Mute On!

Where were you?

2006-05-24T13:43:00.000-04:00

When I am old and gray, and walking around with a cane, taking my Metamucil and sitting on the porch, listening to my Tony Bennett albums and longing for the good ol' days, which, for me, will be any minute now, they will still be asking me the same question: "Where were you when you heard the news?"

When they ask this, and they will, they certainly will not be talking about the horrors of 9/11. Or the capture of Saddam Hussein. Or the Challenger explosion. Or the O.J. Simpson verdict. Or tonight's American Idol finale. Or the election results from a hotly contested national race. No, they will undoubtedly be talking about Barbaro. Barbarella? Barbarino? Barbie? No, Barbaro...the horse. And I will whack them on the shins with my cane.

This past weekend, a horse named Barbaro suffered several bad leg fractures during the Preakness Stakes, one of the *ahem* legs of the Triple Crown. Now, I feel horrible about the horse. Really, I do. However, since the incident, everything from the local TV and news stations, to the cable news outlets and USA Today have been covering everything this horse goes through. Wall-to-wall coverage!

I would suggest if this had happened to Carl Lewis or Jesse Owens during an Olympic heat there wouldn't be this much press coverage! I'm not making this a racial thing, by any means, but a complaint from my very soul! I love animals, but I don't think the people in the media value ANY human life to the degree they seem to this horse. I can imagine if Barbaro "doesn't make it", i.e., his legs cannot heal properly, they'll practically hold a State funeral for him when they EUTHANIZE him and send him off to the glue factory! I can see it now...the Hollywood left will show up and begin weeping openly for the cameras. The President, who has far better things to do, will actually have to make an official statement. Why, this horse, one of God's most beautiful creations, will probably get better press in death than did Pope John Paul II! Any minute now, someone will have the movie rights. Hey, maybe they can get Tobey Maguire to play the jockey, like he did in Seabiscuit. That'll be exciting.

Listen, for what it's worth, I was watching the local news near the track at the time, and they had a CORRESPONDENT on the scene at the hospital for "any late-breaking news on his condition". So stop asking, already!

Wisdom from Jon Stewart?

2006-03-08T16:50:00.000-05:00

"The Oscars is really I guess the one night of the year when you can see all your favorite stars without having to donate any money to the Democratic Party. And it's exciting for the stars as well because it's the first time many of you have ever voted for a winner." -Jon Stewart during the Oscars

A Shocking Fact!

2006-02-21T15:57:00.000-05:00

More than 100 innocent people worldwide have died of the human strain of the avian flu, and Sherrod Brown, regardless of his skin color, has done nothing to stop it.

This shocking revelation is brought to you by Random Freekness and muteon.org.
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The Danish Muhammad Cartoons

2006-02-15T15:20:00.000-05:00

The following is a link to Michelle Malkin's site, where the "infamous" cartoons are being archived, for prosperity's sake. Feel free to enjoy them at your leisure.

The Jyllands-Posten cartoons
However, Akron's Own Chip Bok has made some classics too...
Chip Bok Cartoons 1
Chip Bok Cartoons 2
Chip Bok Cartoons 3
Chip Bok Cartoons 4

Senator Harry Reid is the plantation owner!

2006-02-07T16:48:00.000-05:00

If you think the Republicans are running the "plantation" Hillary Clinton spoke of, think again...

BOOTED FROM FORBIDDEN AISLE
Page Six
The New York Post
By Richard Johnson

February 4, 2006 -- THE fight for aisle seats (to assure TV face-time) before President Bush's State of the Union address the other night was more exciting than the speech. Reps. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) and Cynthia McKinney (D.-Ga.) got to the floor of the Capitol early and staked out seats reserved for Democratic senators. "Since none of these Democrats over there [in the Senate] filibustered Alito, why can't we have these seats?" Jackson argued. "That makes sense to me," McKinney replied, according to Roll Call columnist Mary Ann Akers. "Jackson went back to his office, leaving McKinney to protect the seats until showtime," the D.C. weekly reports. "Three hours after Jackson got back to his office, though, his cellphone rang." It was a "frantic" McKinney saying that sergeant-at-arms staffers were kicking her out of the seats. Jackson rushed to the floor and argued for "a few tense moments," but Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) prevailed. Jackson told Roll Call he needed his face on TV....

Gee, sounds to me like Dingy Harry is the head man at the plantation to me.
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Eyes bugging, tongues wagging, horns sounding

2006-02-07T16:27:00.000-05:00

We live in a world where people are less offended by innocent people being killed in cold blood for something they had no part in, than a goofy editorial cartoon that a Danish newspaper that until now no-one outside of Denmark had ever heard of printed months ago, depicting something that more often than not is accepted as the truth almost anywhere in this wide world. I will only elaborate to say this: if you look at the front page of the Canton Repository from Canton, Ohio on February 6th, 2006, you'll see a small photo of the "demonstrators". One of them hates America, Denmark, and this cartoon sooooo much that he's wearing his Roush Racing jacket. That's right, folks, this guy is a Greg Biffle fan. Now what does that say to you?

With truth, justice, and the Tony Stewart way,
Muteon.org.

Socialists are creeeeepy!

2006-02-02T16:56:00.000-05:00

It is really quite exhilarating- That feeling you get when a complete psycho, who has a table full of socialist and communist propoganda set up in a public library in the United States, comes up to you, a patriotic American, and commences lecturing you on how filing your taxes is a horrid thing to do, and how you are a so-and-so and a such-and-such for doing so.

It is wonderfully heartwarming when he exclaims that this country is terribly oppressive, and that there is no freedom, and that is why he has refused to pay his taxes since 1978, and you should too.

It is thrilling, when you can look at him, your red, white and blue blood boiling in your veins, and can actually smile at this vermin, knowing that you are doing the right thing. I say this for one main reason: It is at that moment that you realize just how unoppressive and free this country truly is. Here is a "pinko meathead" as Archie Bunker would call him, standing in a public place, a library where men, women, and children alike are reading what they choose, no less. People are utilizing the internet for learning, thinking and growing, as opposed to doing the things this man would surely do on the internet if he had the chance. Here he is shouting, at the top of his lungs, hatred toward our beloved country, while his Marxist leaflets are blowing gently in the air-conditioning. And yet, this country is so unoppressive, so free, that this lowlife isn't shot on sight for words that in many countries would be his death warrant.

God bless America!

Attacks on Alito

2006-01-30T16:02:00.000-05:00

Senator Ted Kennedy wants to lead the charge on a filibuster, while John Kerry, who is in another country, launches long distance barbs at future Supreme Court Justice Alito. How mature. Needless to say, the Republicans that were involved in the confirmation of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and David Sutter didn't pull this kind of nonsense. We were all aware that those two Clinton appointees were all for abortion, but we did nothing like this. And yet, Kennedy and Kerry pose for holy pictures, as if they're only truly worried about "civil liberties". Over 80% of the country opposes the "civil liberties" they really mean. What's more, Alito has said that rather than legislate from the bench like others have done, he would judge cases that came before him based on the facts and the arguments, and not his own personal opinions. But that's not good enough. Hillary Clinton herself has shared a desire to join in on this filibuster, but don't forget that she'd like your vote for President in '08, considering how incredibly sensible and conservative she really is. These three yahoos would love to have you believe that they are better for America, but clearly they are only out to push their own unpopular liberal agendas. Keep that in mind when you hear these unwarranted attacks on Alito.

A truce?

2006-01-20T14:53:00.000-05:00

So Osama bin Laden says he wants a truce, to rebuild Iraq. Right. This from the guy that ordered planes flown into the World Trade Center. Anyone else notice he threatened the U.S. in the same breath he called for a truce? No really, I can see a daisy in the nozzle of his M-16. Can't you see it now? Osama bin Laden getting together with Oliver Stone, Leo DiCaprio, and Sean Penn for a round of golf. They'll plop right down at the 13th tee and pick the daffodils. Perhaps they'll even have a Coke and a smile. Yeah. Dream on, Bruce Springsteen...

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This Just In...

2005-05-18T12:54:00.000-04:00

John Kerry still isn't President of the United States. Film at 11.

Rest In Peace

2005-04-12T18:12:00.000-04:00

In Memory of Pope John Paul II, Terri Schiavo, Prince Rainier of Morocco, and Johnnie Cochran. You will all be missed. My condolences to their families and friends in this time. God bless you all.

The Vast Leftwing Conspiracy

2005-04-12T18:06:00.000-04:00

A new book by Byron York of National Review is hitting the shelves, and I'd like to give you a teaser, paraphrased by yours truly:

Harry Reid, Richard Byrd, Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and others were present for a recent rally/protest in Washington D.C., headed up by moveon.org, not to be confused with muteon.org.

Moveon.org, not to be confused with the more intelligent muteon.org, has teamed up with the likes of film director Michael "Miserable Failure" Moore, former Clinton Administration man Harold Ickes, liberal radio network Air America, kooky billionaire George Soros, the "Center for American Progress", Peter Lewis of Progressive Insurance, and the Hollywood left to attack President Bush.

Who is pulling who's strings in Washington? Find out in Byron York's new book "The Vast Leftwing Conspiracy", out now!

God vs. the World Part Three

2005-04-12T17:57:00.000-04:00

-The Bible is being blamed for an unnamed judge overruling the deliberations and recommendations of a jury in a murder trial where the suspect was found guilty on all charges. They were overruled, he said, because someone may have opened a Bible during deliberations. I won't elaborate.

-A certain judge in Florida used what Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has called "Personal Policy Preferences" to legally murder a certain woman who wasn't really terminally ill. This was not only against the family's wishes, but they also believe that it was against God's. Meanwhile, another woman in Georgia, who has simple heart problems and glaucoma was practically sentenced to death by her own granddaughter and a judge, who agreed that it was time for "Grandma to go home to Jesus". They tried to assist her on her way by starving her and denying her water for over a week. Thankfully, other authorities have intervened and Grandma not only didn't go home to Jesus, but is alive and well.

It's the End of the World As We Know It...

2005-04-12T17:47:00.000-04:00

-A Berkeley, California high school may be changing its name. Thomas Jefferson High School may no longer be the name, because of recent hub-bub over his possible slave ownership. Yes, there's a news story for you.
-Adolf Hitler was blamed for school shootings recently. Funny, I thought he was dead.
-BK's new Enormous Omelet Sandwich is the latest outrage for certain liberal political groups. Next they'll be hating on hash browns.
-Another earthquake rocks Indonesia, this time it was an 8.7, although the Russian judge only gave it a 5.8.
-America's bee population has been cut in half in the last 6 months by what is being called by some "Bee Ebola".
-In a related story, Angola has issued a press release saying that 121 people have died of Ebola. They urge tourists to stay away for a week. I'll be staying away pretty much forever.

Michael Savage's Amnesty for Oil program

2005-04-12T17:43:00.000-04:00

If the U.S. is going to give all of these illegal Mexican immigrants amnesty, we should get something in return. Mexico should give us millions of barrels of oil a year, to help America and real Americans get from under the Middle East's thumb.

Additions to the Lexicon

2005-04-12T17:31:00.000-04:00

Blue Humor (n): Coined by a 640 AM WHLO commercial, comedy that is only funny to those in blue states, such as Howard Stern's mocking of "retards", invalids, and other handicapped people.
Bullhockery! (exc): Exclamation from Travelocity's Roaming Gnome, it expresses general disbelief in what one is saying.
But Monkey (n): Coined by Laura Ingraham, someone who says something civil and thoughtful, then shows their true colors by saying "but...", and saying something rather horrid.
Deankey (n): Coined by Laura Ingraham, a Howard Dean democrat.
Flatdoodle! (exc): Exclamation from Travelocity's Roaming Gnome, it expresses general disbelief in what one is saying.
MesSNBC (n): Presumably coined by Laura Ingraham, a self-explanatory description of cable news network MSNBC.
Stephie (n): Laura Ingraham's nickname for George Stephanopoulos.

Words of Wisdom from Senator Hillary Clinton

2005-04-12T17:28:00.000-04:00

"One plus one equals a couple of ones." -Senator Hillary Clinton

Coincidentally, many of those who voted her into the Senate took notes on that, thinking there would be a quiz later.

This mathematic equation is brought to you by Random Freekness, and muteon.org.
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John Bolton grilled on Capitol Hill

2005-04-12T17:23:00.000-04:00

The man President Bush has nominated to be the U.S. Ambassador to the UN has been taking a lot of heat from Deomcrats like Boxer, Biden, Sarbains, and others for not supporting "international law", the "world court", and essentially, the New World Order. Joining them in their disgust is Kim Jung Il, a horrible dictator who doesn't like President Bush too much either.

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Israeli citizens are being asked to disarm

2005-04-12T17:22:00.000-04:00

If Israelis, with all of the trouble and terrorism they are having, are being asked by their own government to disarm, how long will it be before Americans are forced to do the same? Just a thought.

God vs. the world, part two

2005-02-19T14:59:00.000-05:00

It seems that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is attacking a fraternity whose main prerequisite is that their pledges are Christians. Alpha Iota Omega may be forced to close its doors because they have such a policy. First of all, what business is it or anyone if they wish to be a Christian frat? Secondly, what atheist or person of another religion in their right mind says "Darn, of all of these other secular frats, the Christian one is the one I wanted to join."? I mean, clearly there's nothing like being surrounded by people who disagree with you, who have completely different lifestyles than you, day in, and day out. Can't you just picture Osama bin Laden wishing to hang out with a group of patriotic Americans, who just happen to be Southern Baptists? I sure can...not.

Folks, this frat isn't under the heading of seperation of church and state. They don't get paid by the government to do a thing except go to school, and they are not harming or offending anyone by being in this frat. Common sense dictates that only Christians will ever really want to be a part of this fraternity anyway. If the school, or anyone else successfully breaks up Alpha Iota Omega, I hate to say it, but it is only a matter of time before chruches in this country start having to watch over their shoulders too.

Washington Waffles, anyone?

2005-02-19T14:57:00.000-05:00

Is it any wonder that the same people who called the U.S. "stingy" in its relief to the tsunami victims are now calling for heads for what they say is spending too much?

Ted Turner can buy journalists, too

2005-02-09T16:08:00.000-05:00

Not long ago, people in the mainstream media were bad-mouthing Armstrong Williams, Maggie Gallagher, and Rachel Marsden for being "on the take" from the Bush Administration, allegedly. It now appears that two have been playing at that game. Good ol' Ted Turner and other organizations involved in liberal propaganda have paid Linda Fasulo at least $26,000 for her reports on the U.N. and Kofi Annan. I highly expect that this story will not be covered so faithfully by CNN as the "story" about those other journalists was.

ACLU backs Ward Churchill

2005-02-09T15:55:00.000-05:00

As Gomer Pyle was known to say, "Well, surprise, surprise, surprise!" Just days after being called out for his spiteful comments towards 9/11 victims, Ward Churchill, the University of Colorado's pride and joy, has spoken out again.

He further defended himself by spouting off on 9/11's victims, again, mouthed off about not having to answer to anyone, and then picked on Israel. Not long after, the ACLU came out in support of him. Not only does the ACLU believe that this guy can say what he wants, but they insist that if he is fired for any reason, they will sue for him.

Personally, the words he has spoken on these subjects make me ill. However, the ACLU is actually right about something. He does have the Constitutionally-given right to shout about how he hates America, Americans, democracy, capitalism, and freedom. However, first, I have a right not only to shout back at the top of my lungs how much I oppose his speeches, but I have the right to laugh at his stupidity. I have a right to let him tie a noose around his own movement's neck. Second, the University of Colorado has right to declare him unfit to teach, and fire him. They also have the right to tell him not to use his teaching position as a bully pulpit for liberal indoctrination. That is what I hope they do. I don't care if he makes speeches every day, or gets his lousy expatriate views played on CNN. I just don't want our hard-earned tax dollars to pay for it, and I reserve the right to mock him. And I will.

Iran Gets Defensive

2005-02-07T18:48:00.000-05:00

This week, Iran changed from denying existence of a nuclear weapons program, to admitting it, and saying that they will "increase production" if they are attacked, or otherwise provoked. How many times have we seen this before? It kind of reminds me of a movie where the hero successfully stares down and eventually stops the villain with a bomb strapped to his chest. I hope this goes the same way.

France: "I don't wanna work, I wanna bang on the U.S. all day."

2005-02-07T18:42:00.000-05:00

France is in the news with complaints from workers who are saying that they refuse to work more than 35 hours a week. Their complaints likely stem from their desire to support the United Nations and terrorism, while opposing the U.S. and its use of force in Iraq and Afghanistan, (where they have both just had their first democratic elections in decades), all while getting drunk and eating pastries.

In the United States, 35 hours a week isn't a large number, it's part-time. The French law that would take effect would ask raise the maximum number of work hours to 40, which would match America's policy. Many in the U.S. would love a full-time job, and the French are whining about it? Give me a break!

Bumper Sticker bias amongst liberals

2005-02-07T18:37:00.000-05:00

An employee can be reprimanded for having their vehicle don a "Support Our Troops" bumper sticker, but the ACLU will not tolerate our demands that a government vehicle not have a "F*** Bush" bumper sticker on the back? Since when does supporting our troops offend any honest, patriotic American? I am offended by their taking offense! In fact, whoever should support a bumper sticker like "F*** Bush" being placed on a vehicle my tax dollars pay for is offending me far more than they themselves are offended by support of the troops!

University of Colorado Meeting Melee

2005-02-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

At first, I thought I was being a bit rash when speaking of all the fighting going on. Then, Ward Churchill came along. The University of Colorado held a meeting to discuss what to do with him, and a miniature riot broke out, comprised almost completely of liberal students that supported his views. I won't elaborate, other than to quote Rush Limbaugh. "See, I told you so."

President Bush's State of the Union Address

2005-02-04T17:48:00.000-05:00

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of Congress, fellow citizens:

As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected branches of government share a great privilege: We've been placed in office by the votes of the people we serve. And tonight that is a privilege we share with newly-elected leaders of Afghanistan, the Palestinian Territories, Ukraine, and a free and sovereign Iraq. (Applause.)

Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the commitment of our nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all. This evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and around the world.

Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going back to work, with our nation an active force for good in the world -- the state of our union is confident and strong. (Applause.)

Our generation has been blessed -- by the expansion of opportunity, by advances in medicine, by the security purchased by our parents' sacrifice. Now, as we see a little gray in the mirror -- or a lot of gray -- (laughter) -- and we watch our children moving into adulthood, we ask the question: What will be the state of their union? Members of Congress, the choices we make together will answer that question. Over the next several months, on issue after issue, let us do what Americans have always done, and build a better world for our children and our grandchildren. (Applause.)

First, we must be good stewards of this economy, and renew the great institutions on which millions of our fellow citizens rely. America's economy is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation. In the past four years, we provided tax relief to every person who pays income taxes, overcome a recession, opened up new markets abroad, prosecuted corporate criminals, raised homeownership to its highest level in history, and in the last year alone, the United States has added 2.3 million new jobs. (Applause.) When action was needed, the Congress delivered -- and the nation is grateful.

Now we must add to these achievements. By making our economy more flexible, more innovative, and more competitive, we will keep America the economic leader of the world. (Applause.)

America's prosperity requires restraining the spending appetite of the federal government. I welcome the bipartisan enthusiasm for spending discipline. I will send you a budget that holds the growth of discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. (Applause.) My budget substantially reduces or eliminates more than 150 government programs that are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do not fulfill essential priorities. The principle here is clear: Taxpayer dollars must be spent wisely, or not at all. (Applause.)

To make our economy stronger and more dynamic, we must prepare a rising generation to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Under the No Child Left Behind Act, standards are higher, test scores are on the rise, and we're closing the achievement gap for minority students. Now we must demand better results from our high schools, so every high school diploma is a ticket to success. We will help an additional 200,000 workers to get training for a better career, by reforming our job training system and strengthening America's community colleges. And we'll make it easier for Americans to afford a college education, by increasing the size of Pell Grants. (Applause.)

To make our economy stronger and more competitive, America must reward, not punish, the efforts and dreams of entrepreneurs. Small business is the path of advancement, especially for women and minorities, so we must free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators from junk lawsuits. (Applause.) Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back by irresponsible class-actions and frivolous asbestos claims -- and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms this year. (Applause.)

To make our economy stronger and more productive, we must make health care more affordable, and give families greater access to good coverage -- (applause) -- and more control over their health decisions. (Applause.) I ask Congress to move forward on a comprehensive health care agenda with tax credits to help low-income workers buy insurance, a community health center in every poor country, improved information technology to prevent medical error and needless costs, association health plans for small businesses and their employees -- (applause) -- expanded health savings accounts -- (applause) -- and medical liability reform that will reduce health care costs and make sure patients have the doctors and care they need. (Applause.)

To keep our economy growing, we also need reliable supplies of affordable, environmentally responsible energy. (Applause.) Nearly four years ago, I submitted a comprehensive energy strategy that encourages conservation, alternative sources, a modernized electricity grid, and more production here at home -- including safe, clean nuclear energy. (Applause.) My Clear Skies legislation will cut power plant pollution and improve the health of our citizens. (Applause.) And my budget provides strong funding for leading-edge technology -- from hydrogen-fueled cars, to clean coal, to renewable sources such as ethanol. (Applause.) Four years of debate is enough: I urge Congress to pass legislation that makes America more secure and less dependent on foreign energy. (Applause.)

All these proposals are essential to expand this economy and add new jobs -- but they are just the beginning of our duty. To build the prosperity of future generations, we must update institutions that were created to meet the needs of an earlier time. Year after year, Americans are burdened by an archaic, incoherent federal tax code. I've appointed a bipartisan panel to examine the tax code from top to bottom. And when their recommendations are delivered, you and I will work together to give this nation a tax code that is pro-growth, easy to understand, and fair to all. (Applause.)

America's immigration system is also outdated -- unsuited to the needs of our economy and to the values of our country. We should not be content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to provide for their families, and deny businesses willing workers, and invite chaos at our border. It is time for an immigration policy that permits temporary guest workers to fill jobs Americans will not take, that rejects amnesty, that tells us who is entering and leaving our country, and that closes the border to drug dealers and terrorists. (Applause.)

One of America's most important institutions -- a symbol of the trust between generations -- is also in need of wise and effective reform. Social Security was a great moral success of the 20th century, and we must honor its great purposes in this new century. (Applause.) The system, however, on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join together to strengthen and save Social Security. (Applause.)

Today, more than 45 million Americans receive Social Security benefits, and millions more are nearing retirement -- and for them the system is sound and fiscally strong. I have a message for every American who is 55 or older: Do not let anyone mislead you; for you, the Social Security system will not change in any way. (Applause.) For younger workers, the Social Security system has serious problems that will grow worse with time. Social Security was created decades ago, for a very different era. In those days, people did not live as long. Benefits were much lower than they are today. And a half-century ago, about sixteen workers paid into the system for each person drawing benefits.

Our society has changed in ways the founders of Social Security could not have foreseen. In today's world, people are living longer and, therefore, drawing benefits longer. And those benefits are scheduled to rise dramatically over the next few decades. And instead of sixteen workers paying in for every beneficiary, right now it's only about three workers. And over the next few decades that number will fall to just two workers per beneficiary. With each passing year, fewer workers are paying ever-higher benefits to an ever-larger number of retirees.

So here is the result: Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And every year afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than the year before. For example, in the year 2027, the government will somehow have to come up with an extra $200 billion to keep the system afloat -- and by 2033, the annual shortfall would be more than $300 billion. By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be dramatically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs.

I recognize that 2018 and 2042 may seem a long way off. But those dates are not so distant, as any parent will tell you. If you have a five-year-old, you're already concerned about how you'll pay for college tuition 13 years down the road. If you've got children in their 20s, as some of us do, the idea of Social Security collapsing before they retire does not seem like a small matter. And it should not be a small matter to the United States Congress. (Applause.) You and I share a responsibility. We must pass reforms that solve the financial problems of Social Security once and for all.

Fixing Social Security permanently will require an open, candid review of the options. Some have suggested limiting benefits for wealthy retirees. Former Congressman Tim Penny has raised the possibility of indexing benefits to prices rather than wages. During the 1990s, my predecessor, President Clinton, spoke of increasing the retirement age. Former Senator John Breaux suggested discouraging early collection of Social Security benefits. The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan recommended changing the way benefits are calculated. All these ideas are on the table.

I know that none of these reforms would be easy. But we have to move ahead with courage and honesty, because our children's retirement security is more important than partisan politics. (Applause.) I will work with members of Congress to find the most effective combination of reforms. I will listen to anyone who has a good idea to offer. (Applause.) We must, however, be guided by some basic principles. We must make Social Security permanently sound, not leave that task for another day. We must not jeopardize our economic strength by increasing payroll taxes. We must ensure that lower-income Americans get the help they need to have dignity and peace of mind in their retirement. We must guarantee there is no change for those now retired or nearing retirement. And we must take care that any changes in the system are gradual, so younger workers have years to prepare and plan for their future.

As we fix Social Security, we also have the responsibility to make the system a better deal for younger workers. And the best way to reach that goal is through voluntary personal retirement accounts. (Applause.) Here is how the idea works. Right now, a set portion of the money you earn is taken out of your paycheck to pay for the Social Security benefits of today's retirees. If you're a younger worker, I believe you should be able to set aside part of that money in your own retirement account, so you can build a nest egg for your own future.

Here's why the personal accounts are a better deal. Your money will grow, over time, at a greater rate than anything the current system can deliver -- and your account will provide money for retirement over and above the check you will receive from Social Security. In addition, you'll be able to pass along the money that accumulates in your personal account, if you wish, to your children and -- or grandchildren. And best of all, the money in the account is yours, and the government can never take it away. (Applause.)

The goal here is greater security in retirement, so we will set careful guidelines for personal accounts. We'll make sure the money can only go into a conservative mix of bonds and stock funds. We'll make sure that your earnings are not eaten up by hidden Wall Street fees. We'll make sure there are good options to protect your investments from sudden market swings on the eve of your retirement. We'll make sure a personal account cannot be emptied out all at once, but rather paid out over time, as an addition to traditional Social Security benefits. And we'll make sure this plan is fiscally responsible, by starting personal retirement accounts gradually, and raising the yearly limits on contributions over time, eventually permitting all workers to set aside four percentage points of their payroll taxes in their accounts.

Personal retirement accounts should be familiar to federal employees, because you already have something similar, called the Thrift Savings Plan, which lets workers deposit a portion of their paychecks into any of five different broadly-based investment funds. It's time to extend the same security, and choice, and ownership to young Americans. (Applause.)

Our second great responsibility to our children and grandchildren is to honor and to pass along the values that sustain a free society. So many of my generation, after a long journey, have come home to family and faith, and are determined to bring up responsible, moral children. Government is not the source of these values, but government should never undermine them.

Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage. (Applause.)

Because a society is measured by how it treats the weak and vulnerable, we must strive to build a culture of life. Medical research can help us reach that goal, by developing treatments and cures that save lives and help people overcome disabilities -- and I thank the Congress for doubling the funding of the National Institutes of Health. (Applause.) To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of others. We should all be able to agree -- (applause) -- we should all be able to agree on some clear standards. I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought and sold as a commodity. (Applause.) America will continue to lead the world in medical research that is ambitious, aggressive, and always ethical.

Because courts must always deliver impartial justice, judges have a duty to faithfully interpret the law, not legislate from the bench. (Applause.) As President, I have a constitutional responsibility to nominate men and women who understand the role of courts in our democracy, and are well-qualified to serve on the bench -- and I have done so. (Applause.) The Constitution also gives the Senate a responsibility: Every judicial nominee deserves an up or down vote. (Applause.)

Because one of the deepest values of our country is compassion, we must never turn away from any citizen who feels isolated from the opportunities of America. Our government will continue to support faith-based and community groups that bring hope to harsh places. Now we need to focus on giving young people, especially young men in our cities, better options than apathy, or gangs, or jail. Tonight I propose a three-year initiative to help organizations keep young people out of gangs, and show young men an ideal of manhood that respects women and rejects violence. (Applause.) Taking on gang life will be one part of a broader outreach to at-risk youth, which involves parents and pastors, coaches and community leaders, in programs ranging from literacy to sports. And I am proud that the leader of this nationwide effort will be our First Lady, Laura Bush. (Applause.)

Because HIV/AIDS brings suffering and fear into so many lives, I ask you to reauthorize the Ryan White Act to encourage prevention, and provide care and treatment to the victims of that disease. (Applause.) And as we update this important law, we must focus our efforts on fellow citizens with the highest rates of new cases, African American men and women. (Applause.)

Because one of the main sources of our national unity is our belief in equal justice, we need to make sure Americans of all races and backgrounds have confidence in the system that provides justice. In America we must make doubly sure no person is held to account for a crime he or she did not commit -- so we are dramatically expanding the use of DNA evidence to prevent wrongful conviction. (Applause.) Soon I will send to Congress a proposal to fund special training for defense counsel in capital cases, because people on trial for their lives must have competent lawyers by their side. (Applause.)

Our third responsibility to future generations is to leave them an America that is safe from danger, and protected by peace. We will pass along to our children all the freedoms we enjoy -- and chief among them is freedom from fear.

In the three and a half years since September the 11th, 2001, we have taken unprecedented actions to protect Americans. We've created a new department of government to defend our homeland, focused the FBI on preventing terrorism, begun to reform our intelligence agencies, broken up terror cells across the country, expanded research on defenses against biological and chemical attack, improved border security, and trained more than a half-million first responders. Police and firefighters, air marshals, researchers, and so many others are working every day to make our homeland safer, and we thank them all. (Applause.)

Our nation, working with allies and friends, has also confronted the enemy abroad, with measures that are determined, successful, and continuing. The al Qaeda terror network that attacked our country still has leaders -- but many of its top commanders have been removed. There are still governments that sponsor and harbor terrorists -- but their number has declined. There are still regimes seeking weapons of mass destruction -- but no longer without attention and without consequence. Our country is still the target of terrorists who want to kill many, and intimidate us all -- and we will stay on the offensive against them, until the fight is won. (Applause.)

Pursuing our enemies is a vital commitment of the war on terror -- and I thank the Congress for providing our servicemen and women with the resources they have needed. During this time of war, we must continue to support our military and give them the tools for victory. (Applause.)

Other nations around the globe have stood with us. In Afghanistan, an international force is helping provide security. In Iraq, 28 countries have troops on the ground, the United Nations and the European Union provided technical assistance for the elections, and NATO is leading a mission to help train Iraqi officers. We're cooperating with 60 governments in the Proliferation Security Initiative, to detect and stop the transit of dangerous materials. We're working closely with the governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and nine other countries have captured or detained al Qaeda terrorists. In the next four years, my administration will continue to build the coalitions that will defeat the dangers of our time. (Applause.)

In the long-term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feed radicalism and ideologies of murder. If whole regions of the world remain in despair and grow in hatred, they will be the recruiting grounds for terror, and that terror will stalk America and other free nations for decades. The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom. (Applause.) Our enemies know this, and that is why the terrorist Zarqawi recently declared war on what he called the "evil principle" of democracy. And we've declared our own intention: America will stand with the allies of freedom to support democratic movements in the Middle East and beyond, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world. (Applause.)

The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else. That is one of the main differences between us and our enemies. They seek to impose and expand an empire of oppression, in which a tiny group of brutal, self-appointed rulers control every aspect of every life. Our aim is to build and preserve a community of free and independent nations, with governments that answer to their citizens, and reflect their own cultures. And because democracies respect their own people and their neighbors, the advance of freedom will lead to peace. (Applause.)

That advance has great momentum in our time -- shown by women voting in Afghanistan, and Palestinians choosing a new direction, and the people of Ukraine asserting their democratic rights and electing a president. We are witnessing landmark events in the history of liberty. And in the coming years, we will add to that story. (Applause.)

The beginnings of reform and democracy in the Palestinian territories are now showing the power of freedom to break old patterns of violence and failure. Tomorrow morning, Secretary of State Rice departs on a trip that will take her to Israel and the West Bank for meetings with Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas. She will discuss with them how we and our friends can help the Palestinian people end terror and build the institutions of a peaceful, independent, democratic state. To promote this democracy, I will ask Congress for $350 million to support Palestinian political, economic, and security reforms. The goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace, is within reach -- and America will help them achieve that goal. (Applause.)

To promote peace and stability in the broader Middle East, the United States will work with our friends in the region to fight the common threat of terror, while we encourage a higher standard of freedom. Hopeful reform is already taking hold in an arc from Morocco to Jordan to Bahrain. The government of Saudi Arabia can demonstrate its leadership in the region by expanding the role of its people in determining their future. And the great and proud nation of Egypt, which showed the way toward peace in the Middle East, can now show the way toward democracy in the Middle East. (Applause.)

To promote peace in the broader Middle East, we must confront regimes that continue to harbor terrorists and pursue weapons of mass murder. Syria still allows its territory, and parts of Lebanon, to be used by terrorists who seek to destroy every chance of peace in the region. You have passed, and we are applying, the Syrian Accountability Act -- and we expect the Syrian government to end all support for terror and open the door to freedom. (Applause.) Today, Iran remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror -- pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve. We are working with European allies to make clear to the Iranian regime that it must give up its uranium enrichment program and any plutonium reprocessing, and end its support for terror. And to the Iranian people, I say tonight: As you stand for your own liberty, America stands with you. (Applause.)

Our generational commitment to the advance of freedom, especially in the Middle East, is now being tested and honored in Iraq. That country is a vital front in the war on terror, which is why the terrorists have chosen to make a stand there. Our men and women in uniform are fighting terrorists in Iraq, so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.) And the victory of freedom in Iraq will strengthen a new ally in the war on terror, inspire democratic reformers from Damascus to Tehran, bring more hope and progress to a troubled region, and thereby lift a terrible threat from the lives of our children and grandchildren.

We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty -- as they showed the world last Sunday. (Applause.) Across Iraq, often at great risk, millions of citizens went to the polls and elected 275 men and women to represent them in a new Transitional National Assembly. A young woman in Baghdad told of waking to the sound of mortar fire on election day, and wondering if it might be too dangerous to vote. She said, "Hearing those explosions, it occurred to me -- the insurgents are weak, they are afraid of democracy, they are losing. So I got my husband, and I got my parents, and we all came out and voted together."

Americans recognize that spirit of liberty, because we share it. In any nation, casting your vote is an act of civic responsibility; for millions of Iraqis, it was also an act of personal courage, and they have earned the respect of us all. (Applause.)

One of Iraq's leading democracy and human rights advocates is Safia Taleb al-Suhail. She says of her country, "We were occupied for 35 years by Saddam Hussein. That was the real occupation. Thank you to the American people who paid the cost, but most of all, to the soldiers." Eleven years ago, Safia's father was assassinated by Saddam's intelligence service. Three days ago in Baghdad, Safia was finally able to vote for the leaders of her country -- and we are honored that she is with us tonight. (Applause.)

The terrorists and insurgents are violently opposed to democracy, and will continue to attack it. Yet, the terrorists' most powerful myth is being destroyed. The whole world is seeing that the car bombers and assassins are not only fighting coalition forces, they are trying to destroy the hopes of Iraqis, expressed in free elections. And the whole world now knows that a small group of extremists will not overturn the will of the Iraqi people. (Applause.)

We will succeed in Iraq because Iraqis are determined to fight for their own freedom, and to write their own history. As Prime Minister Allawi said in his speech to Congress last September, "Ordinary Iraqis are anxious to shoulder all the security burdens of our country as quickly as possible." That is the natural desire of an independent nation, and it is also the stated mission of our coalition in Iraq. The new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that country.

At the recommendation of our commanders on the ground, and in consultation with the Iraqi government, we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces -- forces with skilled officers and an effective command structure. As those forces become more self-reliant and take on greater security responsibilities, America and its coalition partners will increasingly be in a supporting role. In the end, Iraqis must be able to defend their own country -- and we will help that proud, new nation secure its liberty.

Recently an Iraqi interpreter said to a reporter, "Tell America not to abandon us." He and all Iraqis can be certain: While our military strategy is adapting to circumstances, our commitment remains firm and unchanging. We are standing for the freedom of our Iraqi friends, and freedom in Iraq will make America safer for generations to come. (Applause.) We will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that would embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us out. We are in Iraq to achieve a result: A country that is democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors, and able to defend itself. And when that result is achieved, our men and women serving in Iraq will return home with the honor they have earned. (Applause.)

Right now, Americans in uniform are serving at posts across the world, often taking great risks on my orders. We have given them training and equipment; and they have given us an example of idealism and character that makes every American proud. (Applause.) The volunteers of our military are unrelenting in battle, unwavering in loyalty, unmatched in honor and decency, and every day they're making our nation more secure. Some of our servicemen and women have survived terrible injuries, and this grateful country will do everything we can to help them recover. (Applause.) And we have said farewell to some very good men and women, who died for our freedom, and whose memory this nation will honor forever.

One name we honor is Marine Corps Sergeant Byron Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas, who was killed during the assault on Fallujah. His mom, Janet, sent me a letter and told me how much Byron loved being a Marine, and how proud he was to be on the front line against terror. She wrote, "When Byron was home the last time, I said that I wanted to protect him like I had since he was born. He just hugged me and said, 'You've done your job, Mom. Now it is my turn to protect you.'" Ladies and gentlemen, with grateful hearts, we honor freedom's defenders, and our military families, represented here this evening by Sergeant Norwood's mom and dad, Janet and Bill Norwood. (Applause.)

In these four years, Americans have seen the unfolding of large events. We have known times of sorrow, and hours of uncertainty, and days of victory. In all this history, even when we have disagreed, we have seen threads of purpose that unite us. The attack on freedom in our world has reaffirmed our confidence in freedom's power to change the world. We are all part of a great venture: To extend the promise of freedom in our country, to renew the values that sustain our liberty, and to spread the peace that freedom brings.

As Franklin Roosevelt once reminded Americans, "Each age is a dream that is dying, or one that is coming to birth." And we live in the country where the biggest dreams are born. The abolition of slavery was only a dream -- until it was fulfilled. The liberation of Europe from fascism was only a dream -- until it was achieved. The fall of imperial communism was only a dream -- until, one day, it was accomplished. Our generation has dreams of its own, and we also go forward with confidence. The road of Providence is uneven and unpredictable -- yet we know where it leads: It leads to freedom.

Thank you, and may God bless America. (Applause.)

Hey Ladies! Let's Get Ready To Rumble!!!

2005-02-04T17:31:00.000-05:00

Not that it was the first shot, but since the big knife-fight at the Vibe Awards on November 16th of last year, fights at sporting events have become a rash on society. The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers had a pre-game fight between the Browns' William Green and Terrelle Smith, and Joey Porter of the Steelers that same day. A couple of days later came the now infamous "basketbrawl" between the Indiana Pacers, the Detroit Pistons, and some drunk Pistons fans. A fight broke out on the 22nd of November at a college football game between the Clemson Tigers and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Independence Bowl on December 28th pitted the Miami of Ohio Redhawks against the Iowa State Cyclones. While reportedly no-one came to blows, with fifty-five seconds left in the fourth, an argument of some sort can be heard, culminating in someone screaming "Hey! Get the f*** out of here!"

But by far some of the worst offenses have come during girls high school basketball games. As recently as two days ago, crowds from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa and across the nation have come to blows while watching Missy make a lay-up on Chrissy. Normally, this would have just been a story on my sports site the Sports Anarchist, but it is getting out of hand. This is a morals and values issue, and it needs to be addressed. I have little idea what the politicians in Washington can do about it, but the parents of these kids need to think a little harder about how much leeway to give in their parenting.

But I'm an Ohio Supreme Court Justice, Ossiffer...

2005-02-02T18:42:00.000-05:00

The final remaining Democrat Justice on the Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Alice Robie Resnick, was pulled over by the State Highway Patrol Monday afternoon. She was arrested and charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, and driving outside the marked lines on the interstate. Her license was automatically suspended when she reportedly refused a blood-alcohol content test. She would eventually take one and be found well over the limit...at 2:00 in the afternoon?! She also allegedly got a little testy with the arresting officer. Although there is no official law on the books allowing for the discipline of a judge found guilty of a D.U.I., I believe that it is imperative that she finds herself on the receiving end of some justice. Someone in her high position should obey the law to the letter, and when she doesn't, she should be held accountable, and suffer grave consequences.

Osama bin Laden still plays with G.I. Joes

2005-02-02T18:37:00.000-05:00

Interest in buying shares of Hasbro stock increases on the news that Osama bin Laden still plays with G.I. Joes. This week, terrorists leaked a photo showing a fake looking terrorist flag, with a G.I. Joe sitting in front of it, and a G.I. Joe toy gun aimed at it. Psychologists speculate this is Osama's bizarre way of asking if Coalition troops want to come over and play war with him. Rumor has it Osama has also been playing with both American Girl and Barbie and Ken dolls, although he is reportedly confused by lack of anatomical correctness beneath their polyester clothes.

Oh, really, Mr. Castro?

2005-02-02T18:36:00.000-05:00

"Cuba is Heaven, and the U.S. is hell." -Fidel Castro

A Confession From Yours Truly

2005-02-02T18:30:00.000-05:00

I simply must confess. I have not been "on the take" from President Bush, the Republican National Committee, or any other political organization. I have never been paid for my many opinions. I must also confess that I am thoroughly disgusted with the media witch hunt that has been unleashed on those who have. Maggie Gallagher, Armstrong Williams, and Rachel Marsden have been singled out as being on the White House payroll as journalists. If you in the mainstream media have done your homework, you know that each of these individuals are intelligent, wonderful human beings who have many talents. Being that they may have used their talents in service of the President at one time of another does not make them propagandists, so back off. Thank you.

Liberals fight against "Hitler" and "little Eichmann"

2005-02-02T18:15:00.000-05:00

This week has been abuzz with the news of a University of Colorado professor named Ward Churchill correlating the victims of 9/11 to Nazis, calling them "little Eichmanns".
I think the only thing more sickening than an American college professor getting away with that is the way Ted Turner got away with his tiraid.

Ted Turner, known for heading up CNN, and the rest of the AOL Time Warner empire, has been running his mouth off. A lot. First, it was calling the Catholics that work at CNN "Jesus Freaks", and he didn't mean it as a compliment. Then he called Christianity a "religion for losers". Now, he has come out against Fox News. The former Mrs. Hanoi Jane said that Fox News is nothing more than President Bush's propaganda machine. He went further to say that Fox News' popularity is not unlike that of Adolf Hitler.

Worst of all, after being called out for these remarks, liberal callers called into national radio talk shows, and went on other cable news networks, defending both of these men. The callers just went on and on about how Turner and Churchill were actually right, and that they had the right of free speech to say anything they want to. While that is true, they should also be held accountable for it. Surely, the rest of the University of Colorado's faculty and alumnus, and AOL Time Warner don't approve of this. So why don't they call for the resignations of these two men, whose words only put a bad light and a black eye upon their organizations?
Do the positions they hold make them immune to being held to standards? I sincerely hope to hear that this is cleared up in the days to come.

Liberals make a stink over Viagra and Medicare

2005-02-02T18:08:00.000-05:00

On many of the cable news shows, the discussion has arisen that Viagra is going to be paid for by Medicare. While I personally do not think it is such a great idea, I also do not like how all of the liberals are suddenly surfacing, saying that this is unfair. They say it is unfair because it is, in their opinion, gender-biased. They say birth control and the "Morning After" pill RU486 should be paid for by Medicare too. I can, however, see where they make the correlation. It's all about the right to be intimate. But I don't think either should be covered in this manner when there are life-saving drugs that aren't fully covered. Spend the money a little more wisely, fellas. Cover Grandma's heart medicine before you cover her morning-after pill. Cover Grandpa's nitro before you give him his happy pills. It just makes good sense.

UN Oil for food update

2005-02-02T18:05:00.000-05:00

Apparently, Kofi Annan's independent counsel, hired to look into the Oil for Food scandal, isn't really all that independent. Paul Voelcker reportedly has ties to the whole thing, including the banks the stolen money was filtered through. Hmmm...

Condi is still feelin' the love...

2005-02-02T18:00:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought that the onslaught aimed at Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was over, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia piped up. This is the same Senator Byrd that was once a card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan. In fact, he once commented that the Klan, most noted for lynching black people and cross-burning, was formed to fight the Commies. Right, just as Magneto formed the Brotherhood of Mutants for the good of all mutantkind. Just thought I'd share.

Democratic excuses for why the Iraqi elections "failed"

2005-01-31T14:09:00.000-05:00

"There were all of these hanging chads..."
"Some wrote in Saddam's name, but they lost those ballots."
"Some ballots were already marked!"
"Some Syrian voters were told they were in the wrong polling place."
"Voters who believed they were voting for Saddam actually voted for..."
"Coalition troops coaxed them into voting a certain way."
"Osama bin Laden's "I hate America" party wasn't even listed!"

And the number one excuse the Democrats will likely use to say the Iraqi elections were a "failure"...

"I couldn't find John Kerry's name anywhere!"

moveon.org "owns" the Democratic Party?

2005-01-24T18:22:00.000-05:00

It appears that moveon.org thinks they literally own the Democratic Party. They feel that they've done so much to help the Democrats that they are the ones at the helm. I must disagree. If anyone in the Democratic Party should be in charge, it is the Honorable Senator Zell Miller of Georgia. Even if you're looking for a "head liberal" to lead you away from sanity even further, moveon.org should move on to people like Howard Dean and John Edwards, who are young and spunky, and can look conservative, whilst being as liberal as they come. Just some friendly advice. No charge.

Bill Clinton for President...AGAIN?!!

2005-01-24T18:14:00.000-05:00

Recently, Maxine Waters began a buzz about an amendment she wished to propose, allowing Presidents to be elected for a third term. She went so far as to compare Bill Clinton being offered that honor to the reelection of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is clear to me that the Democrats are nervous about 2008. So nervous, in fact, that his wife Senator Hillary Clinton running is not enough, in their minds, to beat any and all Republican opponents. No, they want Bubba himself to be their champion, thinking that he will be able to secure what John Kerry and others have not.

Meanwhile, a small movement in California for an amendment that would allow Arnold Schwarzenegger to run for President in 2008 has been badmouthed by a DJ in texas, as well as many a liberal in Washington. I think Bubba's third term could be terminated after all.

2005-01-24T18:13:00.000-05:00

"In the next generation, our God will be fighting their god." -Howie Chizek

Protest This!

2005-01-24T18:12:00.000-05:00

It brings me joy to see liberal protestors being pelted with the very same snow and snowballs they were throwing at the Presidential motorcade. God bless America.

President Bush's second Inaugural Address

2005-01-24T18:10:00.000-05:00

Vice President Cheney, Mr. Chief Justice, President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, reverend clergy, distinguished guests, fellow citizens:

On this day, prescribed by law and marked by ceremony, we celebrate the durable wisdom of our Constitution, and recall the deep commitments that unite our country. I am grateful for the honor of this hour, mindful of the consequential times in which we live, and determined to fulfill the oath that I have sworn and you have witnessed.

At this second gathering, our duties are defined not by the words I use, but by the history we have seen together. For a half century, America defended our own freedom by standing watch on distant borders. After the shipwreck of communism came years of relative quiet, years of repose, years of sabbatical – and then there came a day of fire.

We have seen our vulnerability – and we have seen its deepest source. For as long as whole regions of the world simmer in resentment and tyranny – prone to ideologies that feed hatred and excuse murder – violence will gather, and multiply in destructive power, and cross the most defended borders, and raise a mortal threat. There is only one force of history that can break the reign of hatred and resentment, and expose the pretensions of tyrants, and reward the hopes of the decent and tolerant, and that is the force of human freedom.

We are led, by events and common sense, to one conclusion: The survival of liberty in our land increasingly depends on the success of liberty in other lands. The best hope for peace in our world is the expansion of freedom in all the world.

America’s vital interests and our deepest beliefs are now one. From the day of our Founding, we have proclaimed that every man and woman on this earth has rights, and dignity, and matchless value, because they bear the image of the Maker of Heaven and earth. Across the generations we have proclaimed the imperative of self-government, because no one is fit to be a master, and no one deserves to be a slave. Advancing these ideals is the mission that created our Nation. It is the honorable achievement of our fathers. Now it is the urgent requirement of our nation’s security, and the calling of our time.

So it is the policy of the United States to seek and support the growth of democratic movements and institutions in every nation and culture, with the ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world.

This is not primarily the task of arms, though we will defend ourselves and our friends by force of arms when necessary. Freedom, by its nature, must be chosen, and defended by citizens, and sustained by the rule of law and the protection of minorities. And when the soul of a nation finally speaks, the institutions that arise may reflect customs and traditions very different from our own. America will not impose our own style of government on the unwilling. Our goal instead is to help others find their own voice, attain their own freedom, and make their own way.

The great objective of ending tyranny is the concentrated work of generations. The difficulty of the task is no excuse for avoiding it. America’s influence is not unlimited, but fortunately for the oppressed, America’s influence is considerable, and we will use it confidently in freedom’s cause.

My most solemn duty is to protect this nation and its people against further attacks and emerging threats. Some have unwisely chosen to test America’s resolve, and have found it firm.

We will persistently clarify the choice before every ruler and every nation: The moral choice between oppression, which is always wrong, and freedom, which is eternally right. America will not pretend that jailed dissidents prefer their chains, or that women welcome humiliation and servitude, or that any human being aspires to live at the mercy of bullies.

We will encourage reform in other governments by making clear that success in our relations will require the decent treatment of their own people. America’s belief in human dignity will guide our policies, yet rights must be more than the grudging concessions of dictators; they are secured by free dissent and the participation of the governed. In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without human liberty.

Some, I know, have questioned the global appeal of liberty – though this time in history, four decades defined by the swiftest advance of freedom ever seen, is an odd time for doubt. Americans, of all people, should never be surprised by the power of our ideals. Eventually, the call of freedom comes to every mind and every soul. We do not accept the existence of permanent tyranny because we do not accept the possibility of permanent slavery. Liberty will come to those who love it.

Today, America speaks anew to the peoples of the world:

All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.

Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country.

The rulers of outlaw regimes can know that we still believe as Abraham Lincoln did: “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves; and, under the rule of a just God, cannot long retain it.”

The leaders of governments with long habits of control need to know: To serve your people you must learn to trust them. Start on this journey of progress and justice, and America will walk at your side.

And all the allies of the United States can know: we honor your friendship, we rely on your counsel, and we depend on your help. Division among free nations is a primary goal of freedom’s enemies. The concerted effort of free nations to promote democracy is a prelude to our enemies’ defeat.

Today, I also speak anew to my fellow citizens:

From all of you, I have asked patience in the hard task of securing America, which you have granted in good measure. Our country has accepted obligations that are difficult to fulfill, and would be dishonorable to abandon. Yet because we have acted in the great liberating tradition of this nation, tens of millions have achieved their freedom. And as hope kindles hope, millions more will find it. By our efforts, we have lit a fire as well – a fire in the minds of men. It warms those who feel its power, it burns those who fight its progress, and one day this untamed fire of freedom will reach the darkest corners of our world.

A few Americans have accepted the hardest duties in this cause – in the quiet work of intelligence and diplomacy … the idealistic work of helping raise up free governments … the dangerous and necessary work of fighting our enemies. Some have shown their devotion to our country in deaths that honored their whole lives – and we will always honor their names and their sacrifice.

All Americans have witnessed this idealism, and some for the first time. I ask our youngest citizens to believe the evidence of your eyes. You have seen duty and allegiance in the determined faces of our soldiers. You have seen that life is fragile, and evil is real, and courage triumphs. Make the choice to serve in a cause larger than your wants, larger than yourself – and in your days you will add not just to the wealth of our country, but to its character.

America has need of idealism and courage, because we have essential work at home – the unfinished work of American freedom. In a world moving toward liberty, we are determined to show the meaning and promise of liberty.

In America’s ideal of freedom, citizens find the dignity and security of economic independence, instead of laboring on the edge of subsistence. This is the broader definition of liberty that motivated the Homestead Act, the Social Security Act, and the G.I. Bill of Rights. And now we will extend this vision by reforming great institutions to serve the needs of our time. To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools, and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance – preparing our people for the challenges of life in a free society. By making every citizen an agent of his or her own destiny, we will give our fellow Americans greater freedom from want and fear, and make our society more prosperous and just and equal.

In America’s ideal of freedom, the public interest depends on private character – on integrity, and tolerance toward others, and the rule of conscience in our own lives. Self-government relies, in the end, on the governing of the self. That edifice of character is built in families, supported by communities with standards, and sustained in our national life by the truths of Sinai, the Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Koran, and the varied faiths of our people. Americans move forward in every generation by reaffirming all that is good and true that came before – ideals of justice and conduct that are the same yesterday, today, and forever.

In America’s ideal of freedom, the exercise of rights is ennobled by service, and mercy, and a heart for the weak. Liberty for all does not mean independence from one another. Our nation relies on men and women who look after a neighbor and surround the lost with love. Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another, and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth. And our country must abandon all the habits of racism, because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.

From the perspective of a single day, including this day of dedication, the issues and questions before our country are many. From the viewpoint of centuries, the questions that come to us are narrowed and few. Did our generation advance the cause of freedom? And did our character bring credit to that cause?

These questions that judge us also unite us, because Americans of every party and background, Americans by choice and by birth, are bound to one another in the cause of freedom. We have known divisions, which must be healed to move forward in great purposes – and I will strive in good faith to heal them. Yet those divisions do not define America. We felt the unity and fellowship of our nation when freedom came under attack, and our response came like a single hand over a single heart. And we can feel that same unity and pride whenever America acts for good, and the victims of disaster are given hope, and the unjust encounter justice, and the captives are set free.

We go forward with complete confidence in the eventual triumph of freedom. Not because history runs on the wheels of inevitability; it is human choices that move events. Not because we consider ourselves a chosen nation; God moves and chooses as He wills. We have confidence because freedom is the permanent hope of mankind, the hunger in dark places, the longing of the soul. When our Founders declared a new order of the ages; when soldiers died in wave upon wave for a union based on liberty; when citizens marched in peaceful outrage under the banner “Freedom Now” – they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. History has an ebb and flow of justice, but history also has a visible direction, set by liberty and the Author of Liberty.

When the Declaration of Independence was first read in public and the Liberty Bell was sounded in celebration, a witness said, “It rang as if it meant something.” In our time it means something still. America, in this young century, proclaims liberty throughout all the world, and to all the inhabitants thereof. Renewed in our strength – tested, but not weary – we are ready for the greatest achievements in the history of freedom.

May God bless you, and may He watch over the United States of America.

Nothing is sure but death and taxes

2005-01-24T18:02:00.000-05:00

Nothing warms the heart more than to learn that of $16,000 earned in 2004, net (after tax) income for a 56 year old woman will be $11,000. For her, this means that certain government programs purported to help those who need financial assistance for their natural gas bill will not be helping her, despite her net income being well below the maximum allowance. Meanwhile, her bill is so high, that she cannot get caught up, and she continues to be price-gouged. This winter, she may have to decide between many of the necessities of life and her own warmth and comfort. Happy Holidays, all you liberals out there.

God vs. the world, live on pay-per-view!

2005-01-24T17:43:00.000-05:00

It started when atheist Michael Newdow sued his daughter's school to stop the Pledge of Allegiance, because it included the words "under God". She didn't mind much, but he did. Too bad for him, he wasn't her legal guardian. Then Stephen Williams, a teacher from Cupertino, California, tried to share the Declaration of Independence with his class. He was denied that right, because it references God.
A woman in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida actually had to sue to display a nativity scene, when a Jewish menorah was already being shown. Despite the media coverage, she won her case, and was allowed to share her small nativity scene with her neighborhood. Not long after, the ACLU got involved, and fired shots at creationism, demanding that only evolutionary theories, saying that creation could not be substantiated scientifically, despite all of the evidence to the contrary. Goodwill Stores suddenly sent out a memo saying that their annual "Christmas Party" would now be known as a "Holiday Party", and Target banned the Salvation Army from the entrances to their stores. The biggest shock to me was the hatred spewed at the Akron Beacon Journal for offering a recipe for "Christmas Cookies" in their Food Section. That story, by the way, actually made it to the headlines of Fox News. Not far from Akron in Youngstown, the campus buildings of Youngstown State University donned openly gay pride flags, signs, and symbols inside and out, but Christmas references were found only scarcely, due to worries that they might offend someone. The most recent attack on God was Michael Newdow's second legal battle, in which he actually attempted to stop any and all prayer that might be offered during the Presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C.. Not surprisingly enough, he failed, because President Bush isn't in his protective custody either. One can only wonder what will happen next, and how long it will be before God fights back.

Condi Rice is feelin' the love...

2005-01-24T17:33:00.000-05:00

Just a few short months after a radio disc jockey in Wisconsin referred to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice as "Aunt Jemima", Senators John Kerry and Barbara Boxer decided to show their love for Condi at her confirmation hearing. Despite their best efforts, she was confirmed by a vote of 16-2.

2005-01-24T17:30:00.000-05:00

For the record, "John L. Kerry" won in the State of New York's Electoral College, not John F. Kerry. This means George W. Bush won by a much larger margin that originally announced.

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Ohio Turnpike union to strike

2005-01-24T17:09:00.000-05:00

So, you hate losing local jobs to foreign countries, do you? Think technology, automation and computers are stealing your daddy's paycheck? Do you wish John Kerry would have won, so you and your union buddies could "fix" things? Here's a reality check for you:

The Ohio Turnpike might be facing a union strike after the two sides could not agree on wages. Currently, the toll booth workers are making an average of $20.00 an hour. What's more, their health, dental, and other benefits are all paid for, with not one red cent coming from their pockets. But that's not enough! While other workers struggle to find jobs that make more than $6.00 an hour, and dream of having any benefits at all, the toll booth workers' union is ready to strike, with the main reason being that management makes more than they do. Talk amongst Turnpike officials is that to remedy the situation, they will simply go to a flat fee and a skeleton crew, and will consider even more automation at the toll booths in the future. That means some of these striking workers might be striking themselves right out of a job. Indeed, their strike could lead to more competition for the people applying for the aforementioned $6.00 an hour "burger-flipper" jobs. But do they care? Calls into local talk radio shows and interviews with the television and print media seem to indicate a big, fat "no".

Is any of this avoidable? Certainly. All these workers have to do is look around, and realize that they really do not have it so bad. The job market, especially in Ohio, isn't all it used to be. These days, people really do have to fight for jobs at fast food restaurants, when that used to be a laughable profession. I highly suggest that these workers consider meeting their management halfway, or prepare to suffer the loss of many of their union brothers and sisters. Not to a foreign country, or to President Bush, but to the worst enemy of them all...technology.

UN calls U.S. "stingy" and "miserly"

2005-01-24T16:59:00.000-05:00

The UN's Jan Eggland was recently quoted as calling the United States "stingy". This statement was on the heels of the son of Kofi Annan, and his friends in France getting busted for an illegal cash grab from the Oil for Food money the United States so generously offered the Iraqi people. Not Kofi Annan, his son, or France. It is a fact that the United States has provided at least 40% of all UN funds. Is that stingy? I don't think so. And yet, while Mr. Egghead was making this almost slanderous statement about the less-than-generous nature of the United States, Kofi Annan spent his time in Utah and Wyoming on a ski trip, paid for by the UN. Now who's being stingy?

November Election woes in January

2005-01-22T16:47:00.000-05:00

Gee, I wonder why Reverend Jesse Jackson, Stephanie Tubbs-Jones, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and most of Hollywood is complaining about the November election and suing every state that elected George W. Bush for a second term. Could it be because John Kerry lost? I assure you, if Kerry had won, not one single Kerry supporter would be shouting at the wind about "pre-punched ballots", "racial bias", and "voter disenfranchisement". Not one solitary word would have been said about how my mom was almost tricked into a provisional ballot at the polls because she was clearly a Bush supporter. Please, Democrats, leave it alone. You lost. Wait and make another feeble attempt in 2008. Thank you.

2005-01-22T16:45:00.000-05:00

Health care costs went UP all eight years of the Clinton Administration, and John Kerry did nothing about it.

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2005-01-22T16:41:00.000-05:00

200 million Americans grind their teeth at night, and John Kerry did absolutely nothing about it.

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More reasons I didn't vote for John Kerry

2005-01-22T16:27:00.000-05:00

President Bush was inaugurated once again, and still the Democrats will not relent with their challenges and lawsuits. In honor of their pathetic attempts to stay relevant, I offer more reasons why I didn't vote for John Kerry, other than "Sean Hannity told me to."

1. John Kerry wanted to send our jobs overseas. (See also #2-4.)
2. John Kerry wanted to send American pharmaceutical jobs to Canada.
3. John Kerry wanted to send American defense and Iraq rebuild jobs to France.
4. John Kerry wanted to send American Homeland defense jobs to France and Germany.
5. John Kerry wanted to raise everyone's taxes, and repeal tax breaks in place.
6. John Kerry wanted to allow abortions of all types, indiscriminately.
7. John Kerry wanted to ignore his self-proclaimed faith, and allow his pals in the ACLU and other organizations pick on Christians.