Teachers against Standards, Chinese Torture and the Weirdest Mommy/Daddy Story You'll ever See

As most would agree, our educational system is in major need of an overhaul. Most liberals understand the importance of having a good education. They send their own children to the finest private schools in the nation. However when it comes to your children, they talk about the importance of sending them to the local public school. "Strengthen the public schools", they say. However, how can these schools be improved without the willful help of the teachers? Obama promotes merit-based pay for teachers. Of course, teachers unions are strongly against the idea.

The Tibetan people continue to suffer under Chinese rule. When people around the world struggle under tyrancial rule, the United States should at least be a voice against that tyranny. However, our government is impotent when it comes to dealing with China. We've lost our ability to fairly criticize them. They are by far our largest financier. They manufacture almost all of the goods we use in this country. Recently, they've been buying cheap American real estate under the economic downturn. Even when they harrass our ships, we don't do much.

Newt Gingrich criticizes Rush Limbaugh for his comment about wanting Obama to fail. Limbaugh blasts back at Newt and the battle is underway.

Muslim woman in line at the credit union she used for 10 years asked to go leave line. Because of her hijab (head scarf), she was forced to bank in a room in the back.

Female Iron Chef Cat Cora and her "wife" are both pregnant.

Convenient Conservatism, Burris in Chains and the Best Job in the World

Personally, I kinda like Bobby Jindal. I think that he may make a formidable candidate in the '12 Republican primary. He has been one of the foremost criticizers of the President's economic plan. He now says that the plan is "irresponsible". I just wonder where his and other Republican voices were just a few months ago when an almost identical package was passed to bail out the banks? This is my column on the GOP all of the sudden finding value in fiscal restraint.

Meanwhile, Obama's plan to leave Iraq is about to be unveiled.

Fed Chair Ben Bernanke tells the American public to ignore their lying eyes/ears and don't believe that we are about to nationalize our banks.

Roland Burris is milking his fifteen minutes of fame. I think that he's about to chain himself to his office desk. Although he is under enormous pressure to resign his Senate seat, he refuses. I guess he thinks he can keep changing his story depending on who's asking.

This is jive!! 102-year-old woman wins lawsuit in court. Those on the losing side try to wait her out by appealing.

How long are we going to keep messing around with North Korea? ...and Syria?

Strong candidate for Best Job in the World.

Emulating Chavez, Syrian Olive Branches and the World's Worst Security Guards

It looks like our country is heading toward the European banking model. Even "typically"right wing Republicans are in favor of some sort of nationalization of the poor banks. I just don't understand why the only alternatives are nationalizing the banks or economic depression. Why can't we simply do what we've always done and let them go through the bankruptcy process? Hugo Chavez nationalized his oil industry. We've nationalized our banks. It's just not official yet.

GM and Chrysler are back at the table requesting $22B in taxpayer funds. In the meantime, they will layoff 47,000 workers. I wonder if we are going to nationalize these guys too.

Yeah, and for those that don't see a problem with the growing size of government, try this one on for size.

Okay, who is really surprised that Roland Burris lied about how he attained his Illinois Senate seat? When he said that he didn't talk to anyone close or related to former Gov. Blagojevich, he didn't know that his brother was included. Yeah, okay.....and the fundraising for Blago? Mere coincidence.

Syrian President Assad extends olive branch to America. In regards to leadership he said "there is no substitute for the United States." Agreed. Now, cut off all military ties to Hizbollah and Hamas and maybe we can meet you half-way.

Obama does his own version of a "surge" in Afghanistan. Hopefully, we'll send a portion of those 17,000 troops to find Omar, bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri while they're up there.

When Mitt Romney has to sell two of his four mansions, you know it has been a bad day on Wall Street.

U.N. announces that five tons of bombs have been stolen in Gaza. By coincidence, they were being guarded by Hamas.

Strippers arrested for being strippers, thanks to a "new law" signed by Gov. Jeb Bush. Charges include soliciting a drink.

The Era of Big Government

Ladies and gentlemen, the era of big government is here. Tomorrow, President Obama will sign the $787B stimulus package into law. This will supplant the previous $700B bank bailout as the largest piece of legislation passed in our country. All over the country, quasi-conservative Republicans are foaming-at-the-mouth angry about the size of the package. However, when the money was going to the banks just a few months ago, they were as quiet as a field mouse. When GWB grew the size of government to stratospheric levels, they hid their heads in the sand. Now, they choose to be outraged over the growth? Yeah okay.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is in favor of nationalizing the banking system.

The State of California once again proves that big government socialism does not work. As Margaret Thatcher once said, "Eventually, you run out of other peoples' money." As the state faces a $42B shortfall, I think that ol' Terminator himself would agree.

Hugo Chavez just won a victory that eliminates term-limits and effectively makes him dictator for life.

Facebook determines once you sign up, they own the rights to everything you post indefinitely, even if you close your account.

Okay, I'll change it up a bit from our country's metamorphosis to some things that are a bit more American.

Michael Phelps will not face charges for his infamous bong photo.

Airline crew caught with 5 kilos of cocaine in their baggage.

Fake "evil twin" defense isn't a viable criminal defense strategy.

Bi-partisan stimulus, Half-Empty Darwinists and Proud Women Drivers

Heath Shuler, the Tennessee great, turned NFL bust, turned U.S. Congressman had strong words against the Democratic Congressional leadership on the stimulus bill. According to the Congressman, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid failed to unite the country on a bi-partisan bill. Given the fact that they added all sorts of "non-stimulus" spending, I'd have to agree with him. This bill should be 100% stimulus.

All-star baseball player, Alex Rodriguez admits to using performing-enhancing drugs in 2003, his MVP season. Now, by no means do I condone or agree with using steroids. But, I do not believe that sports is any of the government's business.

Darwinists in favor of a secular society, put up a billboard suggesting that people "Evolve beyond Belief". This is after they ran Ben Stein away from the University of Vermont. I can blast this up in multiple pieces on various levels. Suffice it to say, there are two type of people. Some say "If I can see it, I will believe it." Others say, "If you believe it, you see it." Choose wisely.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen says that we won't need more than 30,000 troops to accomplish the mission in Afghanistan. I wonder how many of those will go to find Osama bin Laden, Mullah Omar and Ayman Al-Zawahiri? Until we get those out of the picture, capturing and killing the pawns will remedy nothing.

Saudi princess says she is ready to defy her country's ban on women drivers and take the wheel herself. They say that driving is too much of a "sinful temptation" for women to handle. Good for her!! Keep on driving sister until you ladies are voting and have equal rights.

Our Country in Turmoil

Please somebody explain to me how the federal government can tell private companies how much they can pay their executives. Oh, they aren't really private anymore? I guess $350B of taxpayer money can do that to you.

I guess when Obama said that buying American is only "common sense", it didn't go over very well in Canada and Europe.

After launching their first satellite into space, Iran says that the United States must get used to their "civilian" nuclear program. Yeah okay. How about you guys getting used to being target practice? Looks like we're going to "talk" first. Let me know how that works out.

As if the price of the so-called "stimulus" package wasn't large enough already, lobbyists want their turn at adding in a few goodies of their own.

Eric Holder promises to be a nice boy and not to go on any "witch hunts" over any Wall Street crimes. Given the state of our economy and the massive fraud on multiple levels, he must have lost either his mind or his courage.

Finding Conservatism a Few Years too Late

Mitch McConnell seems like he is starting to get it. Too bad his enlightenment came about two election cycles late for Republicans. He says that Republicans need to clarify their message and explain their core values. Hmmmm.....such a novel idea in politics.

Please allow your boy time to gloat. I knew this was going to happen. I called it a four years ago and it made Townhall.com stop taking my columns. Everyone just couldn't understand why I was being critical when Bush's approval ratings were still high and it looked like we'd be in power for many years to come.

I guess they were slightly mistaken.

After getting trounced by Democrats and losing control of both houses of Congress and the White House, today's GOP is attempting to find their soul and elect new leadership in order to bring former Republicans back while gathering some new votes.

I still don't think that they understand. They only find their conservatism when somebody else is in line to benefit. They were quiet when the Republican Congress was spending to levels that would make Bill Clinton blush. They were quiet while the previous administration pillaged our Constitution and consolidated more executive power than any other in American history. Most recently, they were quiet as Americans forked over $700B that eventually was stolen by people on their side of the fence.

This "Big Brother, as long as it's my brother" attitude has caught up with them. The principled party that I gravitated to has become a "me and mine" party that is okay with big government as long as it's Republicans who are imposing it.

Maybe one day they'll get it.

GOP Needs to Erase Republicanism in Favor of Conservatism

Although I'm no longer a Republican, I still have wishes that they'd return to the party that made me join in the first place. When I came to the Republican Party, I found a nice mix of folks from various backgrounds that bonded over the conservative principle of limited government influence in our daily lives.

What I find today is a party that is more united over skin color and religion than any political ideology. I find that today's Republicans don't really care about the expansion of government as long as they are the ones to benefit. They'll go back to conservatism if they don't see themselves or their cronies benefitting from the government intrusion. This is what I call Republicanism and it's a far cry from conservatism.

This leads me to a column from newmajority.com. I also believe that Michael Steele should be chosen to lead the RNC. Of course, there are things that I disagree with him on. But, I think that he can be an obvious choice to take the party from a bunch of flag carriers to a party that is representative of the vast conservative nature of our country.

Monarchy Denied!!!!

Poor Princess Caroline! The Kennedy dynasty's choice will not get the chance to be annointed successor to Hillary Clinton's vacant Senate seat. Those Americans in favor of political monarchies are furious. She's the first, now "non-political" figure that has made Sarah Palin look seasoned and experienced. Kudos to Gov. Patterson for not giving in to the obvious political pressure.

Instead, he selects a NY Congresswoman that is in favor of gun rights and enforcing our immigration policy. Even better!!!

Caroline Kennedy needs to earn her Senate seat. This is not 15th century Whales, okay? We are not a monarchy.

Israel's "Mission Accomplished" Moment

Am I the only guy that can figure this thing out? The last of the Israeli troops left Gaza today. Although the Israelis are saying that the recent war was a complete success with all goals accomplished, the leaders of Hamas would strongly disagree. In fact, Hamas is also claiming victory in the war. Given the fact that they're still around, still control the Gaza Strip, still have considerable stockpiles of rockets that they are still using, still have the ability to utilize tunnels, it's questionable who the true victor is.

About 1,300 Palestinians have died in the battle compared to only 13 Israelis. However, I don't believe that this ever was a traditional war where success can be measured by the amount of corpses in the streets. Just like our former President used to say, this is more of a battle of hearts and minds than rockets and tanks.

This looks like a sad repeat to the Lebanon battle of 2006 when the leaders of Hizbollah gained immense notoriety, and even aid from Russia, after their war with Israel.

It's going to be tough on whoever wins the Israeli election when those guys start doing their mischief again. You cannot say you've had full success when these guys are still floating around. How is that possible?

Obviously, Hamas has to go. Ditto for Hizbollah and the others. It can be done, just not in this fashion. Will clarify shortly.

History is Made Today in our Country

Today, our nation will inaugurate it's first African-American President. It is very difficult to overstate the gravity of this feat.

I'm extremely proud of our country. Barack Obama's election articulates how far our country has come in only a few years. Just a generation ago, blacks could not vote in many states across our union. Only a few decades ago, blacks couldn't eat drink from the same fountains, eat in the same restaurants or sleep in the same hotels. Many blacks that personally experienced these difficult times never believed they'd witness such an event in their lifetime.

Today marks a radical change in the political landscape of today. Although it is evident that racism and bigotry still exist in this country, it is also clear that we've escaped the paralyzing grip that they once had on our country. Barack's election proves that our country's children can accomplish whatever their minds desire, if they have faith and are willing to work towards their vision. Even against the greatest odds, they can overcome whatever obstacles and achieve any goal their minds can perceive.

Today we should all gather our children, boys and girls, look them in the eye and let them know: Yes, you CAN become President of the United States.

Allowing Murderers Free Reign

As much as the Bush Administration wants to name Khalid Sheik Mohammad as the 9/11 mastermind, we all know it was really Osama bin Laden. However, since they've been completely unable or unwilling to capture bin Laden, it's more convenient to blame somebody we have in custody.

Now, Osama bin Laden is out there making more tapes and trying to rally his partners in Al-Queda to attack America and our international interests. Haven't we heard this before?

I don't understand why more emphasis isn't placed on capturing this guy. We had opportunities to kill him in the past, but we decided against it. You'll hear people say that bin Laden has been minimized. I disagree vehemently. Until we get rid of him, al-Zawahiri and Mullah Omar, we cannot pretend that we're winning the War on Terror. These guys are very patient. They'll simply wait us out and return later in an attempt to kill/hurt Americans.

It's amazing that nobody sees the urgency in capturing these guys.

Foreign Puppeteers, Virgin Mary Detectives and Private School Hypocrisy

Egypt pressures Hamas to accept truce with Israel. They say that too many people have died because of the recent war in Gaza. However, Hamas refuses to budge until Israel leaves the Gaza Strip. Surely, Hamas doesn't care about civilian casualties. They can do this forever. Hypothetically speaking, say Israel leaves tomorrow and Hamas is still around. How long before more rockets are launched back into Israel? Days? Weeks? How long before Israel goes back in? Any peace gained through this method would be temporary at best. Guerilla warfare with thousands of casualities isn't the solution either. More on this topic in a future column.

Meanwhile, the propaganda war continues.

As the United Nations neared a vote on a ceasefire plan orchestrated by Condi Rice, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gets pissed at the language. According to a recent speech, he told his assistants "Get President Bush on the phone!". His assistants tell Olmert that Bush was in the middle of a speech in Philadelphia. Olmert says "I don't care. I need to talk to him now!" Bush got off of the podium and took the call. Bush immediately called Condi Rice and told her not to vote on the bill that she planned, coordinated and lobbied for; leaving her very embarrassed according to Olmert. Can someone explain to me why a foreign country is calling our shots? This is complete BS!!! Talk about puppets and puppeteers!!! However, it looks like it may change under an Obama administration. UPDATE: Condi Rice says that she was going to abstain all along. Okay. Say that's true. Olmert still called Bush and got him off of the stage in Philly. Bush still called Condi in an attempt to have her modify her vote. Again, I say this is horse squeeze.

Barack's Education Secretary tackles the No Child Left Behind act. Liberals always scream against vouchers for parents trapped in failing schools. However, as soon as they can afford to, they send their kids to private school. Why they don't use their own kids to "strengthen the public schools"? I guess their own kids' education is too important to roll the dice.

North Korea is determined to continue their nuclear program. Now, that's a surprise.

For those who continue to see the Virgin Mary in toast, cereal, clouds, salsa, open wounds etc., the Vatican wants you to be quiet until they can send their detectives to verify that it's actually the Virgin Mary. Hey, I'll save them some and say NO, that ain't her!! If you see the Virgin Mary in your oatmeal, you need to lay off of the shrooms.

Barack Obama appears to be in a hurry to remove several executive orders enacted by the previous administration.

Speaking of Obama, black men have become increasingly inspired by Obama's presidency.

Voting on Apartheid, Shiny Closed Bathrooms and the Mad Dash out of California

Israel bans Israeli Arabs from participating in the upcoming elections. It's funny how political rights for their citizens can be easily removed. Out of roughly 7 million Israelis, about 20% of them are Arabs. Since Israeli Arabs have a much higher birth rate then their Jewish counterparts, there are two ways to ensure Israel keeps its Jewish nature. One ways is to allow for a Palestinian state. The other way is to take a South African approach and simply deny rights to Arab citizens. Unfortunately, it looks like they are taking the latter approach. This is a perfect reason why a Palestinian state is necessary. 21st century, first-world countries cannot have enduring apartheid type policies. Something has to give.

Ponzi financier Bernie Madoff avoids jail while awaiting trial for the $50B he ripped off from investors including his own sister. Although he tried to hide his assets by mailing a million dollars worth of jewerly and another $174M in personal checks, the judge decided that it was cool for him to be assigned to his $7M condo.

Senate Democrats will finally seat Roland Burris. this week.

After spending $500,000 to remodel the bathrooms, MARTA decides to close the bathrooms to save money. Only government can be that inefficient.

Businesses are running out of California. Couldn't be because of their high taxes, could it?

It looks like it will be tough for Obama to close Gitmo even within the first 100 days of his presidency. What will happen to the people being held there is anybody's guess.

Unlucky Pirates, Bush's Bad Timing and Terrible Friends at the FCC

Although the Bush Administration has bungled the War on Terror, I believe they have have done a very good job combating AIDS in Africa. Africans have been very appreciative of Bush's efforts and pray Obama will be as diligent.

This is hilarious. Global warming wackos are now targeting Google. You also now you have scientists forecasting another ice age. These folks' idiocy never ceases to amaze me. An average temperature is just that; average. Sometimes it's warmer than normal. Other times it's colder. It's as natural as...SEASONS!!! They never consider the Earth's natural cycles. I also wonder why they never consider the sun's activity. Now, that's a novel idea!!

Good and bad news for the Somali pirates. The good news: they were paid a handsome $3 million ransom for the return of the ship and its crew. The bad news? They didn't live long enough to spend it.

Apparently Bush vetoed the Israeli's request to bomb Iran, I guess he gave them this war instead. Now it's being reported that we're looking for a contractor to deliver American weaponry to Israel. However, the Pentagon says it is not related to Gaza. I guess it's just bad timing.

Proof that red light cameras are only there to generate income for the local government.

FCC chairman Kevin Martin says delaying the digital change mandate would not benefit consumers because it would "confuse them". Hey Kevin, stop worrying about us. Americans don't need friends like you. Look, I personally don't need a converter box. But, there are plenty of Americans that didn't have satellite or cable that are being forced to because of this obvious gift to the satellite and cable companies.

Diamonds in the Mail, Overpriced Coffee Makers and Hungry Prisoners

Peter Berkowitz believes that conservatives should rally around the constitution in order to regain their position in US politics. It's strange that these "so-called" conservatives never considered this principle while they were raising the size of government to record levels over the past eight years. Other Republicans have even justified it. I guess it was convenient for to abuse the constitution while they were in power. Hopefully, things have changed.

Is it possible to be pro-peace, pro-Israel and pro-Palestine at the same time? I say YES!!!! That's because I'm a walking, living, breathing example of that idea.

Corrupt investor Bernie Madoff knows he's going to spend a good number of years in jail or be forced to pay restitution to some of the people he bilked out of their life savings. So, he decides to be proactive and give away his diamonds and other jewerly to his friends and family. Cops also found $173M in personal checks that he planned to distribute to them. Those money grubbing folks who lost all of their money aren't getting their hands on his assets.

The state of our educational system is in shambles. In Chicago, taxpayers are on the hook for $67,000 in order to purchase 30 cappuchino machines. Meanwhile in Detroit, their schools are running out of enough light bulbs and toilet paper to operate.

Judge locks Alabama sheriff in his own jail for almost starving his inmates. According to the Alabama law, he was able to keep all of the money he didn't spend out of the allotted food budget.

Sarah Palin is no fan of Keith Olbermann, Tina Fey and Katie Couric. Surprise, surprise. However, she does raise some interesting points.

Rule of Law, Crying Senators and downplaying Terrorist Masterminds

It looks like the constitution and the rule of law get a rare victory in the U.S. Congress. Roland Burris will be seated in the Senate. As much as the Senate Democrats tried to block his appointment, they didn't have the law on their side. Although the Illinois Governor is obviously corrupt, the appoint was just as obviously legal. Ol' Blago the auctioneer is probably laughing it up. Well, that's until his indictment comes.

Obama names watchdog that he'll use to monitor and control federal spending. Yeah, she'll be very proactive. She'll be like that SEC enforcement guy in the movie Boiler Room. I'm sure she'll start the day after Obama's $800 billion dollar stimulus bill is enacted.

As our State Department announces that bin Laden and Al-Queda has been rendered impotent, Al-Queda's #2 is blaming Barack Obama for the war in Gaza. I'm sure it's convenient for them to say that in order to protect their legacy. But, the reality of the situation is that these guys can still plan, organize and distribute their message. As long as they are walking around freely, they are a threat.

Florida's GOP Chair Jim Greer is set to endorse Michael Steele for the RNC Chair position. That's good news. But, he still has a long way to go.

Diane Feinstein has her poor little feelings hurt that she wasn't consulted on the Leon Panetta pick for CIA Chief. Pobrecita!!!!!

Former Atlanta Falcon Bob Whitfield's gold-digging ex-wife is whining that she cannot continue to live her lifestyle on a measly $113k per year. Time to get a day job cutie.

Hillary Clinton is expected to breeze through confirmation.

Gaza Update

There are conflicting reports out of Gaza now. Some folks are reporting that a ceasefire is near. Egypt and France have a proposal that is being cautiously reviewed. However, the Israeli Security Cabinet just authorized the continuing of the operation.

The death count now nears 700. But, the rocket fire is at its highest point since the war started. What gives? If the mission has been as successful as we're being told, why haven't they stopped the rockets that has been the subject of the entire mess?

Even if this particular mission stops sometime in the near future, the peace won't last. Any peace that comes from this will be temporary at best. Real solutions are necessary to fix this problem.

Hamas needs to be surgically removed. They are no partner to peace and will be an obstacle to any true arrangements of peace. However, killing 70 civilians while targeting 5 militants won't win many friends or credibility.

Happy Birthday AK2!!!

Wow, it has been six years!!!!!!!

Today's Tidbits

The ground war in Gaza continues. Israeli troops have dissected the city. It's going to be a long one with many additional casualties. Meanwhile at the United Nations, the US has blocked a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire. However, the rest of the world is either protesting or seeking clarification on the mission. That appears to be a fair question. Although the death toll nears 500, the mission has failed to decrease the rocket fire.

Bill Richardson has withdrew his name from consideration to become the next Commerce Secretary.

American Muslim family gets kicked off an AirTran flight for asking which seats are safest. AirTran has since apologized and reimbursed the family for the additional expenses they incurred.

The Obama administration is getting their new economic stimulus package together. It appears that it will be ready by early February and will could cost as much as a trillion dollars. Spending in this country is at an all-time high. It's a disgrace that a Republican administration jump started this new "shopping-spree" mentality where we casually spend hundreds of billions of dollars with very few questions.

Teaching moderate Islam on Arab television.

Now the anti-smoking nazis are targeting third hand smoke. Gimme a break.

Female suicide bomber kills 38 people in Baghdad.

I can understand a person being a pet lover. But, c'mon. Jumping into a frozen pond to save your dog? What makes it worse is the dog escapes while she drowns.