Defiantly, Bush's Tax Plans Continue to Work

From the bbc:

The US budget deficit shrank to $319bn (£180bn) last year as better economic conditions boosted tax revenues...

US Treasury Secretary John Snow hailed the fall, which was larger than had been projected, as "encouraging news".

However, this year's deficit is likely to be swelled by $30bn of spending on post-Hurricane Katrina reconstruction...

So, the deficit is down by (nearly) a hundred billion dollars due to increased tax revenue...and they feel the need to interject bad news (katrina) to make up for it. Well, guess what. The deficit will still be down seventy billion or so.
Why did I pull this story from the bbc? I wasn't able to find it in the American media as yet.
Folks, the tax cuts are working.
Don't be fooled by this good news, though. The left will find a way to spin a shrinking deficit into bad news. My prediction is that there will be much whining (read: lying) from the left that Bush is shrinking the deficit on the backs of the poor. I'd bet you on that if I were a betting man.
So, conservatism is working again, there is good news out there, and you'll find neither in the mainstream American press. A deficit shrink of a hundred billion dollars should be front page news in every publication in The States, especially during a time of war.
Linked at:

Stop the ACLU

Finally, The GOP Gets It.

Hat tip to

Right Wing News

Could it be??? According to a report in The Hill, Senate and House Republicans think we may be spending too much.

“I think there’s a nervousness and anxiety under the surface,” said Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.). “We’re going to muddle through the rest of this legislative session and keep our heads down.”

LaHood said members were taking a “wait and see” attitude toward the current leadership structure. Without specifically mentioning DeLay, the outspoken Republican expressed concern that a temporary fix sent the wrong message to voters.

“I think it’s a poor reflection of our conference,” LaHood said. “It’s a continuation of a very negative message on the part of our leadership.”

LaHood said former Majority Whip Tony Coelho (D-Calif.), former Speaker-designate Bob Livingston (R-La.) and former Speakers Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Jim Wright (D-Texas) each stepped aside in the face of ethical challenges for the good of their respective caucuses.

But what about DeLay?

In an apparent attempt to address any conference concerns, DeLay made an impassioned speech to his fellow House Republicans on Thursday night, according to several members in attendance. He asked conference members to hold off on launching leadership races to replace him and even took responsibility for some of the budgetary concerns that have overwhelmed congressional leaders in recent weeks.

“We lost sight on spending, and for that I apologize,” DeLay told his fellow House Republicans.

Add to this the fact that Kevin Brady (R,TX) voiced that we need to change how we spend. And add that they called immigration an "Achilles' heel"...Could they possibly be "getting it"? One can only hope.

Stop the ACLU BlogBurst!

It happens somewhere in America almost everyday. Some small school, city counsel or County Courthouse gets sued. Perhaps your town has a historical monument to honor the dead from WWII that just so happens to be shaped like a cross. Or maybe your child's school will be having a winter break instead of Christmas this year. Whatever it is, don't fool yourself...it could happen to your town. And what will happen when it does? What will happen when the ACLU comes into your backyard? Will your town stand up for its religious liberties, or fold? The ACLU will go full force and has plenty of money to back it up. Does your town have the funds to defend itself? The ACLU has the backing of huge liberal groups, funded to the tee. How doe your town stack up?

Don't think it couldn't happen to you. Right now, there are those out there watching it happen to them. What can you do? If the ACLU wins, guess who pays for it? Thats right, you do.

I found the following at ReclaimAmerica.Org

U.S. Representative John Hostettler has introduced legislation which seeks to prevent the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from collecting millions of dollars in court awards when they seek to remove symbols of the Christian faith from society.

The Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005 (H.R . 2679) would prevent secular organizations from collecting attorney fees after suing communities to remove memorial crosses, Ten Commandments displays, or any other vestige of the Christian faith. The legislation reads, "The remedies with respect to a claim under this section where the deprivation consists of a violation of a prohibition in the Constitution against the establishment of religion shall be limited to injunctive relief."

I found this at

ACLU Generates Revenue in Courtroom Campaign

$156,960 Nebraska

The ACLU was awarded $156,960 after a judge overturned an amendment to the Nebraska Constitution defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The amendment was approved by 70 percent of Nebraska voters.

$790,000 = San Diego

The ACLU was given $790,000 after suing to nullify a lease between the city of San Diego and the Boy Scouts of America. A federal judge sided with the ACLU, ruling that the Boy Scouts are a religious organization because they require kids to pledge an oath to God and promise to live a "morally straight"

$150,000 = Barrow County (Ga.)

The ACLU was awarded $150,000 after suing to remove a display of the Ten Commandments from the Barrow County Courthouse.

$615,500 = Florida Supreme Court

The Florida Supreme Court established the Florida Bar Foundation and then commissioned the foundation to provide $615,500 to the ACLU of Florida between the years of 1990 and 1997.

$121,500 = Kentucky

The ACLU was awarded $121,500 after suing to remove a monument outside of the Kentucky Capitol building.

$277,000 = Kentucky

The ACLU was awarded a whopping $277,000 after suing to overturn a state law against abortion in 1994.

$299,500 = Kentucky

In 2001, the ACLU was awarded more than $299,500 after suing to overturn abortion regulations in Kentucky.

$50,000 = Tennessee

A Tennessee County was forced to pay the ACLU $50,000 after losing a legal battle to preserve a display of the Ten Commandments.

$37,037 = Loudoun County (Va.)

The ACLU was awarded $37,037 after winning a lawsuit to prevent a Loudoun County (Va.) from installing pornography filters on public library computers.

$175,000 = Alabama

Following the lawsuit, involving former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the Alabama Supreme Court building, state taxpayers were forced to pay nearly $550,000 in attorney fees and court costs. Of that, $175,000 went to the ACLU.

$63,000 = California

Taxpayers were forced to give the ACLU a whopping $63,000 after their lawsuit to remove a World War One Memorial Cross from the Mojave National Preserve.

$74,462 = Habersham County (Ga.)

The ACLU received $74,462 from Georgia taxpayers after suing to remove a Ten Commandments display from the Habersham County (Ga.) Courthouse.

$25,000 = Pulaski County (Ark.)

The ACLU was awarded $25,000 after suing an Arkansas county for telling the child's parents that the 14-year-old boy was living an openly gay lifestyle in school.

$135,000 = Cobb County (Ga.)

The ACLU is scheduled to receive $135,000 from Cobb County taxpayers, after suing the county to remove warning stickers from the district biology books. The stickers simply read, "Evolution is a theory, not a fact."

$75,000 = Pasco (Wash.)

The city of Pasco, Washington was forced to pay the ACLU $75,000 after they lost a lawsuit to remove the painting of a naked woman from the Pasco City Hall.

$52,000 = Seattle (Wash.)

Residents in Seattle, Washington, were ordered to pay $52,000 to the ACLU — for defending a student's "right" to mock the assistant principal in a sexual online parodies … sodomizing Homer Simpson and appearing in Viagra commercials.

$6,000,000 = American taxpayers

The ACLU, along with other pro-abortion organizations, have shared in court awards estimated to be worth roughly six million dollars following the Supreme Court's decision in which they declared the Nebraska partial birth abortion ban unconstitutional. Reportedly, these lawsuits affected thirty states.

$18,000 = London (Ohio)

After suing London, Ohio, for allowing their football coach to host a voluntary prayer for athletes, the ACLU was awarded $18,000 in attorney fees.

$110,000 = Multnomah County (Oregon)

Incredibly, Multnomah County taxpayers were asked to pay a whopping $110,000 after the ACLU sued them for allowing the Boy Scouts of America to recruit on public school campuses.

$111,000 = Operation Rescue

Operation Rescue was ordered to pay the ACLU $111,000 after losing a lawsuit in which the ACLU sought to prevent the organization from picketing near abortion clinics.

$230,000">San Diego (California)

San Diego residents were forced to pay $230,000 in legal costs in an effort to defend the Mount Soledad Cross (a memorial to the Korean War) from an ACLU lawsuit. The Korean War Memorial had been established in 1952.

Don't let it happen to your town, or if it is going to happen...don't pay for it. Reclaiming America has put together a petition that already has over 100,000 signatures. We also have a petition asking for the same thing, to stop taxpayer funding of the ACLU in Establishment Clause cases. You can sign both petitions here. Help us curb the secularization of America.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please register at Our Portal. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 115 blogs already onboard.

The Whole Miers Situation...As I See It.

I have received several e-mails and comments of late about my position on the Harriet Miers situation. Some supportive, some that I was wrong...those I can handle. We all have the right to our own opinions. However, the ones that get to me are the ones who [mistakenly] assume that I'm just supporting W. regardless of what he does. I'm sorry, but I'm just too intelligent for that. Bush may or may not have let us all down on this one.
Why am I not joining the illustrious ranks of John Hawkins, Michelle Malkin, Anne Coulter, etc.?
The simple reason is that I have a lot of faith in the system. I love the Constitution. I sincerely believe in the cause of conservatism.
Allow me to explain. I, along with many others, have been praying for this judicial activism to stop. Hence, if I were to "demand" that W. offer up a hardline right wing judge, who would rule on the side of conservatives every time...I would have to call myself a hypocrite.
Why on God's green Earth would I harp on every dem. in the Senate to simply do their job of advise and consent if I weren't willing to allow them to do so with Miers. To explain: IF Harriet Miers gets through the Judicial Committee, then we'll have to know a little more of her Judicial Philosophy...as would our elected representatives in the Senate. They would then vote based on her qualifications (or lack thereof). There were so many checks and balances installed by the founders that it boggles the mind. WE elected the pres. WE elected the Senators. Now, THEY must do us the job of selecting the Justices.
If the justices were beholden to ANY ideology then they would be instantly flawed, and their power would be un breakable. They would then essentially become political leaders who were appointed for a lifetime. Unchecked. We simply can't have that.
I could give a rat's rectum if she is a conservative, moderate, or even a liberal... as long as they were willing to interpret the Constitution of the United States of America as the founders intended. No more "magic eye poster" rights. No more judicial activism. Case in point... a very prominent and very liberal lawyer friend of mine would fight to the death to overturn Roe. Why? Not because he has a problem with abortion, he could care less. It's just bad law. There are liberals all over this country that will tell you that they can't find abortion rights anywhere in the constitution.
I do not want an ideologue on the bench. In no way am I convinced that Miers is qualified. In no way will I blindly follow everything the pres tells me. I just have an unyielding faith in the Constitution...and believe it should be upheld, regardless of my beliefs.

Dr. James Dobson Caves

Found this over at Stop the ACLU

Seeking to avoid a threatened subpoena by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson, with White House permission, revealed the contents of his private phone conversation with President Bush’s chief adviser Karl Rove regarding Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers – details that largely became public later.

While the contentious confidential information was not the bombshell sought by some Democrats, the family advocate provided more insight into the selection process, which has become a bitter point of division among Republicans who feel betrayed by the president’s choice of a nominee without a proven conservative judicial philosophy.

According to Dobson, Rove stated in the Oct. 1 conversation that some better-known candidates removed their names from the list and that before finally selecting Miers, the president had decided to narrow his choice to a woman.

Well, I can sypathise with the good doctor, but I still have issues with the judiciary committee threatening to subpoena the clergy. It just seems wrong.
However, this does shed alot of light on the selection process...maybe those who we wanted just weren't willing to face the Kennedy-Biden firing squad. Just a thought.

I May Pay for This One.

Hat tip to Stop the ACLU
*giddy update* welcome my fellow RWN-ers...sit a spell, take yer shoes off...yall come back now, ya hear?

I am about to commit a few nearly unforgivable sins...at least as far as right-of-center bloggers go. I am calling some of my fellow bloggers' recent irrationality and (apparent) developing hatred for our President.
First off, I'll start with on of the biggest... Michelle Malkin. It stings just typing this. Let me start off by saying that I in no way esteem myself to be anywhere near as great as Ms. Malkin, and have defended her on many occasions. Also, I have a great deal of respect for her both as a journalist and conservative. However, since the Miers nomination, it seems as if maybe she's being a little too critical of every move in the White House. Case in point:

So, the First Lady pulled out the sexism card in her defense of Harriet Miers on NBC's Today Show.
Matt Lauer lapped it up.
Did the White House not inform Mrs. Bush that some of the most vocal criticism and questioning of the nomination comes from conservative women? Or does she buy into the Left's conservative-women-are-self-loathing-traitors-to-their-gender line, too?
Guess this is the thanks we get for defending the First Lady in the face of real anti-woman sentiment.
With all due respect, perhaps Mrs. Bush should stick to telling horse jokes.

Ouch. C'mon, Ms. Malkin, here's how it went down: Matt asked Mrs. Bush if she thaught that the recent outrage among conservatives may have some sexist roots.
Her response? "It's possible."
Not exactly promoting the idea now, was she?
The "Coalition of the 'Illin" really is allowing whatever anger that they may be feeling take over. It's sad that some of our best and brightest on the right have resorted to the behaviour most often found on the left.
Among those who are "'illin" is the man who inspired me to start this puny little weblog in the first place...John Hawkins. (In case you were counting, that's nearly unforgivable sin #2) It seems as if now, if you want the epitomy of Bush bashing...go to Right Wing News.

Guys (and girls!) we've convinced ourselves that W owes us something because we've supported him while the MSM and the rest of the left were fighting tooth and claw. Let me ask you this one question... Did we not support the war on terror and the war in Iraq because we thought this course of action was truly laudable?
The President only owes us (in this situation) a pick that He feels wil be the strongest constitutional conservative. Maybe in this age of information, those of us who are "in the know" now who wouldn't have been before feel like we should know everyone who is anyone in the running for a seat in the SCOTUS. Even if this appointment is an abysmal failure, the worse we will come out with is another O'Connor. However, all signs indicate that we should be getting another Thomas...maybe better.
Well, that's my rant. I may have bitten off a big one, but it's better to post these things...the wife doesn't like it when I hold it in she says it turns my face all wrinkly. ;)

HOOAH! Saturday

I have decided to attempt to organize a little project.
What I propose is that either on Fri, 21 Oct. or Sat, 22 Oct. Right of center bloggers create a post with the expressed purpose of supporting our troops. A few rules that I would suggest is that:
1) The title of the post should be, simply, HOOAH! -this would help with search engines, etc.
2) All positive. No mention of anti-americanism, leftist anti-war efforts, etc.
3) All positive. This one twice because of its great importance.

The idea came to me while e-mail tagging with a man that, from what I know of him, I admire greatly. He's a retired military man, and he expressed to me the kind of gratitude that can only be felt as you are reading the words themselves for the support that myself and those like me (out of uniform) are giving/have given our troops.
Use this as an opportunity for a thank you, morale booster, open thinking of you card, or just to let them know that you are praying for them.

All this is tentative for now, the dates may change. I will, however post the final plans on Friday the 14th to give us all a week to get it in.
Advanced thanks for your support...M. Sheldon.

Linked at: Stop the ACLU

Carnival of True Liberties 2

Another fine batch of submissions to the foray of ACLU exposing. Check it out.

Godspeed, 233rd.

The 233rd Heavy Transportation unit is leaving on their 4th trip to Iraq today from Ft. Knox ...wanted to publicly express my appreciation to them and all of our fine military men and women.
A big, heartfelt HOOOAH to all of you.
That's all for now.

Carnival of True Liberties!

Stop the ACLU's inaugural Carnival of True Liberties is now up and ready for all to read. There you'll find many great posts about the ACLU, how it sucks, and such. Posts with titles like "10 reasons why Salt Pork is better than the ACLU"-my personal favorite!
I was going to participate, but in typical form, I procrastinated until about 10:50 Sat. evening, with the carnival deadline at 11. Sorry, Gribbit and Jayster, maybe next time.
Til then, read up...It's more to plagiarise for the next carnival.