Barack Obama Doesn't Care If Iraqis Are Slaughtered By Genocide

It is clear that if we pull out of Iraq, Iran's Republican Guard, Al Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations, will swarm upon the country and slaughter anyone and everyone in Iraq that supported or helped Americans, and anyone that does not conform to their Jihadist Mentality; just like the killing fields of Cambodia and the slaughter in South Vietnam after the Vietnam Conflict was abandoned.

Perhaps Obama does not truly understand the danger of what he proposes.



Perhaps Obama Needs A Collect Call From History:

Rally Behind Lt. Col. William Russell

Dirty Politics. That is a common practice by Democratic Candidates. Hillary Clinton is now using a tactic the press calls the "Kitchen Sink Strategy" because in her desperation of trying to stop the rise of Barack Hussein Obama, it seems like she is throwing everything at him but the kitchen sink.

John Murtha is another cheating, lying, unscrupulous politician that will do anything in his power to ensure his 34 year reign in the United States Congress continues.

John Murtha's years in Congress have been spotted with scandals. In 1980 Murtha became embroiled in the Abscam investigation. He was videotaped participating in unethical activities, but ultimately was never indicted or charged. He agreed to testify against Frank Thompson (D-NJ) and John Murphy (D-NY), the two Congressmen mentioned as participants in the scandal, who were videotaped placing cash bribes in their trousers. The FBI videotaped Murtha responding to an offer of $50,000, with Murtha saying, "I'm not interested... at this point. If we do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested, maybe I won't." After that Murtha offered to provide names of businesses and banks in his district where money could be invested legally. The U.S. Attorneys Office was of the opinion that Murtha's intentions were to obtain investment in his district. Yeah, right. Like I believe that.

When it came to America's entrance into the Battlefield in Iraq, Murtha voted in support for the October 2002 resolution authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. In early 2005 Murtha argued against the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq saying, "A premature withdrawal of our troops based on a political timetable could rapidly devolve into a civil war which would leave America’s foreign policy in disarray as countries question not only America’s judgment but also its perseverance."

Then, suddenly in late 2005 he changed his tune and said, "The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home." He later indicated that he was calling for redeployment as opposed to a withdrawal to appease critics. I think he realized the rest of the lefties in the Democratic Party was believing that, and changed his tune so that he could be in goose-step right beside them.

He has also said that terrorists desire an American military presence in Iraq, proclaiming, "I think they’re trying to get this administration to stay. I think they want us there. Because we have united the Iraqis against us. We’re spending all this money and diverting our resources away from the war on terrorism because we’re involved in a civil war in Iraq."

After Karl Rove stated in response to Murtha's withdrawal statement, "After the United States cuts and runs from Iraq, what country in the Middle East would take us?" Murtha was asked by Tim Russert to respond. He said, "We can go to Okinawa. We can redeploy there almost instantly." Recently, however, even John Murtha has reluctantly admitted the troop surge in Iraq is working.

Then, after the Haditha Marines incident in November, 2005, of which nearly all of the Marines involved have been acquitted because the evidence does not jive with the Media's telling of the incident, and no wrong doing has been proven, Murtha said about our U.S. Marines in Iraq, ". . .they killed innocent civilians in cold blood. . ."

Murtha's "Cold Blooded Killers" remark sparked anger and rage among Republicans and Conservatives alike. William Russell has demanded John Murtha apologize for the remark. An apology has not been issued yet.

Now, Murtha is up to his dirty politics again, but now it is beyond comparison. In a court battle, Murtha has arranged to have his only opponent tossed off the ballot. This leaves no other Republicans to battle against Murtha, giving him a free path right back into the United States Congress.

Fellow Conservative Blogger, I ask that you rally behind William Russell. Blog about this unethical move by Murtha. Expose John Murtha as the coward he is, and let folks know what's going on. I urge that we begin a national effort to get Russell back on the ballot! We cannot vote in his district, but we can spread the word to have folks contribute to his campaign so that he has the funds to contact voters, and have them place him back on the ballot by writing Russell in on the April 22 primary ballot.

Go to www.williamrussellforcongress.com to learn more about this candidate, and to help him back on the ballot so that he can win.

Note: On last night's show Atlas Shrugs joined me as my guest, and when I told her of this situation, she was appalled at John Murtha's tactics, and also vowed to get behind William Russell in his campaign to beat John Murtha. Join Atlas Shrugs and Political Pistachio as we build this effort to beat Murtha, and put an Iraq War Veteran in Congress!

Atlas Shrugs Exposes Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and the Islamization of the West!

Atlas Shrugs joins Political Pistachio Radio Tonight! You can't miss this energetic firebomb as she discusses everything from the Liberal Lies of the Left, The Democrats, and the Islamization of America.

Join us Tonight at 10pm Eastern on Blog Talk Radio.

The Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton

Kathleen Willey, wife, mother, and Democratic Political Activist, was working as a White House volunteer when, in 1993, President Clinton sexually assaulted her in the Oval Office. On the same day, her husband of 23 years committed suicide. Four years later, she was drawn into the Paula Jones sexual harassment lawsuit and subsequently, the Monica Lewinsky scandal, when she was forced to testify against Bill Clinton. Now, she has been targeted by the Clintons for daring to tell the truth, becoming the focus of media smear campaigns, terror tactics, and witness intimidation.

Willey was also betrayed by Hillary Clinton, stating in her book, Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton, that Hillary Rodham Clinton also ". . . betrayed all of the women her husband abused when she brought her power to bear on her husband's prey."

Despite Hillary's husband's 20 years of infidelity, made famous when the Monica Lewinsky affair broke in 1998, she is now a Democratic presidential frontrunner with Bill by her side.

Tonight on Political Pistachio Radio Kathleen Willey is our guest. She will explain years of accusations by women such as herself, Gennifer Flowers, etc. And we will discuss Mrs. Clinton's actions, and how she was willing to do whatever it took to ensure Bill Clinton's actions did not ruin their political careers. After all, for Hillary Clinton, it is all about power, and she is willing to do anything to reach the White House again.

Willey also says that her book contains explosive revelations that could damage Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, including accusations of campaign finance violations, new revelations about harassment and threats by the Clintons and their associates, and the identification of the person who threatened her just prior to her testimony against President Clinton - a man who turned out to be linked to the Clintons. Willey was also the target of an unusual house burglary that nabbed a manuscript of her book, while little else was taken from her home.

Now, Kathleen is warning that the Clinton Machine will sharpen its attacks on Obama, now that Hillary has been losing a string of primaries and caucuses to Senator Barack Obama. Willey has said that Hillary seeks to break Obama's momentum, "and we are going to see a lot more of the same Clinton tactics that I and a number of insiders have experienced."

Indeed, the Clinton Camp has launched a new "kitchen sink" strategy which intends to also go after pledged delegates, intended to get them to switch sides, regardless of state's caucus results. "In their desperation, they are creating another scenario for war within the Democratic Party."

Join us tonight at 10pm Eastern Time as we discuss this with Kathleen Willey on Political Pistachio Radio.

Liberalism Is Having To Never Say You're Sorry

Of late I have had the enormous opportunity to discuss politics with a well respected group of people. Dr. Jerome Corsi joined my Political Pistachio Radio show a couple weeks ago, this morning I taped an interview I will play on Friday's show with Joseph Farah, the founder and CEO of World Net Daily, and tonight I had the opportunity to discuss politics with Andrea Shea King, Jack Wheeler and Atlas Shrugs. And with all that I have learned during my years as a political junkie, and with all that I heard from these esteemed individuals, it has become more and more clear to me that Liberalism is not just an ideology or political platform. It is, I am sad to say, an irrational mental state.

Jack Wheeler on the Andrea Shea King Show describes the liberal mind as one that holds to the psychological strategy to avoid being envied. This being so, Liberalism is always in a state of apology. This state makes liberals feel guilty for prospering; guilty to other countries, and even guilty to mother nature (hence the Global Warming Swindle). A mind in this state prevents them from being willing to defend themselves, or this country, for that matter. Problem is, those of us that refuse to succumb to their emotional, knee-jerk, socialistic agenda have given them the power to continue their plight. We do this by not fighting for what we realize is the truth.

So when Dr. Michael Savage says Liberalism is a Mental Disorder, he may be on to something. But don't take my word for it - instead take the word of a leading psychiatrist!

Things that make idiots angry. . .

Was entering into Iraq a mistake? Some would say so, and others would not. The liberal left seems to think that Islamism is a marginal phenomenon, and fail to understand why Conservatives take the threat of Sharia's creeping advance so seriously. The obvious Islamization of Europe, and the fact that it will be an Islamic continent before long, seems not to concern them. After all, the liberal would argue, war is "Not a game of Risk," and as a result of Iraqi people are dead.

And Bush is a war-mongering, pro-war president that is letting all these people die, right?

I am not a huge fan of George W. Bush. His big spending habit and inability to understand the importance of sealing the border has me perplexed. But one thing I can say about those on the left complaining about all of the death from the war is that they apparently have not looked closely at the facts. Don't get me wrong, I dislike war as much as the next guy, and I mourn the deaths of each and every one of our service members as they bravely fight this necessary war. But if you look at the statistics of U.S. Military losses over the last twenty years you will recognize that Clinton in a non-wartime presidency had an extremely large amount of military deaths on his watch as well.

And these same liberals proclaim that water-boarding is torture, and the continued practice of it must stop!

But have these angry people wondered if the interrogation technique is truly the slippery slope they think it is?

Do you know what the total time the United States has spent waterboarding terrorist detainees is?

Five Minutes.

How many detainees received this method?

Three.

A liberal once asked me if I would want the enemy to practice such methods against our American troops.

I replied, "As opposed to the methods the enemy normally uses? Absolutely. Better to be waterboarded than lose limbs, or have your head sawed off as you struggled with the pain."

-------------------

One more note: I am a contributor to Conservative Crusader, and my latest article over there has posted. Please pay it a visit, and give it a read. The latest is titled "The Culture of Americanism."

More From The Lone Protester

Terry Funderburk, fresh off of his court victory, has learned a few things from his journey. Here, in his words, is his "Lessons Learned."

In the last few months I had gotten completely disgusted with our criminal justice system. They tried with everything that they had to get me to plead guilty. They said, come on plead guilty and you will get no jail time and no fine. Then they got tired of me being hardheaded and said plead guilty or we will level another charge against you. And I told them to kiss where I can’t. So they did, trying to threaten and scare me into pleading guilty. But I stood my ground. Some of my friends said that maybe I should plead guilty just to get it over with. One of them even suggested that I should get into another line of work. Another, bless his heart, got fired from his job of 27 years trying to make a stand like I did. But I stood my ground. And it paid off!

I have learned a major lesson in all the bullcrap I have put up with the last eight months. And that is, don’t listen to them. If you believe that you are in the right, then do not give up. Take it as far as they want to take it. And further if need be. My case might have been about a simple cuss word, like the judge said, but in reality it was about much more than that. Judge Dennis said, when my trial started that it would not be about nothing but whether I uttered a fighting word or not. But he was wrong! One hundred per cent wrong. My trial had everything to do with illegal immigration. If it wasn’t for the flood of illegal aliens into South Carolina then I wouldn’t have protested, wouldn’t have been jailed and wouldn’t have had a trial. If it wasn’t for all the businesses employing illegal aliens then I wouldn’t have been arrested. And if it our criminal justice system did it’s job, as specified under our Constitution, then I wouldn’t have been forced to do what I did.

My trial had everything to do with illegal immigration and the jury understood that from the outset. When I got on that witness stand and started talking, I got the jury to believe what I was saying. That is one hell of an experience, to see that jury really listening to what I had to say. And agreeing with me. My business is really going to hell, my bills are getting so far behind that it isn’t funny anymore. The prosecutor asked me if my business was bankrupt and I told him like it was. That this week I did not have one job lined up and my profits would more than likely be zero dollars on Friday. And I told them the reason why. Criminal companies employing illegal aliens because they know they will never be forced to answer to their crimes like I was. I wanted to ask prosecutor Overture Walker so bad, one thing, if he had ever prosecuted anyone for employing illegal aliens. But I was not allowed.

In one part of the trial they had sequestered the jury in a back room and the judge and prosecutor and my lawyer were arguing about something. I raised my hand to say what was on my mind but the judge wouldn’t let me. They were arguing about me walking up and down that road exercising my first amendment rights. My question, to the judge was, I remember May 1st 2006, I remember watching 5000 illegal aliens gathering in Finlay Park in Columbia, , to march in our streets and protest for things that were not due them because they were not American citizens. And I also remember them yelling at the top of their lungs, but strangely enough, none of them were arrested like I was. I wanted to ask those two cops that arrested me if they had arrested any of the illegals for protesting. Even though my right to protest is guaranteed under the United States Constitution , I was arrested and those 5000 illegal aliens were given a free pass. Why? That is what I wanted to ask Judge Dennis. Why were my rights violated so willingly by the cops but why did they gave 5000 criminals a free pass. But I wasn’t allowed to ask that question. I wanted to ask if those two cops that arrested me if they were there on May 1st 2006 directing traffic for all the illegal aliens that were marching in our streets. I wanted to ask if they had arrested any illegal aliens for yelling and cursing. But I was not allowed to ask that question. That is our justice system at work. A system that millions of Americans Patriots have given their lives for.

But I won in the end, because the jury, composed of Americans , saw through their bullcrap. And that is the number one lesson that I have learned from what I have went through the past eight months. Don’t listen to their bullcrap. The United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights is on our side. Do not let them threaten you, scare you or anything else, if you are in the right, then do not give up because if you elect to have a trial by jury then you will be judged fairly and the truth will come out. And that is something we never use. I want what happened to me to be a learning experience to all the Patriots out there. We can use our system of justice of justice and beat this crap they are trying to force on us. We can use our justice system for our own benefit .

So anybody out there, in a position similar to mine, do not back up, do not be scared, if your business is going to hell, or your job, fight back, force the issue, bring it to the courts, request a trial by jury, exactly like I did. Do not be scared if they call you a racist like they did with me. Do not be scared if they try to force you into pleading guilty. Because, if you request a trial by jury, composed of American citizens, then you will be judged fairly, just like I was. Do not give up. Fight to your last breath if you have to, because it is worth it. The satisfaction I got when they came back with a not guilty verdict was overwhelming. I actually had tears in my eyes. And there were 18 of my supporters in the court room that was as happy as I me. It was overwhelming.

I am not a hero, or anything else similar, I am just a simple American citizen, a small businessman, that does not like,in the least, the path that my country is currently travelling on. And I am doing everything within my power to put her back on the right path. And I hope that a lot of you out there listen to me. I do not like the idea that it is okay that millions of illegal aliens invade our country. I do not like the idea that our justice system is aiding and abetting them, and the businesses that employ them. I have found a way to fight them, and that is through our justice system. And I encourage every one of you, in positions similar to mine, to force them to do the right thing like I did. Because, if you do, it will put this country back on the right path. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Lone Protester

CNN Takes Notice of Political Pistachio

Granted, this happened a couple weeks ago and a link to Political Pistachio remained on CNN only for that day, but I was pretty jazzed about it at the time. Last year The National Enquirer mentioned Political Pistachio's writings about the Virginia Tech Shootings, and the Press Enterprise Newspaper mentioned me as well.

Also, while I am thinking about it, please note that the founder and editor of World Net Daily, Joseph Farah, has agreed to an interview with me. I will be pre-recording the interview Monday Morning for later playback on an upcoming episode of Political Pistachio Radio.

Atlas Shrugs has agreed to come on my radio show on Wednesday night. You don't want to miss this high powered, energetic blogger who has an inside scoop with the major pundits, as well as strong opinions regarding the Islamic Jihad and the Islamization of The West.

Tuesday I will be interviewing Kathleen Willey, who was sexually assaulted by President Bill Clinton, and later testified in the Paula Jones Trial. We will be discussing her book, Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton.

For all the full updates of Political Pistachio Radio, visit my Political Pistachio Radio Blog page, or go to the main program page of Political Pistachio Radio at Blog Talk Radio.

The Growing Political Pistachio Phenomenon

I have added a new site: Political Pistachio News

And for those of you that miss my radio shows, are not on my e-mail list, or didn't even know I have an internet radio show - the show is exploding in popularity!

Coming up the Political Pistachio Radio Show is brimming with great guests!

Here's the schedule:

TONIGHT Terry Funderburk joined us to discuss his Victory! in court over protesting against construction companies that hire illegal aliens! Click Here for Show Link

or go to www.blogtalkradio.com/politicalpistachio

Friday, February 22nd: William Russell for Congress - Iraq War Veteran running for Congress - - - to face John Murtha. LINK

Saturday, February 23rd: I have asked Atlas Shrugs to join me on Saturday. She has responded either Saturday, or Wendnesday of next week! I will let you know when I know! LINK

Sunday, February 24th: Dr. David Gudgel, author of "Before You Live Together," will join us to discuss the increasing problem of couples shacking up, and how our society has moved away from the importance of marriage. LINK

Monday, February 25th: Adam Brickley and Steve Maloney return to Political Pistachio to discuss the Sarah Palin for V.P. Campaign, and the recent exciting news regarding their effort! LINK

Tuesday, February 26th: Kathleen Willey, who was working in the White House as a volunteer in 1993 when President Clinton sexually assaulted her, testified in 1997 in the Paula Jones' sexual harassment Lawsuit against President Bill Clinton, and was later drawn into the Monica Lewinsky scandal will be my guest. She is now the author of "Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton." She warns that the Clinton tactics of desperation politics has only begun. LINK

Wednesday, February 27th: Remember, this may be one of the days Atlas Shrugs joins Political Pistachio! LINK

Thursday, February 28th: Robert Peter, President of "Morality in Media" will be on to discuss the recent Lindsay Lohan nude photo layout for New York Magazine, and how it is just another piece of the puzzle in the creeping incrementalism of Obscenity in America. LINK


And here's some links to some of the shows you may have missed, but wanted to hear:

Dr. Jerome Corsi Joins Political Pistachio to Discuss Economics, and a few other things. . .

Jacob Gold Joins the Discussion Regarding John McCain. . .

Dr. Steve Sauerberg is running for Senate, how did he fair with Political Pistachio?

Townhall Contributor Lee Culpepper tells us "It's all about the Vice President."

Cuban Exile John O'Donnell-Rosales of Cuba Companioni joins us to discuss Castro's Resignation

And if you wish to be added to the mailing list for regular reminders of upcoming shows, please let me know at politicalpistachio@yahoo.com or politicalpistachioradio@yahoo.com.

Terry Funderburk - VICTORY!

Terry Funderburk is a roofer in South Carolina. He calls himself the Lone Protester, because when he protested against companies hiring illegal aliens, competitors that are putting him out of business by their actions, he was completely alone, aside from his son with a camera across the street. He was arrested for his protest as the illegals scattered. Now, after the long court battle, he has finally achieved victory. The following is the e-mail he sent me this morning.


When the clerk of court read my verdict yesterday I was on pins and needles. I just wanted to jump out of my chair and shout to the heavens. Not guilty. And it was over, just those two little words and everything was alright in my world once again. I am not a defendant any longer because I have been found not guilty. It was like a thousand pounds had been lifted off my chest. There is a God in Heaven. And the Americans on that jury saw the truth and responded just like I figured they would.

When they called me to the witness stand I tried to come across as positive as I could. My lawyer passed me the pictures my son took as he asked questions. And I passed them to the jury. I told them about sitting on that hot road handcuffed and holding my protest sign as high as I could. I passed that picture to them and said I was proud of it. One thing I noticed was that more than one of the jurors was nodding as I was talking. They were really listening to me and seeing that what I was telling them was the truth. They agreed with me!

When the prosecutor started questioning me he said “so your business is doing bad”? I told him exactly like it was, namely that if he was wondering how bad, my business had no work scheduled for this week. That my profits Friday were more than likely to be zero dollars. He tried to make everyone think that I was a racist by the way he asked questions but the judge wouldn’t let him get to the subject of illegal aliens. He tried to stay away from it. But I didn’t do that because that subject was the basis for what I protested. That companies were employing illegal aliens therefore running me out of business. That was why I protested. The jury saw that. That prosecutor got so frustrated with my answers and my lawyers objections and the judge stopping him that he put the jury out of the room. After he admonished the poor fellow the prosecutor said that he had no more questions of me and I was sitting in my chair before the jury came back out. They called my son and he had no questions of him, my employee, or another witness that drove past that day I was arrested. I wanted to bust out laughing because that guy just quit trying to win the case. He just gave up he was so frustrated. Lol.

During closing statements though, the prosecutor tried to make out that I was a liar, that my son was also, my employee and the other witness. That we all lied about what happened that day. The prosecutor wanted to keep his case to a charge of uttering a fighting word so as to stay away from the question of was my constitutional rights violated? The jury saw through that also because how can the word cheap bastard be considered a fighting word, when I was handcuffed in the back seat of a cop car, locked in when I said them? When they found me not guilty they also said that my civil rights were violated.


My local newspaper has an article about it in this morning’s edition. In it I am quoted as saying that I protested because I saw Hispanics on that job and that is not right. I want to set the record straight, one month before I was arrested I bid on that job and the homeowner himself told me that international roofers installed the shingles on that roof for 4 to 5 dollars an hour. That is what top, American roofers got paid in the 1960’s and 70’s. I told the jury the same thing. And they believed me and not him.

I have proven that the justice system can work. When they threaten you on some bullcrap charge you should stand up for your rights come hell or high water. I have went through literal hell the last 8 months, but I stood my ground and the jury was on my side in the end. The jury was composed of 2 white guys, 2 blacks and 2 women and every one of them were American. Through and through. They saw the truth!

There were 18 of my friends and family there again yesterday. Most of them have been in that court room every time I was there. I am overwhelmed by the support they have given me over the months and by the support of people all over this country. There are millions of Americans that are patriots just like me, people that love their country as much as I do. And this small battle that I fought was not only a win for me, it was a win for all of you. Thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.

Lone Protester

Democrat Candidates on Experience, Accomplishments, and Character. . .

On Fox News Obama supporters can't name any accomplishments by Barack:



Okay, let's give the liberals a chance. Here, Liberal Newscaster Chris Mathews stumps an Barack Obama Campaign Representative on Obama's legislative accomplishments.



Fine, it seems Obama has little experience, no accomplishments, and has somehow found a way to sell the free idea of Hope. Well, at least Hillary Clinton has a consistant record. Right?



Okay, fine, but Hillary Clinton has great plans for this country and bringing down spending, right? Of course, because she's a modern progressive, right? Well, at least the economists agree with Hillary, right? Oops, about halfway through the video below even an economist explains how disastrous Hillary's plans are for our economy. And guess what? He also indicates that government involvement in the economy and entitlement programs is also disastrous for our economy!



Okay, fine, perhaps she's a socialist and an economic disaster for this nation. Well, what does Karl Rove think of Hillary Clinton?



But you know, through all of this, Hillary supporters still claim she has experience and accomplishments that are good for this country. Her character is honest and. . . oops, wait, that can't be right. What about the Peter Paul connection?






Okay, fine, let's see what this liberal thinks of Hillary's experience and accomplishments:



And this Democrat says Hillary is a criminal:



Hey, my fellow Conservatives, after watching that, are you still nervous about voting for McCain?





I do not agree with McCain on many things. I don't agree with George Bush on many things. But if the Conservatives do not back John McCain, we will receive in the White House either Obama or Hillery.



Well, the video above made a lot of sense, didn't it? Yeah, about as much sense as this video does:

Castro Resigns

Fidel Castro, Cuba's autocratic ruling president, resigned today. This ends over a half of a century of rule by him, the longest rule by a head of government in the world. His control of Cuba began in 1959, reshaping the island nation into a communist state, and made Fidel Castro a communist icon and a relentless opponent of U.S. policy. Fidel's 76-year-old brother, Raul Castro, will take the reins of the government, freeing him to implement reforms he has suggested at since taking over as the acting president of Cuba when illness engulfed Fidel Castro in July of 2006.

The Bush Administration has made public its hopes that Fidel's resignation may bring about a democratic transition. Raul Castro, though not as hardline as Fidel, is hardly one to suddenly welcome democracy, so doubts regarding such a transition remain high.

Cubans did not receive the news of Castro's resignation on the official state radio until hours after the news became available on the internet. Reports state that Cubans have received this news with a mix of sadness and hope. Cuban exiles in America are accepting the news as a possible first step toward change, but understand that the change of the person does not necessarily signify a change of the system.

The United States Government, in light of this news, does not plan to change U.S. policy toward Cuba, or lift its embargo on Cuba. In 2005 a detailed plan was created for American assistance to ensure a democratic transition on Cuba after Castro's death, but Cuban officials have continually insisted that the socialist political and economic systems in Cuba will outlive Fidel Castro.

Cuba has remained communist under his ironclad rule even after the breakup of the Soviet Union and the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe. Nonetheless, Fidel Castro, during his rule, has been nothing more than a dictator whose totalitarian government has systematically denied individual freedoms and civil liberties.

Ship of Fools

A good friend of mine, Steve Maloney of SteveMaloneyGOP and Campaign2008VictoryA, agrees with me that this presidential race has certainly been fascinating, to say the least. After telling him what I thought about John McCain's liberal tendencies, Steve responded, "For me, John McCain is conservative enough, with an 82.3% ACU ranking since he's been in Congress. I support McCain strongly against either Clinton or Obama. . . whose ACU rankings are profoundly different from 82.3%."

When compared to the alternative, John McCain seems like he may be the necessary choice.

But what bothers me is that Conservatives are moaning and groaning and complaining, but not getting involved. I understand that the Republican Party has hardly been loyal to conservatives. I understand that there seems to be no clearly conservative presidential choice out there, and the conservatives in the Congressional Races are slim and far between. But have we forgotten that the President of the United States is not a legislative position? What about those all important Congressional Races? Why aren't we involved in those races as Conservatives?

I know that the country, in a sense, is going straight to Hell in a hand basket. And for this I understand the Conservative complaint in regards to where the Republican Party seems to be heading. And, my fellow Conservatives, I agree that it is time to be angry. Conservatives have been angry for a long time. But, my fellow Conservatives, what are you going to do about that anger? Are you angry enough to get involved? Are you angry enough to contribute to your candidate's campaign?

Democrats are all about "The Collective." The Lefties do things for the Liberal Hive, because the success of the Democratic Party is the most important thing to them. Conservatives, however, tend to be individualists. They are proud of the fact that they are individuals who champion personal responsibility and paying the consequences for one's actions should they fail. Conservatives recognize that competition is good for an economy, and that the natural bi-product of success is failure. In this nation we have the freedom to succeed, and the freedom to fail. Problem is, though Conservatives have it right in what they believe, they are not willing to put their money where their mouth is. They tend to play it safe and closely guard their pocket books. This is why the liberal left is so good at the game of politics. To win in politics it takes a collective effort, a tendency that comes naturally to the "It Takes A Village" liberals. The left does all it can for the effort, pouring money into their candidates, and putting it all out there on the line for the sake of the party. Liberals, naturally being collectivists, have politics down to a science.

Mitt Romney stepped down, eventually casting his delegates (and endorsement) to John McCain, not because he's a big fan of McCain's, but because he felt it was the best thing to do for the Republican Party, and the Country. Now, as I consider Steve Maloney's words about McCain, and delve deeper into what is truly going on in the world of politics, I realize that what Mitt Romney did was the most intelligent thing he could have done as a politician, both as a collective member of the Republican Party, and as an individual who will live to fight another day as a presidential candidate. He did what was best for party and country now, and what was best for Mitt Romney, the individual, later.

The Conservative tendency of being individualistic is no surprise when you consider the issues, and where conservatives tend to stand on them. Conservatives believe in personal responsibility in our lives. We believe that it does not take a village to raise a child, but that it is the individual responsibility of the parents. We do not believe that the collective hive is responsible for anyone's success, but that as individuals we reach success on our own hard work and merit. Conservatives do not believe that it is the government's responsibility to hand out freebies to those that have not succeeded and are currently in a state of poverty at the expense of our hard earned tax dollars, whether we like it or not, because those receiving such aid will become dependent upon such assistance. We believe that it is up to that individual to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and battle back against their own poverty, and if they truly need help then they should seek out that help from church groups and other charities funded and run by individuals like you and I, of which we donated to "voluntarily." Conservatives do not believe the group, or collective, should mandate a "choice" over who's innocent blood should live or die, so the conservative fight for an individual's right to life by being against the abortion of unborn children, and euthanasia of persons in critical care, is a critical conservative issue. However, Conservatives tend to believe that those who are guilty of a total disregard for human life in the form of murder, must be given a harsh penalty; the penalty of death if the murderous crime is severe enough. Conservatives do not believe guns kill people any more than we believe that it is the pencil's fault for spelling errors. We recognize that each citizen has the individual right to protect themselves from a criminal element that will obtain weapons regardless of the law, and that government has no right to tell the people they cannot own and use weapons as individuals. By taking away the right to private gun ownership, the government would be taking away a citizen's ability to defend themselves against an armed criminal. Conservatives believe that the Free Market Economy is a brilliant thing, and when the economy is left to the competition of the individuals it will thrive and adjust. Inflation, recession, and economic downturns are all the result of government manipulation. The "Coming Recession" that has been proclaimed by the mainstream media and government analysts would not be coming if the government would just keep their hands out of the cookie jar. Conservatives do not believe that America is to blame for the world's woes. As a society the United States of America does not owe anybody anything for crimes conjured up by the liberal left. We believe that the United States of America is the greatest country on this planet, made great by the successes of great individuals. And nobody has a right to take a slice of the American Pie illegally. We welcome the huddled masses who come here legally to participate in the American Dream. This nation is a melting pot of all people, but to be involved you need to be willing to assimilate into this great society, providing your talents and your uniqueness to it, not taking away from it with greedy, and segregational, attitudes. Conservatives believe the Federal Government, as explained in the United States Constitution, must remain limited because the local government is better equipped to handle local matters than is the Federal Government. The Federal Government, however, is tasked with providing for the common defense, meaning that if an act of war is committed against this nation, and if there are enemies out there determined to bring down this nation, it is the duty of our President and Congress to defend this nation using military force wherever necessary. The enemy does not understand individualism or the idea of "Can't we all just get along?" The enemy, like the liberal left, is in it for the collective. Individual rights are meaningless to them, and as individuals, it is our duty to defend our individual freedoms against such enemies.

The Conservatives are right in what they believe. The Conservative Right has every reason to be angry at the direction this nation is heading under the constant pressure of a Marxist, classless society seeking, liberal left controlled Democrat Party. But, my fellow Conservatives, what are you doing about it? Did you vote in the primaries? Did you contribute funds to the most conservative candidates in the Congressional Races yet? Have you volunteered your time for your candidates and causes?

It is time to collectively support our conservative candidates, and drive forward toward a Red November. Are you with me? Or are we going to remain quiet and uneffective on this ship of fools?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

With this all in mind, let's also tune in tonight to Andrea Shea King's Blog Talk Radio show tonight (with me as the co-host) as she welcomes Alfred Regnery, the publisher of The American Spectator. He's been part of the American conservative movement since childhood, when his father founded Regnery Publishing, the preeminent conservative publishing house. Al has chronicled the development of the conservative movement in his fascinating book UPSTREAM - the Ascendance of American Conservatism. Regnery is my guest tonight at 9pm Eastern Time/6pm Pacific. To listen, click here.

Then, after Andrea's show, Political Pistachio Radio will be interviewing Dr. Steve Sauerberg, the Republican Candidate in Illinois that will be running against Dick Durbin. Is he one of those conservatives we need in Congress? Will he be actively involved in downsizing the Federal Government? Where does he stand on the war? What is his economics background? Does he support the private ownership of guns by American Citizens? Is he pro-life? Will he be a force in defeating the socialism being thrust upon us by the liberal left? Or is he just another cowardly Republican that acts more leftist than conservative? The fireworks on Political Pistachio Radio begin when Andrea's show ends . . . at 10pm Eastern Time/7pm Pacific. Click here to listen live, or catch the archive later.

Happy Valentine's Day

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words.

Dr. Jerome Corsi of World Net Daily

Dr. Corsi says that the Fed will lower the Dow to 8,000. According to Dr. Corsi’s article consumers should expect a deep recession because of a stealth methodology of the Federal Reserve to depress the market while lowering interest rates an an effort to stimulate economic growth. In other words, because the government is trying to manipulate the economy, they are ruining the economy! Dr. Jerome Corsi joins Political Pistachio tonight to discuss this economic disaster the Feds are creating. Join us at 10pm Easter/7pm Pacific.

John McCain and George Soros

George Soros is a name that many on both sides of the aisle recognize. For Conservatives he is the name of that devil with the deep pockets behind the socialization of America and the world. If Liberalism breeds there, more than likely, Soros' checkbook is somewhere attached.

John McCain is the name of a Republican that has taken over the lead for the 2008 Presidential nomination and has many Conservatives befuddled because they do not care to vote for him, but feel that they must because he is still much better than his liberal Democrat counterparts. Not voting for John McCain, the Conservative has reasoned, is like voting for Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton.

When considering John McCain's left-leaning tendencies, however, it comes to no surprise that he associates with a left-wing donor such as George Soros. In fact, according to a late-breaking World Net Daily article, John McCain has been funded by George Soros since 2001!

This brings back into the limelight McCain's non-paid volunteer, Juan Hernandez. Hernandez is a dual Mexican-U.S. citizen with a "Mexico first" message. It turns out that Juan Hernandez also has a link to George Soros. Juan is employed by Soros' Reform Institute.

In fact, prominent senior officials on the McCain 2008 presidential campaign staff have found well paid positions at Soros' Reform Institute.

And John McCain is the guy we are supposed to vote for to fight against Liberalism?

Hillary Clinton Defeated By Obama in Maine Caucuses

Yesterday, Barack Obama grabbed a majority of delegates in Maine after winning that state over Hillary Rodham Clinton. Despite the snowy weather, the turnout was "incredible." In response, Obama said to a crowd of 18,000 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, ". . . we have won on the Atlantic Coast, we have won on the Gulf Coast, we have won on the Pacific Coast, and places in between." This comes after Barack Obama's sweeping victories in Louisiana, Nebraska, and Washington; bringing the delegate totals to Hillary Clinton leading with 1,136, and Obama's 1,108. These totals include the superdelegates.

Amazing how voters have no problem with Obama's refusal to place his hand on his heart, or even look at the flag during the National Anthem. . . or is this simply because Hillary Rodham Clinton frightens the Democrats just as much as she horrifies the Conservative Republicans and independent Conservatives?

Presidential Dogfight

Even though Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both scare the bajeebies out of me, it is secretly delightful to see Hillary, who has been so sure all along that she has been pre-ordained queen of the United States of America, free to spread her Marxism freely once in office, struggling against the phenomenon that is Barack Obama.

February 9, 2008, Obama won Louisiana, Nebraska, the Virgin Islands, and Washington State. He took 72 delegates compared to Hillary’s 40 bringing the totals to; Clinton 1118, Obama 1095. I was previously stating that the Republican Nomination mike come down to a brokered convention. Well, this close race on the Democrat side is the one looking more and more like a possible brokered convention every day.

Mike Huckabee is giving John McCain (or Juan MexiCain as some like to call him) a run for his money too. Saturday Mike Huckabee took Kansas and Louisiana. At the time the State of Washington was too close to call. Huckabee seems to be turning the Republican Race into a GOP fight for the ages. . . making the fact that Romney suspending his campaign and retaining his delegates even more important.

Still, Mike Huckabee's chance of winning the nomination outright is outside the realm of possibility, but Huckabee (and Romney) may have a chance yet if the GOP also winds up with a brokered convention.

Hang on to your hats, folks, in this crazy round table of liberal candidates remaining, we are in for a historic ride of our lives!

Premiere of Founding Truth

What did the Founding Fathers of the United States of America intend? How has their intentions been misunderstood, and how is the United States Constitution being misinterpreted? This program discusses the United States Government, the United States Constitution, American History, and how it all relates to today's political and social environment?

Loki and myself will answer these questions, and more, on the premiere of our new radio show, Founding Truth. Premiere airs today at 2pm Eastern. . .

Should Conservatives Vote For McCain?

Super Tuesday pushed John McCain closer to the Republican nomination. As a result, Mitt Romney "suspended" his campaign, and John McCain took the opportunity to address Conservatives. He said that Conservative critics of him need to dial back the animosity and focus on issues where they agree.

He was, of course, addressing the conservative talk show pundits like Rush Limbaugh, who has been very critical of him; Ann Coulter, who has indicated she beleives Hillary Clinton is more conservative than McCain; Michael Savage, who has said McCain is not qualified to be president; and Glenn Beck who says John McCain can't govern and will give all of the illegal aliens amnesty:



Unfortunately, I have a feeling Glenn Beck, and all of the other conservative talk show hosts are mistaken when they say that McCain won't win. . .

Unless . . . he does not receive enough votes to win the nomination - - - Should Conservatives vote for McCain?

Not yet.

What happens if McCain does not gain enough delegates? The Convention is brokered. In other words, the voting there begins from scratch until someone gains enough delegates. Note that Mitt Romney "suspended" his campaign. This gives him the opportunity to jump right back in if the required number of delegates is not met by John McCain. So vote for Romney, or even the Huckster (not that I like him much either), and let's see if that Liberal named McCain can be stopped just yet. . .

By the way, back to what McCain said about focusing on issues where we agree? What issues?

In the war on terror he wishes to take away an interrogation tool, water boarding, which will place American lives in jeopardy because his nightmares of when he was a prisoner of war makes him skiddish when such methods are being used. He would also close Gitmo Bay and transfer those prisoners to our already over-crowded state-side prisons.

We have no agreements there.

McCain wishes to give 40 million illegal aliens amnesty, and echoes George W. Bush's Globalistic agenda.

We have no agreements there either.

McCain has called Pro-life leaders intolerant, has voted to limit private gun ownership, and voted against the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003.

We have no agreements there as well.

That is not animosity. That is the absolute truth. Your record, Mr. McCain, is your proof of how you will run the country.

John McCain, if you want to change my mind, propose a bill in the Senate right now to convince me that you will run the country in a more conservative manner, and you "might" make me notice. Maybe.

McCain Wins Republican Nomination

Well, John McCain has not won it all, technically, but Mitt Romney has quit the race, and Huckabee does not have a realistic ability to beat John McCain. Mitt Romney has indicated that it was for the sake of the party, saying, "If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win…."

Mitt Romney may also be the guy to stand for conservative values in the future, now that he has stepped down before the real mudslinging began. Perhaps, after the next four years of Hell we are about to encounter, Mitt will be one of the guys to return to save the day. . . Perhaps.

So, for me, this is a sad day indeed. For those of you that normally read Political Pistachio, and my family of political sites, you know that I am not a big fan of McCain. He is far from conservative, despite the fact that he claims to be a foot soldier of the Reagan Revolution.

And why has this happened? Why has a liberal Republican pulled off the nomination?

Because Conservatives, unhappy with the choices, have stayed home, just like they did in 2006.

Romney suspends his run for the White House; Mike Huckabee has surged, but it is not enough.

Now, we will surely have a liberal in the White House. Now the question is, can Conservatives hold their noses long enough to vote for John McCain, hence voting against the far left anti-war Democrats, in order to continue the fight against the Islamic Jihad? Because, as Mitt Romney said in his speech today at CPAC, "We cannot retreat in the fight against Islamic Extremism."

Now the Congressional Races are more important than ever!

Conservatives Famous For Distortions?

A liberal e-mailer that is also a Blog Talk Radio host regularly e-mails back and forth with me. Recently, he sent his rebuttal to my post Super Tuesday and the Three Legged Stool. In addition, there has been a lot of discussion in the comment section about the three legged stool and the three branches of government - - - I did not intend for the three legs to represent the three branches of government. From a Constitutional point of view, the Judicial Branch should not have the power it wields today! But that is for another time to discuss. Perhaps it'll come up this Saturday on the Founding Truth Radio Show.

Anyhow, back to my liberal e-mailer, he claimed in his e-mail that I distorted the truth, and that Conservatives are famous for that.

Really?

Here's my response to him:

You, like most liberals, have this distorted belief that Bush is all things to Conservatives, and you kept referencing Bush during this e-mail. Bush is not my idea of an ideal president. He did serve as a better president than what the Democrats had to offer, and in some aspects, has been willing to fight the war launched against us on numerous occasions, the most notable acts of war against the United States of America being the Iranian hostage takeover in 1979, and 9/11 in 2001.

When faced with Hillary's quote about garnishing wages of those that refuse to participate with her government sponsored health plan, you did not argue about the quote, which tells me you have no problem with government rounding up those that refuse to bow down to a socialistic government . . . I thought dissent was an Americans right? Or is that only the case when the dissent is liberals against Republicans? Then you asked, what is Marxism? In the strictest terms the answer is: the system of thought developed by Karl Marx, his co-worker Friedrich Engels, and their followers. But when you delve into it, Marxism is the political and economic philosophy in which the concept of class struggle plays a central role in understanding society's allegedly inevitable development from bourgeois oppression under capitalism to a socialist and ultimately classless society. If you take apart what the Liberal Wing of the Democratic Party offers, and specifically, the elements of Hillary Clinton's Campaign, it is clearly accurate to say that Hillary Clinton is a Marxist. If you really need me to spell it out for you, I will, but I think you know that what she is preaching, and the ultimate goals of Marxism, are one and the same. Hardly a distortion of the facts.

I did not include the words "willing to" in the underlined part because those words were not a part of her quote.

Calling me a Bush Backer was fascinating. Am I a Bush Backer because I support the war effort? I do not support Bush on many issues. I believe he is an idiot when it comes to the immigration issue, I believe he is a globalist, a political idea I have been speaking out against for more than 25 years, I can't stand his big government spending and his big government plans like "No Child Left Behind" and the pharmaceutical deal he made, and I have a real problem with his recent attempts to sell out the Israelis in these recent peace talks with the Palestinians. That is a distortion on your part. As for bringing the troops home, I agree that I would love for them to come home, but it must be in a position of strength and victory, not in a position of weakness and retreat. To call anyone that is in support of National Security and this war effort a "Bush Backer" is short-sighted, and hardly accurate.

What is Social Conservatism? Social issues, dominantly abortion, homosexuality, and gun ownership, fall under that umbrella. And you may be right that some people that "brag" about being conservatives believe one thing today and another tomorrow - just because someone says they are something, it doesn't mean that they are. As for Conservatives loving labels that muddy the waters, aren't you using labels by calling them conservatives? How about the "Centrist" label the left uses hoping to make people believe they are more centrally situated on the political spectrum? How about the labels used against Christians? Rosie O'donnell was real good at that. Please, don't try to peddle that "labels are a conservative thing" on me.

Since you say that you are an atheist, and you seem to think that the social issues from a conservative position is me trying to push Christianity on you, does that mean the sanctity of life means nothing to you? Unborn children should be murdered just because they are "unwanted?" They are not allowed to have the opportunity to live because a woman has decided to throw the child's life away like yesterday's garbage? And why should YOUR belief stand in the way of MY belief (to quote you), or the life of an innocent child? As for gay rights and gay marriage, I could care less if gays want to love each other, even though I see it as vile and immoral, but I do not think they should have the right to shove it in my face, or besmerch the Christian Institution of marriage, bastardizing it into something God did not intend. That would be like me trying to force you to pray to a God you don't want anything to do with.

You asked, "Does anyone need to have a weapon that will hold more than 6 shells?" Why should a law abiding citizen be limited because the criminal element can't behave?

You proclaimed I was wrong about the gun control in Germany in 1938. What about all of the other examples? Oh, and regarding Germany, it is you that is Wrong! The Geneva Convention DID NOT force the removal of al guns in Germany. The Versailles Peace Treaty in 1919 dictated that, but the Germans evaded the treaty, and it wasn't long before weapons again became prominent among German citizens - - - at least until 1938 when the NAZI regime instituted the removal of all weapons from non-military persons so that the people could not rise up against the totalitarian government.

You asked, "What is Bush's strong suit?" As I said earlier, I am not a Bush-bot as you seem to be thinking, but I do believe that one thing he has done right is take the fight to the enemy, rather than sit on his hands and wait for the next act of war against our country.

McCain "claims" he is a war hero, and he may be. What he went through is no different than what American soldiers are enduring daily, now. Why can't the Left call "them" War Heroes too? And just because McCain may, or may not, be a War Hero, that doesn't make him an expert on war. And taking McCain's claims to heart as you have, have you read what Dr. Jack Wheeler has written? http://radiopatriot.blogspot.com/2008/02/spooks-from-past.html

I am not saying Jack Wheeler is one hundred percent accurate, for he provides no tangible evidence. In fact, his claim may be a whole lot of hooey. . . but it is something to chew on as a possibility.

I agree with you on your opinion regarding illegals - take away the jobs (and freebies) and they will deport themselves, or head on up to Canada.

You ask "Would I be for waterboarding American's by the other side?" The enemy does worse. The other side does not toy with mild techniques like waterboarding. They do much worse to our young men and women, and to their victims regardless of who they are. How can anyone be against a technique that does not ultimately kill the subject, but is proven to be a valuable method in obtaining important information that in the long run "saves American lives!" I suppose you place the comfort level of the enemy prisoners over the lives of our American Troops. How could anybody be for pampering the enemy as it costs American lives because an uncomfortable technique was not used?

The Law of the Sea Treaty places a global beaurocracy over our own government. It is a loss of sovereignty over our territorial waters. And the fact that the Bush Administration supports it only confirms what I stated earlier, George W. Bush is a globalist - and I believe that a globalist government entity is a VERY BAD THING.

Comments on my site must remain short and sweet, that is why it didn't allow you to comment.

Doug
http://www.politicalpistachio.com/


Oh, and an added note, Liberals constantly accuse Conservatives of being hate-mongers. If that is so, then why is it whenever a Liberal visits a Conservative site, or when they refer to conservatives as my good buddy, Tom, does, they use profanity or name calling as their primary tool? Example? The first comment to my Aftermath post by someone named Kevin Sims said, "Nutcase."

Who's the hateful ones famous for distortions after all?

Aftermath: Super Tuesday, Killer Tornadoes, Israel-Gaza Fighting Escalation, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Economy

While Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are battling it out neck and neck on the Democrat side, the Republican Race has clearly shifted into McCain's favor. Granted, McCain's gains did not totally knock out of the race either Mike Huckabee, nor Mitt Romney, his wins on Super Tuesday were, however, enough to allow John McCain to emerge as the clear front-runner. Is he who we want in our search for a Red November?

Huckabee performed better than even those in his camp expected. He faired strongly in the South, and in his speech gleefully declared, "A lot of people have been trying to say that this is a two-man race. Well, you know what? It is, and we're in it!"

Mitt Romney has poured more than $35 million of his personal fortune into the campaign, and after a fairly difficult Super Tuesday he faces a decision on whether he should spend more. Increased spending on ads may be his next strategy, and though he is not out of the race by any measure, Romney now trails McCain by nearly 300 delegates.

McCain is riding high on his victories, but unlike Mitt Romney, cash may be his biggest hurdle. McCain has earned the least in fundraising, and has the smallest amount of funds on hand. The question is, will falling short in campaign funds slow him down and allow Romney to retake the lead?

Interestingly, the Conservatives of the Republican Party are voting for Romney, for the most part, and the liberals and moderates of the Republican Party are largely voting for McCain, according to polls. Does this mean that Huckabee is taking Romney's needed share of conservative votes? Are the conservatives staying home? Or does the moderates and liberals outnumber the conservatives? And how much stake do you put into Ann Coulter's statement that Hillary Clinton is more conservative than John McCain?

During the blitz of Super Tuesday, tornadoes ripped through the south, killing at least 45 people in half a dozen states. President Bush said today that he had called the governors of the states affected by the storms and pledged assistance from the Federal government. “Loss of life, loss of property — prayers can help and so can the government,” Mr. Bush said in brief remarks before a ceremony at the Department of Agriculture. “I do want the people in those states to know the American people are standing with them.” During all of the chaos from the storms, in Tennessee, about 50 miles northwest of Nashville, a fire at a natural gas pumping station sent flames shooting hundreds of feet into the air. A spokesman for the company that owns the plant said it apparently took a direct hit by a tornado. No one was working at the plant at the time, but evacuations in the midst of the storms were conducted.

In the Middle East, Israel-Gaza Fighting Escalated as Israel launched airstrikes against militants firing rockets from the Gaza Strip. Gaza militants said Israel responded with several airstrikes overnight, but the Israeli military confirmed only one, saying aircraft had fired at militants who had just launched rockets. "We need to understand there is a war in the south," Israeli Vice Premier Haim Ramon told Israel Radio. "The war against Hamas has to be fought on all fronts."

Hamas recently took responsibility for a suicide bombing on Monday in the southern Israeli town of Dimona. This was the Islamist group's first suicide attack in Israel in three years. Israel demands that there must be an end to the violence before it is willing to implement any peace agreement. "These rockets that are being fired at Israel must stop. It's pointless," Abbas, the Palestinian leader, said at a news conference with Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik. "At the same time, Israel should not use these rockets as a pretext for collective punishment on Palestinians in Gaza. Israel must always allow humanitarian supplies and other needs to be provided to Gaza."

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said he expected the Dimona bombing to strengthen the resolve of the international community to shun Hamas. "I hope that this public admission by Hamas of direct involvement in the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians will serve as a wake-up call to those in the international community who've had illusions as to the true nature of Hamas," Regev said Tuesday.

United States and Iraqi officials have seized videos that show al-Aqaeda training young boys to kidnap and assassinate civilians, some of whom appearing to be about 10 years old. One tape showed a young boy wearing a suicide vest and posing with automatic weapons. The American military said some of the tapes were found in December during a U.S. raid in Khan Bani Saad, northeast of Baghdad, and said it indicated a pattern that al-Qaida in Iraq was increasingly using children for sinister means.

"Al-Qaida in Iraq wants to poison the next generation of Iraqis," Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, a U.S. military spokesman, told reporters Wednesday inside the heavily guarded Green Zone. "It is offering children as the new generation of mujahedeen," he said, using the Arabic term for holy warriors. "We believe this video is used as propaganda to send out to recruit other boys ... and to send a broader message across Iraq to indoctrinate youth into al-Qaida," he said.

Other scenes from the Khan Bani Saad video showed masked boys forcing a man off his bicycle at gunpoint and stopping a car and kidnapping its driver along a dusty country road. At one point the boys — wearing soccer jerseys with ammunition slung across their chests — sit in a circle on the floor, chanting slogans in support of al-Qaida.

The DOW is edging back upward after strong drops being attributed to recession worries. Government data is positive showing the fourth-quarter productivity rising by a better than expected 1.8 percent, and labor costs rising by 2.1 percent. The results were not as strong as they were in the third quarter, though, when productivity shot up 6 percent and costs fell by 1.9 percent.

The Dow rose 30.08, or 0.25 percent.

Broader stock indicators also rebounded. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 3.68, or 0.28 percent, to 1,340.32, and the Nasdaq composite index rose 5.53, or 0.24 percent, to 2,315.10.

Finally, a letter I wrote to my local newspaper in response to a story that was run in the Perspective Section was published by the paper. Read the article HERE, and my response HERE (scroll down to my letter titled "Disgraceful Films").

And, don't miss my take on the results of Super Tuesday on my Blog Talk Radio show, Political Pistachio Radio, tonight at 7pm Pacific/10pm Eastern.

Super Tuesday and the Three Legged Stool

There is an interesting thing about three legged stools that even grade-school children have figured out. Without one of the three legs to support the stool, it falls over. And often, to help support those legs, there are spokes or a band that run around the legs, and a seat at the top which is there to support, in relative comfort, a seated individual.

Our government works in a similar manner. The President of the United States, the United States Senate, and the United States House of Representatives serve as the three legs, the Judicial Branch serves as the band of spokes, and seated on the top is "We The People." Conservatism understands this, and supports the idea given by the United States Constitution, that the federal government needs checks and balances to remain standing and functioning properly. Each leg is important in ensuring the government runs well, and though not necessary to support it all, the judicial branch is important in helping to hold it together. Conservatives believe that the federal government should be limited so that the states may rule their own without too great of centralized influence.
The three legged stool also makes its appearance in what's important to the conservative voter. Last night on Joshua P. Allem's Blog Talk Radio show this trio of issue groups was brought to light by the host: Social Conservatism, Fiscal Conservatism, and Strong National Security. For some voters, only one or two of those legs are important, and the others are non-issues, and then there are those like myself in which all three are important not only as issues, but as indications of the character of a candidate.

On the Democrat side the difference between the two remaining candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, are so minor that they are both equally dangerous to this nation should one of them wind up president. Hillary Clinton is the Marxist that is willing to ". . . garnish the wages of workers who refuse to buy health insurance to achieve coverage for all Americans," and Barack Obama is the un-American racist that refused to put his hand on his heart for the National Anthem, attends an unashamedly all black church that holds an allegiance to Africa over America, and has a strong Muslim connection.

In addition to the above reasons, the fact that both Democrat candidates believe we should allow the enemy to use Iraq as a launching pad for terrorism by pulling our troops out and leaving that region bare and vulnerable, their lack of wise economic positions (worse, believe it or not, than even Bush's positions when it comes to spending), and their poor positions on the social issues, there is no way I could ever, in good conscience, allow myself to vote for a Democrat.

That leaves the Republicans, because let's face it, as much as I like some of the independent candidates, this is a two-party system. Okay, now back to that stool. Why is it I have hammered on McCain so much, and though it is a difficult pill to swallow, have given my support to Mitt Romney?

First leg of the stool, Social Conservatism. The gay marriage issue is a large issue with me. I do not believe that the Christian Institution of Marriage should be sacreligiously given to people who are in obvious opposition to scriptural codes of conduct and morals. However, that does not mean I believe that any people should be denied rights as "individuals." Liberals don't understand that, because for some reason, on that issue, they see it as either you are Pro-Gay Rights, or Anti-Gay Rights. Either you accept homosexuality completely, or you are some bigoted hate-monger. This is where their simple minds tend to reach the red zone. All of the Republican Candidates seem to agree with me, or so I thought. Then I found out that when the vote came on the Contitutional Amendment to protect traditional marriage and prohibit same-sex marriage - an Amendment introduced in response to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's decision forcing that state to recognize such "marriages," John McCain voted "No."

When it comes to the abortion issue, once again, liberals blur what the issue is all about. I believe that abortion not about whether people should simply have the "choice" to indescriminately murder unborn children, but is about whether or not to keep legal the growing practice of the genocide of unborn children. Mike Huckabee agrees with me on that position one hundred percent. Mitt Romney used to support "pro-choice," but has since changed his mind and moved to the pro-life position. McCain claims he is pro-life, and that he has always been pro-life, yet has said that the pro-life leaders are "the agents of intolerance."

The private ownership of weapons is a huge issue with me, and both Governor Huckabee and Romney have indicated that the Second Ammendment is primarily about self-defense, not hunting. The Second Ammendment right belongs to individuals, not to cities or states, and any law to ban weapons is unconstitutional. People forget that in 1911 Turkey established gun control, and then rounded up and exterminated 1.5 million Armenians that were unable to defend themselves. In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control and then rounded up and exterminated 20 million unarmed dissidents. Germany established gun control in 1938, and from 1939 to 1945 rounded up and exterminated 13 million Jews (and others) who were unable to defend themselves. China established gun control in 1935, and from 1948 to 1952 rounded up and exterminated 20 million political dissidents. Guatemala established gun control in 1964, and 100,000 Mayan Indians were rounded up and exterminated. Uganda established gun control in 1970, and 300,000 Christians were rounded up and exterminated during the '70's. Cambodia established gun control in 1956, and from 1975 to 1977 one million "educated" people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated. Australia has recently established gun control laws, forcing Australians to surrender 640,381 personal firearms, costing taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. Since gun control laws have been established in Australia, homicides are up 3.2 percent, assaults are up 8.6 percent, and armed robberies are up 44 percent. This after during the previous 25 years there was a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms. The laws took weapons away from law-abiding citizens, while allowing criminals to retain their weapons and providing defenseless prey for them. The Australian leaders are at a loss on how to explain the decrease of public safety. Have you ever wondered why, aside from bombing runs and 9/11, American shores have never been invaded? During World War II the Japanese decided not to invade America because they knew that the American populace was armed!

Where does McCain, the War Hero, the political "maverick," stand on the private ownership of guns? Well, he doesn't own a weapon, and has supported initiatives that severely regulate gun shows and gun buyers. In 1999, Mr. McCain changed his vote on a gun-control measure favored by the Clinton administration from Nay to Yea, which nearly allowed the measure to become law. It took significant and very expensive efforts on the part of Tom Delay, then the House Republican Whip, to put together a coalition of Republicans and anti-gun control Democrats to stop the measure from passing in the House and becoming law. In 2001, McCain pushed legislation to force people to keep firearms locked up in the home. The legislation didn't take into account that when using guns for self-defense gunlocks might make it difficult to stop intruders who break into your home. Research indicates that McCain's push for gunlocks was far more likely to lead to more deaths than it saved.

The second leg of the stool is fiscal responsibility. When it comes to the economy, McCain has made it a point to indicate that the economy is not his strong suit, and from past records, both Huckabee and McCain are not strong on that issue. Mike Huckabee is a "spender" like George W. Bush, and McCain sends mixed messages with his economic record, is the co-sponsor of a freedom of speech killing political finance law, and voted against Bush's tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. Romney, the businessman, and economic wiz, has the economic end of this drive for the presidency all wrapped up. The one criticism of Romney is the increase of fees in Massachusetts he initiated. But, if you read the details, you realize those fees were raised to ease the taxpayer burden since the fees were too low when compared to processing costs which were higher based on the rise of inflation over the last 30 years.

The third leg of the stool is National Security, and that leg is the deal-breaker for most Conservatives. Huckabee is obviously not the man best equipped for this particular leg of the stool partially due to his lack of experience. Romney says the right things, and is in strong support of the war on terror, but there is no record to fall back on. McCain, on this issue, plays his "I'm a War Hero" card over and over and over again. But is McCain really the right guy for our National Security?

One of the largest keys to our security is the border. Huckabee has proven to be weak on immigration, and McCain is now famous as being the "Amnesty" candidate. Buzzzzzz. Point there awarded to Mitt Romney.

Huckabee has said that we "broke" Iraq, and that he feels we should have a timetable for a withdrawl from Iraq. Huckabee has also indicated that he would close, and relocate to the states, Guantanamo Bay. Mitt Romney has shown the determination to protect us as a nation, demonstrating a grasp of the foreign policy challenges we face from radical jihadists who want to kill us, and from states with bad leaders, like Iran.

John McCain has proclaimed that waterboarding does not work, and will not use it as president, which is a serious downfall in dealing with the Islamic Jihad of today. Fact is, the only way to protect our nation from killers is to kill the killers, and to do what it takes to retrieve the information we need to find the killers. Waterboarding has proven to reveal terrorist plots and protect American lives. McCain's continuing habit of joining with liberals in opposing tough interogation techniques, even though he admits that our terrorist enemies have not the slighest qualms about torturing and killing captured Americans, is not a very good national security position.

John McCain also supports the infamous Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST), which is yet another key globalist hitchpin in forcing America to surrender our sovereignty and experiment in global taxation and socialism. Bill Clinton signed this disasterous treaty and McCain, like most Democrats, supported Senate ratification of the treaty to make it the law of our land.

After all of my research regarding the candidates, I had no choice, today, but to cast my California Primary vote for Mitt Romney. He is the only candidate that supports the seat of the people with all three legs of the stool.

Unfortunately, right now, McCain is picking up more delegates than Mitt, and Huckabee is doing well as well. . .

More on Super Tuesday later tonight after most of the votes come in.