Time 2 Escape Daily for Wednesday, Jan 4, 2012

I did something different last night. I went for a walk. It was just a block or two, and I had a destination in mind. My precinct caucus was held last night and I attended. It was such a sacrifice, too, being that I had to walk somewhere while the weather was being so gentle to us Eastern Iowans (it hasn't snowed YET in Cedar Rapids!).

For months, I was hoping to be the speaker for Herman Cain. The speakers for Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum were announced... Wait, what about the other candidates? I asked the caucus leader if I could say anything about Herman Cain. My request was rejected. It was then that I made my statement, in front of 87 people: "Why not?" Sure, that looks like a question, but really, it was a statement. I could have mentioned anyone, actually, not just Herman Cain. I could have mentioned Sarah Palin or Chris Christie; the statement would still have the same meaning. Who decides/decided what Republicans really want in a candidate to run against the incumbent in the White House? Maybe that explains how Santorum only lost by 8 votes overall in Iowa against the guy the GOP and media elite really want.

Of course, the first caucus in the country wasn't the only news that kept me awake too long last night. The Iranian saber-rattling is unsettling. Building a nuke, threatening to shut off the oil spigot by blocking the Strait of Hormuz... Well, it is all the more reason why who is chosen to be President next November is all important right now. We will need a Commander-in-Chief that we can depend on to protect our freedom. Is our current President up to the task?

In the mean time, many of us are asking what we need to do to live a better life. And the two stories that I included today are right on the money, because it really comes down to having the personal freedom to do what you can to be successful. Think about that! Because I love you, I'm just sayin'...

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The News Stories:

Mitt Romney Squeaks Out Narrow Victory in Iowa
From Newsmax.com ~ By Martin Gould ~ Tuesday, 03 Jan 2012 10:20 PM

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Iowa GOP caucus early Wednesday morning by just eight votes after an intense three-way battle throughout Tuesday evening that underscored the depth of opposition to him within the Republican Party.

The race had shaped up as a two-way dead heat between Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum with Iowa GOP chairman Matt Strawn announcing Romney’s victory shortly after 2:30 EST. The final vote total for Romney was 30,015 to Santorum’s 30,007.

The decision Tuesday night by Iowa Republican caucus-goers followed 354 days of campaigning and an estimated 900 events, according to Iowa officials. Candidates spent the final days of campaigning before the first-in-the-nation vote in one last-gasp scramble, traveling from town to city.

The vote was so close that Romney could not effectively claim a decisive victory, especially as Santorum’s dramatic effort suggested the depth of the “anyone-but-Romney” movement within in the GOP. Santorum wasn’t even considered a viable candidate 10 days ago. READ MORE

Gingrich Praises Santorum in Defeat
From Newsmax.com ~ By Paul Scicchitano ~ Tuesday, 03 Jan 2012 11:19 PM

With a likely fourth-place finish in Iowa, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich vowed to continue his campaign at least through the New Hampshire primary.

“I am delighted to be here tonight and I think that we are at the beginning of an extraordinarily important campaign,” Gingrich told supporters with wife Callista by his side.

“The ultimate goal of this campaign has to be to replace Barack Obama and get America back on the right track. But let’s be clear: one of the things which became obvious in the last few weeks in Iowa is that there will be a great debate in the Republican Party before we are prepared to have a great debate with Barack Obama.”

Gingrich congratulated former Sen. Rick Santorum not only on his apparent victory in Iowa, but for waging “a great, positive campaign “ in sharp contrast to his words for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney whom he described as a “liar” earlier in the day for a slew of negative advertisements, many of which were directed at Gingrich. READ MORE

Iranian War Drums
From FrontPageMag.com ~ By Stephen Brown ~ Jan 4th, 2012

After threatening only days ago to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which twenty percent of the world’s oil supplies moves, the Iranian government has once again engaged in ominous sabre-rattling.

The mullah regime’s latest threat involves a warning to the United States on Tuesday not to send its naval task force group, headed by the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, back to the Persian Gulf. The Stennis had already left Gulf waters last week en route to the Afghan war theater and is now “somewhere between Oman and Pakistan.”

“I advise, recommend and warn them [the Americans] over the return of this carrier to the Persian Gulf because we are not in the habit of warning more than once,” Iranian Army Chief Ataollah Salehi reportedly stated.

The reason for Iran’s latest bellicose outburst is that the Obama administration is implementing a strict set of sanctions that could seriously damage, even topple, the Iranian government. The latest punitive measures are being imposed because Iran is still refusing, despite worldwide condemnation, to give up its nuclear weapons program. The fact Iran may be as little as a year away from developing its first nuclear weapon accounts for the sanctions’ severity. The International Atomic Energy Commission also reported recently that Iranian scientists are “working to design a nuclear warhead.” READ MORE

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Columnists and Their Commentaries:

Ron Paul’s Soros Defense Plan
From FrontPageMag.com ~ By Daniel Greenfield ~ Jan 2nd, 2012

It was recently observed that Ron Paul was to the left of Obama on national security and the best evidence for that statement can be found when one year ago Ron Paul joined forces with Barney Frank on a proposal to gut national defense via a panel of experts, quite a few of whom were tied to George Soros.

In July 2010, Barney Frank and Ron Paul co-authored a Huffington Post article rolling out their Sustainable Defense Task Force. The Task Force “consisting of experts on military expenditures that span the ideological spectrum” would recommend a trillion dollars in defense cuts. The experts, however, didn’t quite “span the ideological spectrum” — more like float under it.    READ MORE

I love greed ~ By Walter Williams
Walter E. Williams explains the beauty, necessity of 'enlightened self-interest'
From WND ~ Jan 3, 2012

WALTER E. WILLIAMS

Free-market capitalism is relatively new in human history. Prior to the rise of capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting, plundering and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible to become wealthy by serving one’s fellow man. Capitalists seek to discover what people want and then produce it as efficiently as possible. Free-market capitalism is ruthless in its profit-and-loss discipline. This explains much of the hostility toward free-market capitalism; some of it is held by businessmen. [Adam] Smith recognized this hostility when he said, “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.” He was hinting at government-backed crony capitalism, which has come to characterize much of today’s businesses. READ MORE

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From the Blogs:

Made to make a difference ~ By Ralph Marston
From The Daily Motivator ~ Tuesday, January 3, 2012

This Daily Motivator seems to go well with Walter Williams' column, "I love greed" (see above).

Doing only what is easy and convenient, comfortable and free of challenge, doesn’t get you very far. Chasing after something for nothing ends up getting you nothing of real value.

In order to experience true fulfillment in any undertaking, you must invest yourself in it. It is your active participation and contribution to life that makes it so good to live.

If you continually take the easy way out, avoiding effort, challenge and commitment, you’ll end up being very disappointed. You are made to make a difference, so embrace every opportunity to do so.

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Don't be afraid!

WE the PEOPLE

are the MOB
ONE NATION UNDER GOD

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
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