Speaks for itself

July 30, 1956 - July 30, 2006: 50 years of "In God We Trust"

50th Anniversary of Our National Motto, "In God We Trust," 2006
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

On the 50th anniversary of our national motto, "In God We Trust," we reflect on these words that guide millions of Americans, recognize the blessings of the Creator, and offer our thanks for His great gift of liberty.

From its earliest days, the United States has been a Nation of faith. During the War of 1812, as the morning light revealed that the battle torn American flag still flew above Fort McHenry, Francis Scott Key penned, "And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust!'" His poem became our National Anthem, reminding generations of Americans to "Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation." On July 30, 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the law officially establishing "In God We Trust" as our national motto.

Today, our country stands strong as a beacon of religious freedom. Our citizens, whatever their faith or background, worship freely and millions answer the universal call to love their neighbor and serve a cause greater than self.

As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of our national motto and remember with thanksgiving God's mercies throughout our history, we recognize a divine plan that stands above all human plans and continue to seek His will.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 30, 2006, as the 50th Anniversary of our National Motto, "In God We Trust." I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-seventh day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

[Huh... This was my 700th post here, too. Just noticed that.]

Kos kan't kount

Kos klaims NRCC Chair doesn't have word "Republican" on his kampaign website. Here's a skreenshot (in kase Kos kovers up his faux pas):



In truth, the word "Republican" appears three times on the same page:

Born September 3, 1950, Tom was first elected to represent his neighbors as a member of the Concord Town Board. He was subsequently elected to the Erie County Legislature, then as a member of the New York Assembly. In the Assembly, he rose to the post of Republican Leader in 1995. Reynolds now serves as a member of the House Republican leadership, which has brought Western New York clout in the federal government.

In addition to being a member of House leadership, Reynolds serves on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. Reynolds is the only Republican from New York on the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees economic policy, trade, Social Security, welfare, and health care policy.

That's Kos, though. He never lets the truth get in the way of smearing the Republicans.

James Madison on the Constitution

"It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution."

-- James Madison (Federalist No. 37, 11 January 1788)

About the "awful Bush economy"

Soaking the Rich

Remember the folks who said the tax cuts would 'blow a hole in the deficit?' Well, revenues as a share of the economy are now expected to rise this year to 18.3%, slightly above the modern historical average of 18.2%. The remaining budget deficit of a little under $300 billion will be about 2.3% of GDP, which is smaller than in 17 of the previous 25 years. Throw in the surpluses rolling into the states, and the overall U.S. 'fiscal deficit' is now economically trivial.

This would all seem to be good news, but some folks are never happy. The same crowd that said the tax cuts wouldn't work, and predicted fiscal doom, are now harrumphing that the revenues reflect a windfall for 'the rich.' We suppose that's right if by rich they mean the millions of Americans moving into higher tax brackets because their paychecks are increasing.

Individual income tax payments are up 14.1% this year, and 'nonwithheld' individual tax payments (reflecting capital gains, among other things) are up 20%. Because of the tax cuts, the still highly progressive U.S. tax code is soaking the rich. Since when do liberals object to a windfall for the government?

...

As for the 2003 tax cuts, the current revenue boom is one more argument for making them permanent. They are now set to expire in 2010, and, even if they are extended, federal revenues will continue to climb as a share of GDP as more taxpayers earn higher incomes and move into higher tax brackets. If liberal Democrats are really determined to soak the rich---and we don't doubt it for a second---they'll also vote to make the tax cuts permanent.

Bill Press: Bogus Lovenstein Institute IQ study fake, but accurate

Bill Press "apologizes":

I’ll admit I was wrong. I goofed. I cited a study ranking George Bush as having the lowest IQ of any of the last 12 presidents. Bill Clinton, scoring the highest. As I later discovered, that study was bogus. There is no so-called Lovenstein Institute.

Again, I’ll admit I was wrong.

But you’ve got to admit: It sure is believable. Does anybody doubt that Bill Clinton’s the smartest - and George Bush is the dumbest? Just look at his record.

See? Straight from the Dan Rather-Mary Mapes School of Fraudulent Journalism, the "fake, but accurate" excuse.

Iraq. That dumbbell took us to war to get rid of WMD that didn’t even exist.

But that's what lots of people - INCLUDING PROMINENT DEMOCRATS - thought were there even long before January 2001.

The Middle East. He’s so dumb he doesn’t know the first step toward ending a war is for both sides to stop shooting.

Oh, really? I thought the first step toward ending a war was that one side wins. Did the Revolutionary War end when both sides agreed to just stop shooting? No. Did the Civil War? No. WWI? WWII? No and no. They all ended because one side won.

Go back and learn basic history, Press.

Global warming. Miami will be underwater before he realizes there’s a problem.

Miami will not become underwater from "global warming." Was the area underwater a few hundred years ago when the Earth was warmer than it is today? Nope.

The budget. He couldn’t balance a budget if his job depended on it. Too bad it doesn’t.

Yeah, he should do what Clinton did and take credit for other people coming up with a balanced budget.

See what I mean? Who needs a study? It’s self-evident.

George Bush is not only the dumbest of all 12 presidents since World War II.

He’ll go down in history - as the dumbest president…ever!

And when he doesn't (at least according to rational people), you'll go down in history as one of the dumbest pundits ever.

Background.

Cindy Sheehan: grieving mom, peace activist, scam artist

Bryan and Allahpundit at Hot Air have the details:

A report from Texas popped in my email today: Cindy Sheehan (surprise, surprise) lied to buy her land in Crawford, TX. She bought it, naturally, as an outpost from which to stalk President Bush when he stays at his ranch.

The Mike Gallagher Show had Sheehan’s story about the land as his subject today. The news has an interview of the lady who owned the land. She said another person actually bought the land for Sheehan. This fella led the land owner to believe he was a Katrina victim and was (I theorize) trying to start a new beginning or some sob story. Cindy knew that nobody would sell her the land so she used some Anti-war activist to buy it and he lied about who he was! End justifies the means.

...

Update (Allahpundit): Sounds like the guy who bought the property was a bona fide victim of Katrina, but otherwise Gallagher was right on the mark.

Cindy Sheehan buys land in Crawford

Her stalking of President Bush takes another turn following her fall out with the guy who let her and her supporters camp out on his land:

The Gold Star Families for Peace says on its Web site that its members will again flock to Crawford in August to protest Bush's wartime decisions. Leader Cindy Sheehan is again demanding to meet with the president -- a replay of a year ago -- garnering worldwide attention and making Sheehan, the mother of a fallen soldier, the most familiar face of anti-war protesters.

But Sheehan and Mark Mattlage, owner of the 1-acre property where protesters have been allowed to gather, have had a falling out over scheduling and increased costs for liability insurance.

So, Sheehan has purchased a 5-acre plot in Crawford, saying she did so with some of the insurance money she received after her son, Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq.

So she has bought this land and a new car with the insurance money, but she couldn't be bothered to buy a headstone for her son's grave???

"We decided to buy property in Crawford to use until George's resignation or impeachment, which we all hope is soon for the sake of the world," Sheehan said in a newsletter, scheduled to be sent to her supporters today.

Is January of 2009 soon enough, because he won't be leaving office anytime before then.

The article goes on to describe the fall out between Sheehan and the owner of the land she previously camped out on:

He said he eventually agreed to let Gold Star Families for Peace use his land in August but only with the understanding that, because of the expected huge crowds, liability insurance costs were going to increase significantly to between $5,500 and $6,000. Mattlage said that, on the advice of his lawyer, he also told the protest group to sign a "hold harmless" agreement that would further free him of liability if something went wrong.

In a newsletter e-mailed to Mattlage and protest organizers on June 23, Sheehan told Mattlage, "I cannot in good faith accept the terms that you and your lawyers are holding us hostage with. ... I fear we will have to find alternatives to using your land ... "

Mattlage, in a phone interview, said Sheehan had initially agreed to pay the higher insurance costs. It made him mad, he said, when she later sent an e-mail to organizers suggesting he was holding her "hostage."

Mattlage sent his one-time friend an e-mail back that said, "You can go away now."

And Sheehan replied: "Okay. Bye."

So how much do 5 acres of land in Crawford cost? Certainly not less than what it would've cost to help pay for the liability insurance! I think this is more about Cindy being the center of attention than money or "peace."

One has to wonder after this year's party protest, how many people will they get to help clean up the site? Hopefully way more than last time.

UPDATE: Michelle has more, including Sheehan's statement about the land purchase on the Gold Star Mothers for Peace site.

Home at Last

Crystal's got a really wonderful and moving video. Check it out here.

Bill Press is still a nitwit

Remember this guy? Well, Greg at NewsBusters uncovered a rather embarrassing recent post from Bill's blog:

Former CNN and MSNBC commentator Bill Press has denounced bloggers as people "with no credentials, no sources, no rules, no editors and no accountability."

On his official site, BillPressShow.com, Bill Press offers a podcast and commentary. He would have been well to ask for "credentials" and "sources" when he reported on the "Lovenstein Institute of Scranton, Pennsylvania" and their IQ study that the last six Republican presidents have had an average IQ of 115.5, while the last six Democrats had an average IQ of 156. Press proudly noted that it was with "President Clinton leading the class at 182."

As for George W. Bush:

You guessed it again: George W. Bush, with his rock bottom IQ of 91: seven points lower than his Daddy.

So now we know. Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Social Security, Medicare, Stem Cells, FEMA, the deficit, immigration…

The reason George Bush has screwed up in so many areas the last six years.

He’s not just incompetent. He’s just plain dumb – the dumbest president in the last 50 years.

The only problem with this stunning "new development" is that it is a joke, a five-year-old one. According to Snopes.com

Here's the Google cache (scroll down to the "Parting Shot" entry on July 18th) because Bill and his staff deleted the entry.

Washington Supreme Court upholds traditional marriage

More good news:

OLYMPIA, Wash. - The state Supreme Court upheld Washington's ban on gay marriage Wednesday, saying lawmakers have the power to restrict marriage to unions between a man and woman.

The 5-4 decision leaves Massachusetts as the only state to grant full marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. It was the latest in a series of significant court rulings favoring gay marriage opponents.

And to think Washington is one of those blue states.

American Family Association campaign makes headlines!

We're getting noticed, folks:

WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) -- T-mobile CEO Robert Dotson has blasted his own company's media-planning policy and insisted it pull all its ads off Fox's FX-an unusual outburst that seems to signify a surprising victory for Don Wildmon and his American Family Association.

CEO letter
After Wildmon and his supporters allegedly bombarded Mr. Dotson's inbox to complain about T-Mobile's support for two FX shows-"Rescue Me" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" -- that they consider offensive, the CEO responded with a letter to the association. "I have personally taken the time to view some of the programs where we have run advertising," his note stated. "Candidly, some of the choices we have made are clearly inconsistent with who we are and what we stand for."

Awesome! If you haven't joined the OneMillionDads, OneMillionMoms and OneMillionYouth campaigns, do so now. They ARE making a difference.

This is the kind of thing Ann Coulter talks about in "Godless"

A high school valedictorian is forbidden from mentioning Christ in her graduation speech (and has her mike unplugged when she chooses to ignore the attempted censorship), but a Nobel peace laureate can tell Irish schoolchildren that she would "love to kill George Bush" and she gets cheered by the kids and liberals worldwide. Go figure.

Incredible adult stem cell breakthrough

Studies back up U of L stem-cell findings

Scientists around the world are confirming a breakthrough by University of Louisville researchers that promises to radically alter the national stem-cell debate and provide treatments for conditions such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

The researchers coaxed stem cells from adult mice to change into brain, heart, nerve and pancreatic cells -- mimicking embryonic stem cells.

Now, "a lot of people report the presence of embryonic-like cells in adults," said Dr. Mariusz Ratajczak, leader of the research team and director of the stem-cell biology program at U of L's James Graham Brown Cancer Center.

Eventually, Ratajczak said, such findings may eliminate the controversy surrounding embryonic stem cells because the adult cells seem to hold the same potential.

...

Since Ratajczak unveiled his work in December, related discoveries have been announced by at least five other laboratories.

Unborn babies develop first neurons at 31 days

Researchers Identify Very First Neurons in the “Thinking” Brain

New Haven, Conn. — Researchers at Yale School of Medicine and the University of Oxford have identified the very first neurons in what develops into the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that makes humans human.

The findings published in Nature Neuroscience show that the first neurons, or “predecessors,” as the researchers called them, are in place 31 days after fertilization. This is much earlier than previously thought and well before development of arms, legs or eyes.

“These neurons, described here for the first time, precede all other known cell types of the developing cortex,” the researchers said in their paper. “These precocious predecessor neurons might be important in the cascade of developmental events leading to the formation of the human cerebral cortex.”

The cerebral cortex is largely responsible for human cognition, playing an essential role in perception, memory, thought, language, mental ability, intellect and consciousness. It is composed of about 20 billion neurons and accounts for 40 percent of the brain’s weight.

More ammunition for pro-life advocates against pro-abortionists' arguments.

Oops! Did I say "ammunition?" Obviously I'm one of the multitude of crazy fundy anti-choicers who wants to control women's bodies and kill abortion doctors (right, CC?).

Thanks, Dan Brown. Thanks a lot.

American woman: I descended from Jesus Christ

A California woman publishing a novel similar to "The Da Vinci Code" claims she is a direct descendant of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Kathleen McGowan of Los Angeles is making the statement as her work, "The Expected One," becomes available this summer.

"I don't want people to think I'm claiming to be some elitist figure in the [Jesus] bloodline," McGowan told the Sunday Times of London. "But what I'm saying is that Mary and Jesus had children and after 2,000 years of procreation there are probably millions of descendants around the world. I believe I'm one."

Despite the fact the Bible gives no hint that Jesus was ever married or had children, there have been numerous claims over the years that he did have children with Mary Magdalene, another New Testament figure.

McGowan submitted her proposal to publishers in 1997, and says, "I was laughed out of New York City. ... I was told nobody would ever publish a book claiming Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene."

Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" asserted that after the crucifixion of Jesus, Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus' child, moved to France with the help of Joseph of Arimathea, Jesus' uncle. She purportedly lived among local Jews and gave birth to a daughter named Sarah.

A former editor for the Irish News in Belfast, McGowan originally published her version herself last year after selling shoes on eBay to pay for research. Though it sold only 2,500 copies, the rights were snagged by Touchstone Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

The publishing house has already spent seven figures acquiring the rights to the story, and will spend another $275,000 on marketing.

"I certainly expect there will be a backlash," McGowan told USA Today. "But I have the support of my family and friends and that's what I draw from."

She says the book's title refers to an ancient prophecy about a woman chosen by divine providence to bring the real story of Mary Magdalene's life to the world. But she won't say whether or not she considers herself "The Expected One."

"I'm not grandiose about this, and it concerns me a lot that I could be portrayed that way," she told USA Today. "I don't want it to appear that I'm standing up and saying I'm the expected one. That's a dangerous, ego-driven kind of thing."

When asked about how the publishing company could verify McGowan's claim she descended from Jesus, Simon & Schuster spokesman Digby Halsby told Britain's Independent, "It's impossible to verify. It's all to do with a matter of faith. She makes a very convincing argument."

Historians offer skepticism to her divine heritage.

"A historian simply has to look at what evidence there is," Bart Ehrman, chairman of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill told USA Today. "You can survey anyone who is a scholar of early Christianity and they will all tell you the same thing. It's completely bogus."

Soon, droves of the opportunistic and mentally unstable will be lining up claiming they are descendants of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Hoo. Ray.

"Freedom of speech for me, but not for thee."

Another left-wing rally, another example of the left's policy on freedom of speech:

Mayhem at the Defend Hizballah Rally!

Read the story and watch the videos (they're short enough that even dial-up users wouldn't be too inconvenienced by the load time). This is nothing new. It's happened countless times before at all sorts of left-wing rallies. One only needs to look at sites like zombie's to know this disgusting truth.

Gotta love that "open-minded," "tolerant," "free-thinking" hate mail

So I left a comment on PZ Myers' blog for his post about Camp Quest - a bizarre "secular summer camp" designed "for children of Unitarians, atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, or whatever terms might be applied to those who maintain a naturalistic, not supernaturalistic, world view." In Camp Quest's "Purpose" section of their main page, they say they "[e]ncourage critical thinking in young people to enable them to draw their own conclusions." I [rightly] commented on PZ's blog that the conclusions the kids draw obviously are supposed to exclude any and all belief in God (or any other religious beliefs for that matter). That conclusion already has been decided for the kids by the camp staff (and the kids' parents, no doubt). I mean, seriously - if the kids could conclude that God does exist, that defeats the whole purpose of the camp, now, doesn't it? (Of course, the whole idea that religion doesn't let people think critically and draw their own conclusions about stuff and only "Unitarians, atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, or whatever" do is a load of logically fallacious hooey.)

Anyway, someone decided to send me a little hate mail. He quoted my comment and blog at length, but the substance of his "arguments" was the following:

Lying a** terminally ignorant dumbf*** Christian.

More dumbf*** ignorant bulls***. Please. Get a basic education.

That's it. Verbatim except for my censoring. Stunning, isn't it? Yeah, I didn't think it was, either.

Of course, this sort of hateful language is completely endorsed by PZ, so I was not at all shocked or surprised. Just typical behavior from Christian-hating bigots with nothing better to do than display their disgusting hypocrisy. Same song, different singer.

The "potential" of embryonic stem cells

Supporters of embryonic stem cell research like to talk at length about the "potential" treatments and cures that could result from it.

Fine. "Potential." Let's keep using that word.

Each embryo that is destroyed to harvest stem cells is a "potential" human life - by the left's standards, that is - it is, in fact, already alive and human: human life. So if "potential" is so important to them, then how do "potential" treatments and cures outweigh "potential" human life? Because the sacrifice of these "potential" lives is worth the "potential" of saving many more lives? Alright, then if it's okay to sacrifice "potential" human life for "potential" treatments and cures, then why isn't it okay to sacrifice non-embryonic human lives for treatments and cures. Let's start performing destructive medical tests on grown men, women and children so that we can try to save the lives of others. Why not, liberals? Isn't the sacrifice worth the "potential?"

Canadian pro-life blog

I like this one:

BIG BLUE WAVE

Suzanne's also got a message board:

BLUE WAVE - A Canadian Conservative Message Board

And lots of other stuff here:

Big Blue Wave - Fostering a Culture of Life in Canada

This is why I like Ben Stein

A Precious Morning

I was feeling pretty low until I then opened up an e-mail from a soldier in Iraq for whom I pray (not as much as I should). He said that one of his best friends had just lost an eye to an IED explosion. He wondered why he was not hit...he was usually where the man who lost the eye was standing and he's taller and if he were there, he would have been killed in a flash by having his neck cut open. Maybe, he said, he survived because Ben Stein prayed for him. I know this man because I met his Mom at a speech I gave in Vegas and told her in an elevator that I would pray for her son as I hugged her.

I was thrown to my knees to pray to God to thank Him for sending these magnificent men and women who put their lives on the line and my own trivial nothings into perspective.

Then my wife showed up with her glorious, perfect smile, and my dog stretched and licked my face -- she doesn't know she has just had a cancerous lump removed and faces radiation, the dog, not the wife, thank God -- and every touch of my wife and my dog are precious. PRECIOUS.

How lucky can one guy get? How blessed, to sit in the air conditioning, play with my dog and my computer, and have the most perfect wife on earth bring me tea while men and women who are in EVERY SENSE BETTER THAN I AM offer up their comfort and their young lives for me and the hundreds of millions of other slobs like me so we can hug our dogs and our wives?

Every day should be Thanksgiving by us for them. EVERY DAY, EVERY HOUR, EVERY MINUTE. Let's all do it together.

Embronic stem cells: the modern equivalent of turning lead into gold

Many centuries ago, learned men strove to turn lead into gold. Today, learned men strive to turn embryonic stem cells into miracle cures. Obviously, very little has changed in all that time.

I can't stop giggling about this

Free Gas Sets Off Crashes in Milwaukee

Two car crashes occurred and four people were arrested in excitement over a gasoline giveaway Wednesday to reward the city for its safe-driving record.

H/T: Muzzy.

Ann Coulter NOT guilty of plagiarism

Liberals have been trying to nail Ann on charges that she plagiarized much of her new book "Godless." They even employed some no-name know-nothing with some unproven computer program to back their allegations. Well, the jury's in and the verdict is not guilty on all counts:

Universal Press Syndicate, which carries her column, has now rendered their verdict. According to them, there was no plagiarism. Says the president of the company: "There are only so many ways you can rewrite a fact and minimal matching text is not plagiarism." Back to square one for the Coulter-haters.

This comes on the heels of Coulter's publisher, Crown Publishing Group, which also laughed off the allegations, saying they were "as trivial and meritless as they are irresponsible." So much for that. So what exactly did she write that had the left's panties in such a knot? Well, nothing really. While some of the passages in question did somewhat match the source material, they were just rewrites of what someone else wrote about what happened.

One widely reported plagiarized passage was this, from her book "Godless:"

"The massive Dickey-Lincoln Dam, a $227 million hydroelectric project proposed on upper St. John River in Maine, was halted by the discovery of the Furbish lousewort, a plant previously believed to be extinct."

It originally ran in 1999...in a Portland, Maine newspaper:

"The massive Dickey-Lincoln Dam, a $227 million hydroelectric project proposed on upper St. John River, is halted by the discovery of the Furbish lousewort, a plant believed to be extinct."

While the passages are quite similar, it makes sense that they would be. They're describing a factual event that took place.

Even uber-lefty blogger Markos "Kos" Moulitsas Zúniga dismisses the allegations (keep in mind, though, that his opinions are filtered through a lens of hatred of Ann):

TPM Muckracker has an itemized list of Ann Coulter's supposed plagiarism, and sorry to say, there's not much there.

Coulter is a lot of things, but it doesn't look like plagiarism is one of them.

...

What these examples show is that Coulter is a lazy writer who rips off other people's research, but stealing someone else's arguments isn't "plagiarism". It's just being a lazy, unimaginative writer.

And as Kos noted, another lefty blogger, Josh Marshall, also doesn't see any substance to these allegations (keep in mind the same thing I said about Kos above):

To me personally, some of the examples/accusations seem strained -- simply similar statements of the same basic facts. And sometimes there are only so many ways to describe one set of facts. In other cases the similarities of the wording strike me as hard to see as a coincidence. Especially when there seem to be multiple instances of similarities in the same column coming from the same source.

News from the world of embryonic and adult stem cell research

Scientists grow sperm from stem cells

Interesting headline, no? Seems like good news? Well, check out this bit of information that's buried in the article:

The experiment used embryo cells to produce seven baby mice, six of which lived to adulthood, though the survivors suffered problems of the kind also seen with cloning.

...

After transplant into female mice, seven babies resulted. Six developed into adult mice, though the animals were either too small or too large, and they died prematurely.

So how is all of this good news? One (or more) dead embryos = seven dead mice. To me, that's bad news.

Now here's some REAL good news:

Adult Stem Cell Research Breakthrough Produces Insulin for Diabetics

Read the whole article. It is very, very, VERY good news.

The East Coast begins to reject gay marriage

First New York and then Georgia. The left could certainly argue that Georgia is actually in the conservative South and that's why that ruling came, but they can't dismiss liberal New York's ruling.

Happy Birthday, President Bush!

Why the left will destroy this country

"It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigor. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution."

-- Thomas Jefferson (Notes on Virginia Query 19, 1781)

For 230 years, this country has been sustained by the manners and spirit of the people. For the majority of that time, those manners and spirit were conservative. Marriage was always thought of as only between a man and a woman. Babies were precious from conception onward. Vices and sins were rejected, not embraced.

That's all been changing over the last few decades, however. Marriage is under attack by people who want to legitimize their perversity and force the rest of us to accept it as "normal." Babies in the womb are slaughtered by the millions every year all in the name of "choice" and "convenience." People want to legalize drugs and other criminal behavior - heck, even lying under oath in a court of law isn't a big deal to some people anymore!

Jefferson had it right. Degeneracy of the people today has been leading to attacks upon our laws and even our Constitution. Liberal judges have chosen to bypass the system of checks and balances and have been making new laws from the bench. The left claims the Constitution is a "living document," thus justifying all the changes they wish to make to it without actually going through the amendment process. And those of us who actually do go through the amendment process find our constitutional amendments inexplicably ruled "unconstitutional."

Happy birthday, America!!!

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

...

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

[Signed]

Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
John Hancock
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
Matthew Thornton

I'm rich!!!

My blog is worth $105,004.44.
How much is your blog worth?

Okay, now this is the really odd part. I removed the last slash from the URL and this was the result:

My blog is worth $63,228.48.
How much is your blog worth?

That's a mightly valuable little slash!

Attorney for Terri Schiavo's family now pro-life

Read the story here.

Curses! The Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy's super-duper secret weapon has been exposed!

Blast those meddling liberals! They've finally uncovered the real reason why George W. Bush is president and the Republicans control Congress:

America's Air-Conditioned Nightmare

Air-conditioning puts a chill on community spirit, aids the cause of anti-enviros, and just might have given us President George W. Bush.

Yes! Air conditioning has been the reason for all our successes since 1994/95, when we first took control of Congress.

MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Okay, in all seriousness, this whole idea is just plain pathetic. Democrats are so desperate to find any excuse to explain why people aren't voting their candidates into office that they resort to ridiculous garbage like this. They simply can't bring themselves to admit that they themselves are the problem.

Good news! President impeached!

Sorry, liberals, but it's not President Bush. It's actually one of your own:

Pine Ridge tribal president impeached for abortion support

PORCUPINE (AP) -- The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council voted 9-5 Thursday to impeach the tribal president for proposing an abortion clinic on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Cecelia Fire Thunder survived two earlier attempts to remove her from office since she was elected in November 2004 as the tribe's first female president.

This time, the issue was over South Dakota's new abortion ban that does not include exceptions for rape or incest.

After Gov. Mike Rounds signed the bill, Fire Thunder vowed to work to open a Planned Parenthood clinic on the reservation, beyond the reach of state law.

Will Peters, a tribal council member who filed the impeachment complaint, said Fire Thunder didn't have the tribal council's approval to pursue the project.

"The bottom line is the Lakota people were adamantly opposed to abortion on our homelands. The president was involved in unauthorized political actions," he said after the vote, which came after two hours of private deliberation.

Thank the troops!

Xerox has set up the website "Let's Say Thanks" where you can send postcards with your own personal message to our men and women in uniform. What an awesome idea!