devout Christian, actually, an very much appreciate the message of Jesus. But enough about me.).

The decision of the Supreme Court will surely have long reaching effects. So, what do you think – should the Memorial Cross stay, or should it go?

Was I ever misled by my civics teachers and the Bill of Rights itself! Thank heavens we have two Democrats, the top two in Congress, mind you, to set us straight (so to speak) on that misunderstanding.

Yes, indeedy, Pelosi and Hoyer call protesters of the Health Care Bill “Un-American” in a USA Today op-ed. How do you like them apples?

Here’s a video discussing their charge:

Evidently, neither one of these alleged Democrats has read word one by Thomas Jefferson or any other of our Founders who, themselves, rebelled against their government. Here’s a little reminder Speaker Pelosi and House Majority Leader Hoyer: This country was founded by people rebelling and revolting against their own government because of its abuses of them.

Oh, wait – the phone is ringing, and it’s for you – it’s from the Get A Clue Department suggesting you get one.

The father of a handicapped child tried to ask his representative a question about how the Health Care plan will do away with any care for his son. Wait until you hear what happened to him:

Can you believe that? He had someone show up in the dead of night to deliver a “message” to him and his wife, terrifying them. Read that again: he had someone show up in the dead of night to deliver a “message” to him for speaking up for his son, and asking a question of his representative.

Wow. Which country is this again?

Well, you’ll be glad to know that political pundit, Michael Barone, has cleared up the record – it is NOT “Un-American” to protest against one’s government:

This is, by far and wide, my FAVORITE sentence in the entire video: “Kinda ridiculous for a former Community organizer to denounce community organizing…” Uh, yeah.

And I am relieved, too. As someone who has been in her fair share of protests, being photographed by the F.B.I. for participation in some of them, I am relieved to hear that our Democratic leaders have it all wrong. That we do, in fact, have the right to protest, to ask our representatives to answer to US, to make policies that benefit US, and that is what being an American MEANS, Speaker Pelosi and House Majority Leader Hoyer. How in the world can you possibly not know that, given your positions, and the very name of your party?? Dang. I tell you what – here’s a link to the Bill of Rights. Maybe you oughta take a little look-see and refresh your memories of just what it our Constitution actually says, especially since you swore to uphold it. I’m just sayin’.

Oh, one last right in there I should point out: we have the right “to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” And that’s just what we are doing. You can’t get more AMERICAN than that.

The readers of No Quarter understand that the Free Press is one of the institutions that helped take America from a fledgling group of colonies and in just a little over 230 years transform us into one of the great empires in history. We are also aware that that particular institution is in as deep a decline as is our nation. The two go hand in hand.

The main steam media (MSM) let all of us down in this election season and if Barack Obama is not up to the job, they will be largely responsible for helping continue the American decline that the Bush team has so skillfully worked on for the last eight years.

So today, when the Washington Post via their ombudsman admits they were a bit Pro-Obama, it does not make me feel better. The wounds are too deep for an I told you so to clot the bleeding. Nope, after reading the piece from Deborah Howell, I am just even more pissed off.

Read the story here

It’s not like this is news to us.

The op-ed page ran far more laudatory opinion pieces on Obama, 32, than on Sen. John McCain, 13. There were far more negative pieces (58) about McCain than there were about Obama (32), and Obama got the editorial board’s endorsement. The Post has several conservative columnists, but not all were gung-ho about McCain.

Stories and photos about Obama in the news pages outnumbered those devoted to McCain. Post reporters, photographers and editors — like most of the national news media — found the candidacy of Obama, the first African American major-party nominee, more newsworthy and historic. Journalists love the new; McCain, 25 years older than Obama, was already well known and had more scars from his longer career in politics.

The number of Obama stories since Nov. 11 was 946, compared with McCain’s 786. Both had hard-fought primary campaigns, but Obama’s battle with Hillary Rodham Clinton was longer, and the numbers reflect that.

And the Post is not alone. Newsweek’s Meacham and Thomas admitted this week to Charley Rose they have been troubled a bit by the somewhat creepy nature of Obama’s singular being and his hold on his devoted followers. Tom Brokaw opined that he really does not know much at all about our President-elect.

Predictably, now that the man has been elected, the MSM will admit the error of their ways as a way to hedge their bets, just in case things go south. Then they can puff up their chests and say they were right all along. The problem is, no one is buying it anymore. Even many of those who have consumed copious amounts of “Barry Berry Kool Aid” admit the MSM has been in the tank from day one.

The mea culpas are too late, the damage is done. Whatever shred of credibility the MSM once had is as dead and buried as Tim Russert.

The MSM must now be looked upon for entertainment purposes only. Those interested in uncovering the truth must look elsewhere. You can look around the net, there is a lot out there, but who knows what to trust? You can stick with us at No Quarter, our resources are meager, we have but time and our hearts to give, but we will be keep digging. We won’t get everything right, but we will keep an open mind and look at both sides of everything.

Most importantly do not keep your beliefs to yourself. Citizen silence can kill great nations. Keep spreading the word. Door to door, e-mail to e-mail, blog to blog. It is the only way to combat a free press that is no longer free.

Don’t think for a moment that just because the election is over, that President-elect Obama’s Kool-Aid drunk hordes of internet volunteer/bots/thugs are going to fade away and go back to playing Doom, Sims, Dungeons and Dragons or trolling for dates on Facebook.

In fact, one of the netroots’ great gurus, none other than Joe Trippi believes the Community Organizer in Chief will harness the power of his millions of devoted on-line minions to create one of the most powerful lobbying forces ever. Frank Greve of the McClatchy newspapers writes about that here.

Oppose the President at your own peril.

Joe Trippi, the Internet politics guru whose computer geeks made Howard Dean a contender in 2004 and who went on to design Obama’s socially networked campaign machine, offers a provocative and educated guess.

Trippi predicted that Obama would use his forces, first and foremost, to intimidate congressional foes of his agenda, rally his allies and forge “one of the most powerful presidencies in American history.”

Certainly, Obama reaches the White House with the biggest, best organized, fastest-acting grass-roots army in the history of presidential campaigning.

Moreover, because his Internet operation was miles ahead of Republican John McCain’s, Obama’s liberal-to-libertarian electronic activists are in a position to dominate the new political medium much as conservative Republicans dominate talk radio.

As for political utility, many thousands of volunteers such as Hood will be deployable within hours, with great precision and at almost no cost, thanks to the campaign’s state-of-the-art information-management systems.

The president-elect’s political operatives know, for example, the ZIP codes and hence the congressional districts of each of Obama’s million most active campaigners, those who volunteered via his Web site mybarackobama.com. It’s a social network that the campaign set up to communicate needs, events and assignments to volunteers.

We have already witnessed the power of his online intimidation network. Pro-Hillary websites shut down after thousands of false spam reports from Obots, personal e-mails of bloggers reported for spam and turned off as well and of course those lovely trolls who invade every site to hijack any discussion that deviates from the Obama party line.

Several media outlets were bombarded with harassing phone calls, e-mails and protestors minutes after the devoted received “Obama action alerts” letting them know that opposition voices were soon to appear on certain programs.

Those who read here are already well aware that the candidate who promised a new kind of politics also approves of a new kind of political dissent. That is of course, no dissent at all.

It really is scary to think of how he might use that power to pursue his agenda. All the more reason that we at No Quarter must begin to organize ourselves and grow our ranks. It will be the only way to combat the power of the mob.

Now you must Pay.

Does this man’s evil vindictiveness make you shiver or what?

Update from Larry Johnson:
So much for “new” politics. One of the ostensible justifications put forward by Obama acolytes to explain why a guy with such little experience should be President is that he is “above politics.” He will bring us hope and a welcome change from partisan wrangling. In other words, he is not going to act like all of those other nasty, partisan politicians, especially Republicans. He is going to bring Republicans and Democrats together.

Horseshit!! If that was true he would have welcomed the Washington Times and Dallas Morning News on to his plane despite their endorsement of John McCain. He could have demonstrated thru action that he would welcome even those who oppose him. He could have taken the high road. But he showed his true colors. If you don’t worship at the feet of the Obama Messiah then get your ass off the damn plane.

I don’t fault Obama for doing what other politicians–like Richard Nixon–have done. I just wish he stop with the sanctimonious bullshit and admit that he is a normal Chicago politician who plays hardball and says what he needs to say in order to get elected.

Yes, you, too, should you dare breathe a word that you might be thinking of buying a business, or heck – who knows what else as long as you aren’t supporting The One – can have ALL of your records researched – by someone in the state government. No, I am NOT making this up – it happened. Oh, coincidentally (cough, choke), the person, Helen Jones-Kelley, from whose office a good bit of this all happened, made the maximum allowed donation to – yes, of course, Obama. But she SWEARS that is not what motivated her looking into all of Joe’s records. Get this – her “reasoning” is that when someone mentions they want to buy a business, of course it is the responsibility of the state to investigate if that person is actually CAPABLE of buying that business, or if they have back taxes, or liens, or are on welfare, or…Sounds to me like maybe they were not checking out his business but GIVING him the business because he – GASP – does not support Obama. That alone seems to be reason enough to investigate this private citizen by THE STATE. For Ms. Jones-Kelley, that is. Not for the Ohio Senate president, Bill M. Harris:

Harris called the multiple records checks “questionable” and said he awaits more answers. “It’s kind of like Big Brother is looking in your pocket,” he said.

If state employees run checks on every person listed in newspaper stories as buying a business, “it must take a lot of people a lot of time to run these checks,” he said. “Where do you draw the line?”

Where indeed??

Read the rest ->

Here’s a discussion of the situation courtesy of Bill O’Reilly (don’t start – I can’t believe it, either) and Megyn Kelly, with a little bonus ACORN coverage at the end:

Are you getting this?? The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services INVESTIGATED A PRIVATE CITIZEN BECAUSE HE MENTIONED HE MIGHT WANT TO BUY A BUSINESS in framing a question to a presidential candidate, the answer to which exposed more of the candidate than he wanted. That is their BS explanation for why they have delved into this man’s life. What a crock. We know damn well why they are delving into his background, because I can GUARANTEE you that not every person who mentions they would like to own their own business has a State office go into their economic and personal records, whether that information is released or not (and Ms. Jones-Kelley claims the confidential information was not. Uh huh.) No way in hell.

Oh, and you are going to love this additional reason into why she investigated Joe the Plumber. Because she was getting so many media requests about information that, she claims, was in Public Records, and some that was, um, confidential. Well, I may not have gone to Journalism school, but I do have a ton of education, including 5 years of graduate work. I don’t recall anyone EVER doing my research for me. If it is in PUBLIC RECORDS, that means you can look it up your own damn self!! And if it is CONFIDENTIAL, why are you LOOKING at it?? So, not only did Ms. Jones-Kelley do their jobs FOR them, but she did it on STATE TIME and on a STATE COMPUTER. She claims there was no ill intent to these checks, some into confidential records. Funny – because I’m sure illin’ that anyone in state government would stoop to these levels simply because a resident of the state ASKED A QUESTION!! I mean, really – it wasn’t even an inappropriate question, for pete’s sake!

I should add that a clerk who used the LEADS (Law Enforcement Automated Data System) to determine if Joe’s address was the correct one for – naturally – the media, actually got in a little bit of hot water, though the “punishment” for using a state computer to access a private citizen’s information which then – miraculously – made its way to the media is unclear. Yeah, okey dokie.

Here’s the bottom line: if this sort of activity is occurring NOW, when Obama is just the (illegitimate) Democratic nominee, what in the sam hill will he do if he is PRESIDENT? We all thought – okay, almost all of us (shoot, someone supported the guy) – that President Bush was the most vindictive, petty, thin-skinned politician to come down the pike. But Obama and his minions, with their attacks, from verbal, physical, destructive, and dangerous – even to the point of trying to run the McCain campaign bus OFF THE ROAD, has taken this to a whole other level, and it is disturbing on a massive scale.

Let’s recap, just in case anyone is missing the point: a private citizen, just an ordinary American citizen, had his life investigated by his STATE government, and turned upside down BECAUSE HE ASKED A QUESTION. If that doesn’t scare the hell out of you, well, I just don’t know what will.

Well, I can certainly agree with that – that’s the only reason I am willing to consider McCain: Obama.

I could get rich selling this one. Aw, hell – any one of them…

Seems people are paying attention to Obama’s BFF, Jeremiah Wright, after all!! And to McCain’s character – I mean, that he has a demonstrable one, and it is GOOD!

PRECISELY!! It defies logic to even make the claim that to question the resume of someone, especially a candidate for the most powerful job in the world is racist!!

Oh, please – do NOT get me started on the Fourth Estate and the depths to which they have sunk this election. Show of hands who thought they sucked in 2000? And how much more do they suck now? Uh, yeah – total. They have failed miserably in their obligation to REPORT and not editorialize, or promote, or belittle, or act as if their sole responsibility is to tell us their OPINION, and not do their level best to report NEWS impartially, not rumors or lies or innuendo, but the actual facts of the story that they spent time RESEARCHING. You know, actually working on stories as opposed to regurgitating press packet info. Oh, damn – I got started after all…

It is our Constitutional Duty to not have leaders who defraud us, as the Democrats did this year. As they have for several years now as they work to deconstruct the Constitution and its protections. And you better believe, with what Obama has already shown us, should he “win” his way into the White House, you ain’t seen nothing yet. If state offices are already investigating private citizens without cause, what do you think will happen if Obama ends up as president with a Democratic House and Senate? We saw how they acted this year, especially with the caucuses and the RBC/DNC. We have seen how Obama’s “supporters” have acted. Obama hasn’t called them off as a candidate, no way will he call them off as president. It will be a new day – and not a bright one.

Amen to that. Love of country, love of the Constitution, love for the Bill of Rights, and love for true democracy – and if that means a revolution is needed, count me in.

Since I started writing speeches more than ten years ago, I have always believed in the Democratic Party. Not anymore. Not after the election of 2008. This transformation has been swift and complete and since I’m a woman writing in the election of 2008, “very emotional.”

Not only has this party belittled working people in this campaign, it has also been part of tearing down two female candidates.

Wendy goes on to explain how she was first inspired by Edwards but not getting a job with his campaign, came to work for Obama:

I helped with his announcement speech and others. I worked in the Senate when he was in D.C. One day after a hearing on Darfur, we were walking back to the office. I was still hobbling from a very bad ankle injury and in a very kind and gentle way he offered his arm when we approached the stairs. But later in debate preps and phone conversations and meetings, I realized that I had made a mistake. I didn’t belong. No matter how hard I tried, my heart wasn’t in it anymore.
…
This drift started on a personal level with the fall of former Senator John Edwards. It got stronger during the Democratic National Convention when I counted the substantive mentions of poverty on one hand and a whole bunch of bad canned partisan lines against Senator John McCain. Some faith was lifted after Senator Hillary Clinton’s grace during a difficult hour. But that faith was dashed when I saw that someone had raided the Caligula set and planted the old columns at Invesco Field.

The final straw came the other week when Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher (a.k.a Joe the Plumber) asked a question about higher taxes for small businesses. Instead of celebrating his aspirations, they were mocked. He wasn’t “a real plumber,” and “They’re fighting for Joe the Hedge-Fund manager,” and the patronizing, “I’ve got nothing but love for Joe the Plumber.”

Having worked in politics, I know that absolutely none of this is on the level. This back and forth is posturing, a charade, and a political game. These lines are what I refer to as “hooker lines”—a sure thing to get applause and the press to scribble as if they’re reporting meaningful news.

As the nation slouches toward disaster, the level of political discourse is unworthy of this moment in history. We have Republicans raising Ayers and Democrats fostering ageism with “erratic” and jokes about Depends. Sexism. Racism. Ageism and maybe some Socialism have all made their ugly cameos in election 2008. It’s not inspiring. Perhaps this is why I found the initial mocking of Joe so offensive and I realized an old line applied: “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party; the Democratic Party left me.”

Wendy then delivers the most blistering indictment of the current Democratic Party and certainly I agree with her reasons for holding them in such low esteem now:

The party I believed in wouldn’t look down on working people under any circumstance. And Joe the Plumber is right. This is the absolutely worst time to raise taxes on anyone: the rich, the middle class, the poor, small businesses and corporations.

Our economy is in the tank for many complicated reasons, especially because people don’t have enough money. So let them keep it. Let businesses keep it so they can create jobs and stay here and weather this storm. And yet, the Democratic ideology remains the same. Our approach to problems—big government solutions paid for by taxing the rich and big and smaller companies—is just as tired and out of date as trickle down economics. How about a novel approach that simply finds a sane way to stop the bleeding?

She correctly addresses the DNC’s outdated talking points and ideology in the midst of the economic storm we face. If Obama had any real clue as to policy, post–partisan genius that he is purported to be, he would think outside the box and propose something new. Clearly he is not capable of doing so, only stealing others ideas for his own; riding in late to take credit after doing none of the hard work required to get there. Remember “Congress will call me if they need me.”

…Not only has this party belittled working people in this campaign from Joe the Plumber to the bitter comments, it has also been part of tearing down two female candidates. At first, certain Democrats and the press called Senator Clinton “dishonest.” They went after her cleavage. They said her experience as First Lady consisted of having tea parties. There was no outrage over “Bros before Hoes” or “Iron My Shirt.”

Ms. Button remembers this outrage as well as the rest of us. All of Senator Clinton’s accomplishments and great policy ideas were tossed under the bus in favor of every negative speck of dust the press and Obama’s campaign could find to magnify.

But here we are about a week out and it’s déjà vu all over again. Really, front-page news is how the Republican National Committee paid for Governor Sarah Palin’s wardrobe? Where’s the op-ed about how Obama tucks in his shirt when he plays basketball or how Senator Biden buttons the top button on his golf shirt?
…
Here we are discussing Governor Palin’s clothes—oh wait, now we’re on to the make-up—not what either man is going to do to save our economy. This isn’t an accident. It is part of a manufactured narrative that she is stupid.

Most interesting to me was Wendy’s take on Sarah Palin. It was encouraging to me that a die hard Democrat would take the time to put aside any preconceived notions and actually looks at Palin’s record:

Governor Palin and I don’t agree on a lot of things, mostly social issues. But I have grown to appreciate the Governor. I was one of those initial skeptics and would laugh at the pictures. Not anymore. When someone takes on a corrupt political machine and a sitting governor, that is not done by someone with a low I.Q. or a moral core made of tissue paper.

Obama, who wouldn’t know strong moral code if it bit him, and can’t seem to find a policy he likes well enough to hold on to against the changing winds, might want to take a page out of Sarah Palin’s book — instead of belittling her.

When someone fights her way to get scholarships and work her way through college even in a jagged line, that shows determination and humility you can’t learn from reading Reinhold Niebuhr. When a mother brings her son with special needs onto the national stage with love, honesty, and pride, that gives hope to families like mine as my older brother lives with a mental disability. And when someone can sit on a stage during the Sarah Palin rap on Saturday Night Live, put her hands in the air and watch someone in a moose costume get shot—that’s a sign of both humor and humanity.

Has she made mistakes? Of course, she’s human too. But the attention paid to her mistakes has been unprecedented compared to Senator Obama’s “57 states” remarks or Senator Biden using a version of the Samuel Johnson quote, “There’s nothing like a hanging in the morning to focus a man’s thoughts.”

Her statements about Iraq were also surprising; certainly unusual coming from a Democrat:

But thank God for election 2008. We can talk about the wardrobe and make-up even though most people don’t understand the details about Senator Obama’s plan with Iraq. When he says, “all combat troops,” he’s not talking about all troops—it leaves a residual force of as large as 55,000 indefinitely. That’s not ending the war; that’s half a war.

I was dead wrong about the surge and thought it would be a disaster. Senator John McCain led when many of us were ready to quit. Yet we march on as if nothing has changed, wedded to an old plan, and that too is a long way from the Democratic Party.

In closing, I think Wendy echoes the sentiments of a great many Hillary supporters who, alternately, sit in wonderment and horror that the Democratic Party they fought for, donated to, campaigned for and believe in all these years would exhibit the behavior Ms. Button discusses here:

I can no longer justify what this party has done and can’t dismiss the treatment of women and working people as just part of the new kind of politics. It’s wrong and someone has to say that. And also say that the Democratic Party’s talking points—that Senator John McCain is just four more years of the same and that he’s President Bush—are now just hooker lines that fit a very effective and perhaps wave-winning political argument…doesn’t mean they’re true. After all, [McCain] is the only one who’s worked in a bipartisan way on big challenges.

Before I cast my vote, I will correct my party affiliation and change it to No Party or Independent. Then, in the spirit of election 2008, I’ll get a manicure, pedicure, and my hair done. Might as well look pretty when I am unemployed in a city swimming with “D’s.”

Whatever inspiration I had in Chapel Hill two years ago is gone. When people say how excited they are about this election, I can now say, “Maybe for you. But I lost my home.”

Just yesterday, Senator Biden made another mind bending statement when he said “this is a new Democratic Party not the party of the 70s and 80s. This is a party that has adjusted to the realities of a new world order.”

I am not sure what ‘new world order’ he is talking about, but if it includes demeaning women, belittling working class voters and ignoring the issues that weigh heavily on our country at the moment in favor of pretty, vacuous sound bites and “word salad.” obviously I am not a part of it.

Thanks Wendy, for having the courage to speak up and tell the Democratic Party off.

Aren’t I BENEVOLENT???” Woohoo!!! Where do I sign up? Well, I suppose I could vote for the Authoritarian Socialist in the election and have these dreams (cough, choke) come true! Yes, you, too could have your hard earned dollars go to spread the wealth around, apparently something the Civil Rights Activists didn’t work hard enough to do, according to Obama.

Oh, yeah – surely by now you have seen the video of Obama from 2001. A whole bunch of intrepid writers at No Quarter have dealt with this video and story in a most awesome fashion(Uppity Woman, LisaB, Matthew Weaver, Ani, to name a few), but someone else has weighed in, too. And I don’t mean me.

Well, except to bring you this, someone of whom you have surely heard – Johnny Mac. Yep, there’s a brand new Mac Attack on Obama’s long-held ideology of “spreading the wealth.” I might add, Obama can just feel FREE to share his millions of dollars any ol’ time he wants, though judging from the donations on his released tax returns, like so many other issues, he is ALL TALK and NO ACTION. What the hell else is new?

Anywho, Senator McCain was speaking in Ohio, land of the fraudulent votes by Obama staff (oh, McCain wasn’t talking about the fraudulent votes and ACORN, though I reckon he could have thrown that in there – maybe another day), and focused on the whole “lemme have your money and I’ll dole it out the way I see fit” mindset of Obama:

It’s been a long campaign and we’ve heard a lot of words, and great campaign trail eloquence. The amazing thing is that we’ve learned more about Senator Obama’s real goals for our country over the last two weeks than we learned over the past two years. It is amazing that even at this late hour, we are still learning more about Senator Obama and his agenda. He told Joe the plumber right here in Ohio he wants to quote “spread the wealth around.” It’s always more interesting to hear what people have to say in these unscripted moments, and today we heard another moment like this from Senator Obama.

In a radio interview revealed today, he said that one of the quote — “tragedies” of the civil rights movement is that it didn’t bring about a redistribution of wealth in our society. He said, and I quote, “One of the tragedies of the Civil Rights movement was because the Civil Rights movement became so court-focused I think that there was a tendency to lose track of the political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change.”

Good googly moogly. Did Obama REALLY say that? OUT LOUD?? Whew – “coalitions of power” has GOTTA mean ACORN, right? I mean, really, who else could it mean but the organization for whom he worked, to whom he has given almost a cool million from his own funds, and tons more from all of us. The one working overtime to amass so many voter registrations, legit and not, that they overwhelm election boards so they can’t POSSIBLY find all of the fraudulent ones…Just a guess on my part, though, since he didn’t SAY, “ACORN, the political and community organizers on the ground who can put together actual coalitions of power through which you bring about redistributive change.” Ahem. Nothing like that. Right.

But since Obama has been a bit unclear on what he actually MEANT by his whole Hope/Change thing, McCain can clear that up for you:

That is what change means for Barack the Redistributor: It means taking your money and giving it to someone else. He believes in redistributing wealth, not in policies that grow our economy and create jobs. He is more interested in controlling wealth than in creating it, in redistributing money instead of spreading opportunity. I am going to create wealth for all Americans, by creating opportunity for all Americans.

Pretty much! Hey! Guess who else holds these kinds of beliefs? Are you thinking who I’m thinking? Yes! Bill Ayers!!! The Marxist/Anarchist!

McCain then raises the Obama tax plan:

We’ve all heard his campaign trail promise: he says he only wants to tax the rich. But these unscripted moments and his record tell a different story. He supported the Democratic budget plan passed just this year that called for raising taxes on people making just 42,000 dollars per year. And Senator Obama has voted 94 times for tax increases or against tax cuts.

Senator Obama may say he’s trying to soak the rich, but it’s the middle class who are going to get put through the wringer, because even the tax increase he admits to misses the target. To pay for nearly a trillion dollars in new government spending, his tax increase would impact 50 percent of small business income in this country, and the jobs of 16 million middle class Americans who work for those small businesses.

Whether it’s Joe the Plumber here in Ohio or the working men and women across this country, we shouldn’t be taxing our small businesses more as Senator Obama wants to do, we need to be helping them expand their businesses and create jobs. America didn’t become the greatest nation on earth by giving our money to the government to “redistribute.” In this country, we believe in spreading opportunity, for those who need jobs and those who create them. And that is exactly what I intend to do as President of the United States.

According to the Wall Street Journal, when Obama says $250,000, he REALLY means more like $164,500, since that is when the tax hikes will kick in. There’s more:

Mr. Obama’s most dramatic departure from current tax policy is his promise to lift the cap on income on which the Social Security payroll tax is applied. Currently, the employer and employee each pay 6.2% up to $102,000, a level that is raised for inflation each year. The Obama campaign says he’d raise the payroll tax rate on incomes above $250,000 by as much as two to four percentage points — though it’s unclear if that higher rate would apply to the employee, the employer, or both.

In any case, lifting the cap would change the nature of Social Security from an insurance program — which pays out based on how much you paid in — into a wealth-transfer program that is far more progressive.

Huh – that seems to be a theme with Obama. Sharing the wealth. Oh, no, wait – sharing YOUR wealth however he sees fit. There is much more about his tax policy in the WSJ article (h/t to a No Quarter reader – sorry – can’t find your name now!). McCain adds:

My opponent’s massive new tax increase is exactly the wrong approach in an economic slowdown. The answer to a slowing economy is not higher taxes, but that is exactly what is going to happen when the Democrats have total control of Washington. We can’t let that happen. We need pro-growth and pro-jobs economic policies, not pro-government spending programs paid for with higher taxes…

I’m not going to spend $750 billion dollars of your money just bailing out the Wall Street bankers and brokers who got us into this mess. I’m going to make sure we take care of the working people who were devastated by the excesses of Wall Street and Washington.

I have a plan to hold the line on taxes and cut them to make America more competitive and create jobs here at home. We’re going to double the child deduction for working families. We will cut the capital gains tax. And we will cut business taxes to help create jobs, and keep American businesses in America. Raising taxes makes a bad economy much worse. Keeping taxes low creates jobs, keeps money in your hands and strengthens our economy.

Exactly. There is more in Senator McCain’s address to Ohio today, including more on the economy:

If I’m elected President, I won’t spend nearly a trillion dollars more of your money. Senator Obama will. And he can’t do that without raising your taxes or digging us further into debt. I’m going to make government live on a budget just like you do.

I will freeze government spending on all but the most important programs like defense, veterans care, Social Security and health care until we scrub every single government program and get rid of the ones that aren’t working for the American people. And I will veto every single pork barrel bill Congresses passes.

I’m all for keeping an eye on the $700 BILLION bailout, especially with reports coming out today that bankers are planning billions – yes, I said BILLIONS – in bonuses to the very people who helped to get us into this position, as well as raises to employees, and maybe buying some more banks – with YOUR MONEY!!!! Maybe that whole oversight wasn’t such a bad idea after all…

McCain continued, saying:

Let me give you the state of the race today. There’s eight days to go. We’re a few points down. The pundits have written us off, just like they’ve done before. My opponent is working out the details with Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid of their plans to raise your taxes, increase spending, and concede defeat in Iraq. He’s measuring the drapes, and he’s planned his first address to the nation for before the election. I guess I’m old fashioned about these things I prefer to let the voters weigh in before presuming the outcome.

What America needs now is someone who will finish the race before the starting the victory lap … someone who will fight to the end, and not for himself but for his country.

Obama has been claiming victory almost from the day he got into this race, if you ask me. For some reason, he refused to be held to the same standard as any other potential nominee EVER, refusing even to be properly vetted (see Larry Johnson’s excellent presentation by a former FBI agent on this very issue). What was more amazing is that he was allowed to get away with it, so we are just now – a WEEK before the election – getting some information that has been available for SEVEN YEARS. Wow.

We do know John McCain, though, and we know he is telling the truth when he says:

I have fought for you most of my life, and in places where defeat meant more than returning to the Senate. There are other ways to love this country, but I’ve never been the kind to back down when the stakes are high.

As a lifelong yellow dog Democrat until 5/31/08 (when the RBC/DNC took votes cast, and certified, from Clinton and GAVE them to Obama making it clear the fix was in, and the DNC was no longer democratic), I knew all about Senator McCain. One may disagree with his policies, but one cannot, with any credibility, challenge his patriotism or his dedication to the country he serves. He concludes:

I know you’re worried. America is a great country, but we are at a moment of national crisis that will determine our future.

Will we continue to lead the world’s economies or will we be overtaken? Will the world become safer or more dangerous? Will our military remain the strongest in the world? Will our children and grandchildren’s future be brighter than ours?

My answer to you is yes. Yes, we will lead. Yes, we will prosper. Yes, we will be safer. Yes, we will pass on to our children a stronger, better country. But we must be prepared to act swiftly, boldly, with courage and wisdom.

I’m an American. And I choose to fight. Don’t give up hope. Be strong. Have courage. And fight.

Fight for a new direction for our country. Fight for what’s right for America.

Fight to clean up the mess of corruption, infighting and selfishness in Washington.

Fight to get our economy out of the ditch and back in the lead.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.

Fight for our children’s future.

Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. America is worth fighting for. Nothing is inevitable here. We never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

Now, let’s go win this election and get this country moving again.

Could you please add, “Fight for free speech” while you are at it, Senator? That seems to be something the Obama camp would like to curtail. I, for one, think it’s mighty important. Just sayin’. Ahem.

Don’t you feel like McCain is channeling Hillary Clinton? Seems that way to me, anyway. I don’t agree with all of his policies, but I do think he is a man of honor, of integrity, a public servant burning with a passion for this country and her well-being, thus OUR well-being. Obama? Not so much. Obama seems in it for him and him alone, with an eye to imposing his true ideology and beliefs on this country once he has bamboozled and hoodwinked enough people to get him in (one way or the other – see comment regarding ACORN above) for HIM, not us, HIM. McCain seems to see Obama for who he is, and is fighting for this country to not fall into the hands of one who wishes to “redistribute the wealth” of the citizens any more than it already is (think Social Security), or to put our economy at greater risk.

Like I said, Obama – redistribute your OWN wealth, if you want (hey, maybe your buddy Warren Buffet will let you spread HIS around), but leave mine the hell alone.

Car displaying McCain sticker vandalized

Saturday, October 18, 2008

CLEARWATER (Bay News 9) — A Clearwater man’s vehicle that displayed a bumper sticker supporting John McCain has been defaced in what appears to be a hate crime, authorities say.

According to authorities, 41-year-old Frank Armstrong’s 2006 Lexus LS 430 was parked on the 1400 block of Gulf Boulevard when someone or a group of people scratched the letters “KKK” into the paint and burned a U.S. Flag on the vehicle.

Authorities say those involved also used cigarettes to burn several areas of the car and apparently urinated on the car. …

Armstrong’s vehicle displayed a bumper sticker supporting the McCain campaign and another that was anti-Barack Obama leading investigators to believe the crime was racially or politically motivated.

No witnesses or surveillance video have been found.

Hoping to keep what’s really going on from the public eye, including his own longtime involvement with ACORN, and in order to quell the First Amendment once again while allowing voter registration fraud to continue on his behalf, Comrade Barack Obama’s attorney has written a ludicrous letter to the DOJ.

In typical Comrade fashion, Obama is attempting to deflect, reroute and change the subject while ACORN voter registration (and early voting!) fraud continues to be discovered throughout the USA in huge numbers.

As with Joe the Plumber, Obama is attempting to intimidate dissenters and blame everyone but himself and his beloved ACORN for their fraudulent voter registrations and attempts to plant deliberate seeds of chaos on Election Day.

Frankly, I am surprised the word “Racist” wasn’t used in the letter. Yet.

Obama campaign counsel Bob Bauer has sent a letter (.pdf) to the Department of Justice requesting that Special Prosecutor Dannehy — who is currently investigating the firings of U.S. Attorneys — expand her investigation to look into whether any administration officials have worked in a joint effort with the McCain campaign and the RNC in legitimizing the allegations of vote fraud.

In the letter, Bauer asks for an inquiry into what he calls a “systematic development and dissemination of unsupported, spurious allegations of vote fraud.” On a conference call with reporters, Bauer went further in explaining their position.

“These [vote fraud] allegations do not mean illegal voting,” Bauer said. “Nobody really expects thousands of Mickey Mouses or Tony Romos to show up at the poll to vote this fall. But at the end of the day, the reason that you’re getting the daily calls, the reason — quite apart from political desperation — that they’re resorting to this issue and not to others, is to utilize the mantra that they’ve hit upon and the organization whose name they plan to make famous as a proxy for attacking the electoral process itself.”

Bauer went on to say that the allegations are an “unprecedented effort to essentially sap the American people of confidence in the voting process” and that “an attack on the voters cannot go undefended.”

No Mr. Bauer, it’s an unprecedented effort to register anything that moves and get it to vote for Barack Obama, even if it is a seven year old child or a dog. After all, Comrade Obama has trouble closing deals and is generally accustomed to a combination of cheating and having someone help drag his butt over the line. (See “Democratic Primary”). This of course is only necessary if he can’t knock his opponents off ballots.

The idea of course it to keep what is going on quiet. Snatch it from the public and pretend the problem isn’t there, while Obama and his ACORN continue to perform their Magic in battleground states. Deflect. Reroute. Blame the messenger. Change the subject. Whatever it takes, it’s how Comrade Obama rolls.

But the McCain campaign isn’t going to be gagged by The Gagger In Chief, Comrade Obama.

In a response to the letter the Obama camp sent to the Justice Department, the McCain campaign has released this statement:

“After a week of shifting stories and clumsy corrections regarding Barack Obama’s connections to ACORN, the Obama campaign resorted to their now-customary heavy handed tactic of attempting to criminalize political discourse. Today’s outrageous letter to Attorney General Mukasey and Special Prosecutor Dannehy at the Justice Department asking for a special prosecutor to investigate Senator McCain and Governor Palin’s public statements about ACORN’s record of fraudulent voter registrations (including in this week’s Presidential debate) is absurd. It is a typical time-worn Washington attempt to criminalize political differences. For someone who promises ‘change,’ it is certainly only more of the same.”The letter’s request that the Department of Justice investigate ‘recent partisan Republican activities throughout the country’ is almost a parody of the Obama campaign’s attempt to intimidate their political opponents. In case Sen. Obama’s lawyer did not notice, we are in the midst of a political campaign, not a coronation, and the alleged criminal activity he calls ‘recent partisan Republican activities’ are what the rest of us call campaign speeches and debates. All of this is unfortunately reminiscent of the Obama campaign’s recent creation of a ‘truth squad’ of Missouri prosecutors and sheriffs to ‘target’ people who criticize Sen. Obama. Rest assured that, despite these threats, the McCain-Palin campaign will continue to address the serious issue of voter registration fraud by ACORN and other partisan groups, and compliance by states with the Help America Vote Act’s requirement of matching new voter registrations with state data bases to preve nt voter fraud.”

Obama’s attorney is right about one thing he said in his ludicrous letter: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! America needs to RUN to the polls on November 4 and put a stop to this hoax candidate who has locked up his own records and hidden his own affiliations from the public in attempt to Overthrow Democracy and turn America into a Chicago Thug machine.

*Photo art: Freedom Fairy, of course.

Does everyone remember the outrage by Obama supporters, when Obama pulled a massive flip flop and voted for the FISA bill?

Well, he missed the first vote:

“Obama (conveniently?) missed the February vote on that FISA bill as he campaigned in the “Potomac Primaries,” but issued a statement that day declaring “I am proud to stand with Senator Dodd, Senator Feingold and a grassroots movement of Americans who are refusing to let President Bush put protections for special interests ahead of our security and our liberty.”

And then he promised to filibuster, but he didn’t:

“He broke faith,” said Matt Stoller, a political consultant and blogger at OpenLeft.com. “Obama pledged to filibuster, and he is part of that old politics, in this case, that he said he wasn’t. It will spur us to challenge him.”

Many Obama supporters, those who weren’t pissed at him, suddenly jumped on the FISA bandwagon:
“What had been a vicious assault on our Constitution, and corrupt complicity to conceal Bush lawbreaking, magically and instantaneously transformed into a perfectly understandable position, even a shrewd and commendable decision, that we should not only accept, but be grateful for as undertaken by Obama for our Own Good. … it’s our duty to refrain from voicing any criticism of him, because the Only Thing That Matters is that Barack Obama be put in the Oval Office, and we must do anything and everything — including remain silent when he embraces a full-scale assault on the Fourth Amendment and the rule of law — because every goal is now subordinate to electing Barack Obama our new Leader.

snip

The bill legalizes many of the warrantless eavesdropping activities George Bush secretly and illegally ordered in 2001. Those warrantless eavesdropping powers violate core Fourth Amendment protections. And Barack Obama now supports all of it, and will vote it into law. Those are just facts.

snip

Sen. Russ Feingold condemned the bill on the ground that it “fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans at home…”

snip

Obama’s statement warns us that we face what he calls “grave threats,” and that therefore, we must accept that our Leader needs more unlimited power, and the best we can do is trust that he will use it for our Good.”

Commenter Hume’s Ghost wrote:

What really rubbed me the wrong way was how Obama in his statement says essentially trust me with these powers, I’ll use them responsibly. Nope.

So, what does this have to do with Joe the plumber and FISA?

Amendment IV
(Privacy of the Person and Possessions)
     The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Digging dirt on Joe is a bad idea, Lee Cary:

This afternoon ABC’s Charlie Gibson reported on his hourly radio news report the results of his network diggin’ dirt on Joe the Plumber. Gibson reported that Joe has a “lien” for failing to “pay his property tax.” The lead-in, stated by a co-reporter, was “Oh, by the way, Joe…”

This is just a taste of the “Thugocracy” that Michael Barone wrote about. Criticize Obama and the old big media will work hard to ruin you. This is extremely dangerous for this democracy.

Operation Destroy Joe the Plumber- Michelle Malkin:

My syndicated column today reports on Team Obama and the Obamedia’s mission to tear down Joe the Plumber. Yes, we are in the midst of a new contagion: Joe The Plumber Derangement Syndrome. JTPDS.

Now, pay close attention to how the MSM rushes to uncover every last bit of gossip and dirt about Joe Wurzelbacher’s life. Some of it is relevant to the public policy questions he posed to Obama. Much of it is not. More here.

L.A. Times: Joe the Plumber Has Liens!!!!

The Los Angeles Times reports:

So, you know. Critical in that sense.

Democratic Underground launches a full on assault, exposing all of his personal information, rummaging through his divorce papers, and financial records, and more.

Now, I am sure you are wondering how I can blame Obama and Biden for the actions of their supporters? Well, for starters, the same way the Obama camp can blame McCain and Palin for their supporters yelling out *kill him* wrt Obama, at their rallies, even when it never even happened.

And also because Biden and Obama have gone on TV and repeatedly mocked, and insulted, and misconstrued what Joe said.

Joe: “I’m looking at buying a business” So, he doesn’t own a business now, he doesn’t make $250K now, and he won’t make $250K if he buys it, his business will earn $250K.

And here, Obama MOCKS the plumber, and then he MOCKS that McCain is *fighting for the plumber*. And then he scoffs that a plumber doesn’t make $250K a year. So, is Obama mocking the fact that McCain is fighting for the small business owner, who make less then $250K a year? Or is he mocking plumbers, in general, and that it is impossible that a plumber can make $250K a year, because they didn’t go to Harvard? I am confused on what point Obama is making…

So, back to my point. Obama has *enflamed the hatred* on Joe the Plumber. He has mocked him, humiliated him, and not spoken out to stop the insanity that has been launched by his supporters on Joe the Plumber.

Which, now thinking about how Obama voted to support FISA, a bill that “fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans at home…” it doesn’t surprise me.

Obama has allowed, and enflamed a full on violation and assault onto a private citizen, who just happened to be in his own home, when Obama ascended on his neighborhood. Joe the Plumber dared to ask a question of *The One*.

Barack Obama Mocks Joe The Plumber and Joe Loses His Job!

And Obama has failed to protect, or speak out for, the privacy of a law abiding American at home, by mocking him, and not speaking out.

Watch out… you know what’s next.

Amendment I
(Privacy of Beliefs)
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

But not in the United-Obama-Rezko-Ayers-Wright-Odinga 57 States of America!

Nope – in this country, at least one party dismisses the actual results and puts in who they want. I believe there’s a term for that…Oh, yes – that’s right. Banana Republic. I suppose it is racist to mention banana anywhere in the same paragraph as Obama. Heck, you can’t even mention the guy’s middle name anymore in the land of the “free.” Nosirree Bob – you’ll get the NAACP and the ACLU breathing down your neck. For mentioning his middle name. Nothing else, just his middle name in the context of saying his full name.

Yeah, Okay. (I’m thinking of taking a page from Soldier4Hillary, and calling McCain and Obama by their middle names.) Wow – he really must be The One to make everyone capitulate to his every little tantrum.

Anywho – I digress. So, there’s a mighty interesting ad out by the PAC, “Our Country Deserves Better.” And how. This one is particularly intriguing because it is a series of clips of Hillary Clinton at her rallies. Oh, what she said was good, as you’ll see in the video below. It just highlights what a travesty has occurred in this country by the DNC selecting Obama, and Clinton not just getting back to work,putting all of this behind her. No, she has been (forced to) stump for Obama more than any of the other front runners over the past 40 years combined (according to her husband when he appeared on The Daily Show recently). Yep. I know, I know – she has to do it to have any chance of getting anything accomplished for her state, and the people of this country (has the Senate always been a glorified junior high school?? I mean, really – where else do you have that kind of vindictiveness? Ok, high school, too.), and you know I love Hillary Clinton. But seeing this ad is a double-edged sword: she is the one who won this nomination, not only by the popular vote, but surely would have by delegates had Obama not committed caucus fraud (and you know he did – it has been widely documented – 2,000 cases in Texas ALONE). Had she not had her votes stolen by the DNC – wait, I mean the ODNC, she would be the one running for president right now. But, no. (And this isn’t sour grapes – it is flat out anger at the DNC for betraying 18,000,000 of us, dammit!)

So, without further ado, here is the video:

Good, isn’t it? I bet ol’ Barack will throw a hissy fit about it, too: “Stop showing her on tv! She’s showing me up (again)! Make them stop!!!!” like he always does. You’d sure never catch Johnny Mac making a spectacle of himself over things like this, or claiming that Fox News is being MEAN to him – I mean, really – grow a pair already, Barack. You already have ALL of the other networks behind you – propping you up every time you misspeak (which is, uncannily, as often as Bush), and pushing you across the line. Oh – and would it KILL you to tell the truth – just ONCE???

Ahem. The ad is a good one. Hillary is right on target. And she’s funny, too, I might add. Sigh. I sure miss seeing her, but there is some delight in seeing these tidbits resurrected to bring His Holiness down. Oh, yeah. Now that I think about it, this is pretty awesome. Let’s have some more, “Our Country Deserves Better!” Bring ‘em on! Can I have an “amen”??

My aunt sent me an interesting piece by Michael Barone on Monday, Oct. 13, entitled, “The Coming Liberal Thugocracy.” Huh – so I’m not the only one who thinks so. Like so many other concerns about Obama, this originates from something Obama said. Big surprise. Oh, don’t take my word for it:

“I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors,” Barack Obama told a crowd in Elko, Nev. “I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face.” Actually, Obama supporters are doing a lot more than getting into people’s faces. They seem determined to shut people up.

That’s what Obama supporters, alerted by campaign e-mails, did when conservative Stanley Kurtz appeared on Milt Rosenberg’s WGN radio program in Chicago. Mr. Kurtz had been researching Mr. Obama’s relationship with unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers in Chicago Annenberg Challenge papers in the Richard J. Daley Library in Chicago – papers that were closed off to him for some days, apparently at the behest of Obama supporters.

Obama fans jammed WGN’s phone lines and sent in hundreds of protest e-mails. The message was clear to anyone who would follow Mr. Rosenberg’s example. We will make trouble for you if you let anyone make the case against The One.

Uh, yep. I think we have seen just recently the extent to which Obama’s followers will go to support him and attempt to obliterate anyone who has not sworn lifelong fealty to him.

Oh, but you know Obama – it doesn’t just stop at trying to “convince” (read: browbeat, intimidate, threaten) fellow voters:

Other Obama supporters have threatened critics with criminal prosecution. In September, St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch and St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce warned citizens that they would bring criminal libel prosecutions against anyone who made statements against Mr. Obama that were “false.” I had been under the impression that the Alien and Sedition Acts had gone out of existence in 1801-’02. Not so, apparently, in metropolitan St. Louis. Similarly, the Obama campaign called for a criminal investigation of the American Issues Project when it ran ads highlighting Mr. Obama’s ties to Mr. Ayers.

These attempts to shut down political speech have become routine for liberals. Congressional Democrats sought to reimpose the “fairness doctrine” on broadcasters, which until it was repealed in the 1980s required equal time for different points of view. The motive was plain: to shut down the one conservative-leaning communications medium, talk radio. Liberal talk-show hosts have mostly failed to draw audiences, and many liberals can’t abide having citizens hear contrary views.

Golly gee, I reckon Obama being a big Constitutional SCHOLAR, as his minions love to claim, simply enables him in deciding which parts of the Constitution by which he will actually abide. Free speech? Not so much.

Thankfully, there are a few who still actually care what the Constitution prescribes (remember the day when our elected officials didn’t pick and choose their favorite little bits out of the Constitution and Bill of Rights? Yeah, well, me neither, but holy cow, it wasn’t THIS bad, was it??):

To their credit, some liberal old-timers – like House Appropriations Chairman David Obey – voted against the “fairness doctrine,” in line with their longstanding support of free speech. But you can expect the “fairness doctrine” to get another vote if Barack Obama wins and Democrats increase their congressional majorities.

But you know, it isn’t just limited to these thugs at rallies wearing unbelievably offensive t-shirts, or Obama plants screaming out nasty things at McCain/Palin rallies, oh no. It is more insidious than that:

Corporate liberals have done their share in shutting down anti-liberal speech, too. “Saturday Night Live” ran a spoof of the financial crisis that skewered Democrats like House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank and liberal contributors Herbert and Marion Sandler, who sold toxic-waste-filled Golden West to Wachovia Bank for $24 billion. Kind of surprising, but not for long. The tape of the broadcast disappeared from NBC’s Web site and was replaced with another that omitted the references to Mr. Frank and the Sandlers. Evidently NBC and its parent, General Electric, don’t want people to hear speech that attacks liberals.

If you have tried to see that video, you know Barone is correct about this. Heaven forbid that anyone actually see that our financial crisis isn’t as simplistic as, “it’s all the Republicans fault!!” Then again, that would require a tad of analytical thinking, something in very short supply, it seems.

You know there is more:

Then there’s the Democrats’ “card check” legislation that would abolish secret ballot elections in determining whether employees are represented by unions. The unions’ strategy is obvious: Send a few thugs over to employees’ homes – we know where you live – and get them to sign cards that will trigger a union victory without giving employers a chance to be heard.

Sigh. I’m sorry, remind me which country this is supposed to be? I need to go check my passport or something, because I THOUGHT this was the United States of America, but the way it is acting now, no, the way the DEMOCRATS are acting now, is giving me pause. Barone, too:

Once upon a time, liberals prided themselves, with considerable reason, as the staunchest defenders of free speech. Union organizers in the 1930s and 1940s made the case that they should have access to employees to speak freely to them, and union leaders like George Meany and Walter Reuther were ardent defenders of the First Amendment.

Today’s liberals seem to be taking their marching orders from other quarters. Specifically, from the college and university campuses where administrators, armed with speech codes, have for years been disciplining and subjecting to sensitivity training any students who dare to utter thoughts that liberals find offensive. The campuses that once prided themselves as zones of free expression are now the least free part of our society.

True that. This is the kicker, though:

“Obama supporters who found the campuses congenial and Mr. Obama himself, who has chosen to live all his adult life in university communities, seem to find it entirely natural to suppress speech they don’t like and seem utterly oblivious to claims this violates the letter and spirit of the First Amendment. In this campaign, we have seen the coming of the Obama thugocracy, suppressing free speech, and we may see its flourishing in the four or eight years ahead. (Michael Barone is a nationally syndicated columnist.)”

The Obama Thugocracy. I think Mr. Barone has coined the perfect term to describe the impact of Obama on this country – and that is the case BEFORE the election. Holy Toledo, can you just imagine the scope should he be elected (read: steal the election with the help of ACORN and Obama surrogates at your local polling place. You know, like the ones documented in “We Will Not Be Silenced” telling folks if they weren’t voting for Obama, to not even bother coming in. Ah, America – America, right??). If, indeed, Obama takes over the White House, I guess women should get used to being called despicable names, because THAT kind of free speech is A-OKAY with the Obama folk. But to actually talk about who Obama IS in ads or anywhere else? Not so much. Not at all, actually. Unless you’re loking for a big-ass lawsuit. All you need to know is he is The One. Nothing else matters, right? Welcome to the US-Obama/Wright/Ayers of A, folks. It’s a whole new world…

Sheriff Mike Scott is in BIG trouble, despite capturing 91% of the vote in his home County last month. The NAACP and the ACLU want to burn his ass.

Liberal groups such as the Young Turks are simply mortified by What Sheriff Scott did: “On Oct 6, 2008 the American people were treated with a very scary and dangerous image of a public official standing on a stage and basically saying that discrimination and hatred is okay in a country that is trying to regain its soul and start healing itself from the failures of the last several years.”

So, what did Sheriff Mike Scott say? It must have a stunning, reprehensible diatribe, unprecedented in the campaign. It must be so appalling and dreadful that we should all rise up and take immediate action? Right?

Well, here is what he did. He used Barack Obama’s middle name—his REAL middle name—during a Palin rally in Florida.

There’s got to be more to it, right? He did it in a fit of racist rage, frothing at the mouth like a madman, right?

Well, no. When Sheriff Scott took the stage, he said that the world had three types of people, “the ones who make things happen, the ones who watch what happens and the ones who wonder what happened. Let’s leave Barack Hussein Obama wondering what happened.” That was it.

See for yourself Here (after enduring a very short commercial).

It’s probably not what I or you would have said, especially because we know that people are so damn touchy these days. But come on people! Pull back and look at the bigger picture here. Are we headed towards a society where you will be ripped apart by a slew of organizations for uttering a simple fact? Is our freedom to say even dumb things so fragile that we have to call out the dogs? And this little incident seems more than ironic in the face of the vicious, hate-filled slurs against Hillary Clinton and her supporters.

Meanwhile and unfortunately for Sheriff Scott, his troubles aren’t over. Aside from all of the grief he is getting for uttering “The One’s” full name, he was wearing his sheriff costume when he did it. So now the government is all over his backside for violating the Hatch Act.

This time it’s the Sheriff who might want to think about getting out of Dodge for a while.