The man Al Gore won't debate has written a book

Václav Klaus, Presentation of the book “Blue Planet in Green Shackles”, National Press Club, Washington D.C., May 27, 2008:

The real debate should be about costs and benefits of alternative human actions, about how to rationally deal with the unknown future, about what kind and size of solidarity with much wealthier future generations is justified, about the size of externalities and their eventual appropriate “internalization”, about how much to trust the impersonal functioning of the markets in solving any human problem, including global warming and how much to distrust the very visible hand of very human politicians and their bureaucrats. Some of these questions are touched upon in my book.

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McCain: He's All They've Got?

by T. L. Farlow The Republicans have picked their middle-of-the-road-kinda-guy. If McLiberal-Cain is the "best they can do", what does that say about the GOP? Even though Conservatives feel an obligation and a desire to participate in the election process, we are perplexed and worried that we have no one to vote for, due to the polluted process of politics today. In this great piece, Farlow says:

With the offering to the American people, the Republicans are pinning all their hopes that the “maverick” draws voters from many different voting blocks, to cross-over and give the Republicans a chance at keeping the White House. McLiberal-Cain is known for his crossing over himself in many previous attempts to kill Republican initiatives in the Senate. With the demonstrations of his previous experiences in the Senate, he is certain to follow his own standardized pattern of behavior and work with the other side as well. This middle of the road is what the Republicans seek, a middle-of-the-road-kinda-guy.

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Our Veterans Through The Eyes of A Six Year Old Boy

By Randy Williams When we were kids, my brother and I were crazy about playing army. We didn’t play cowboys and Indians. That was for sissies. We played army. We thought of ourselves as hardcore soldiers. Our favorite TV shows were Combat and Hogan’s Heroes. My brother and I had the helmets, the toy rifles the canteens, we used branches and twigs for camouflage and mom would get upset if we used her green eye shadow and black mascara to paint our faces. Any rock or dirt clod was well suited and served as a hand grenade. If we ran out of grenades we would simply pick up a “Potato Masher” grenade that had been thrown at us by a Jerry. By pulling on a handful of long grass, we were able to pull up the roots of the grass with a dirt clod on the end. This served as the “Potato Masher” grenade that we threw back at the Jerry machine gun nest we were to overrun. The hills behind our home became our battlefield. One day we would walk out the back door and we were on Guadalcanal. The next day we were at Normandy. We saw many days of battle. read more | digg story

Hanging On By a Thin Thread

The climber, dressed in belts, clips and ropes, grips the cold rock wall. His focus is stern as he wrestles with the face of the mountain. His faith rests in the mighty rope extending to the anchor above. Every move is contemplated and calculated, but still his foot slips…then his hands…until the wall is a distant friend and he dangles hundreds of feet above the canyon. His heart pounds as he finds security only in the integrity of the rope. Suddenly, the rope shifts and begins to unravel. One by one, the twines let loose. Panic sets in as the climber clutches the rope, his hands shaking under the intensity of the grip and his knuckles turning white; one thread between life and death…one thread. The climber’s rope – broken and frayed – is a perfect symbol of the securities in my own life; each thread of the rope represents something or someone in my life; friends and family, predictability of the future, talents and gifts, health, material possessions; each one providing security and each one being compromised when God begins to fray my rope. People disappoint me. The future seems less predictable. Things that once seemed clear are less clear. read more | digg story

Your Car Can't Run on Congress' Hot Air!

Here is a great column by Mark Steyn, which a good friend had alerted me to. I was very impressed by Mark's writing abilities, let alone his brilliant way of helping to explain Conservatism. In a comment I wrote on Digg.com this morning, I said, "His brilliance reminds me a lot of the late William F. Buckley, Jr. Only Mark seems to be easier to understand... or, I've gotten smarter...." You would just have to read the first couple of paragraphs, and you will stick to reading the entire article:

I was watching the Big Oil execs testifying before Congress. That was my first mistake. If memory serves, there was lesbian mud wrestling over on Channel 137, and on the whole that's less rigged. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz knew the routine: "I can't say that there is evidence that you are manipulating the price, but I believe that you probably are. So prove to me that you are not." Had I been in the hapless oil man's expensive shoes, I'd have answered, "Hey, you first. I can't say that there is evidence that you're sleeping with barnyard animals, but I believe that you probably are. So prove to me that you are not. Whatever happened to the presumption of innocence and prima facie evidence, lady? Do I have to file a U.N. complaint in Geneva that the House of Representatives is in breach of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?" ~ Mark Steyn, "Your Car Can't Run on Congress' Hot Air!"

Believe me, this will be like a book you can't put down, only much shorter. read more digg story

Conservative Self-Examination

By T. L. Farlow I am a conservative, staunch and principled. Knowing that I am not alone, I reach out to other conservatives to consider the world in which we live. Consider the choices that have delivered us to this point in time, with the successes and failures along the way. In all of that, we have learned some very valuable lessons. These lessons are those to which I desire to discuss… Firstly, let us consider our present circumstances. We are without conservative, national or state leaders. We are without a conservative, national party. We are without representation in our capitols, nation and state. We are without a cohesive and comprehensive plan to remove us from our present circumstances. Being as we are ‘up-the-creek – without a paddle’, I encourage all conservatives to perform a thorough self-examination and then make an informed decision. Before we make that decision, let us review where we have been. read more digg story (For a more recent rendition of this story, see: http://www.johnny2k.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=538#538)

Christian States of America? - By Alan "Grandpa" Lake

"There are those who write about America’s problems and bemoan things that we see going on around us. They like to tell us that we must do something, but they seldom have a specific answer....I also grew up to prefer substance over symbolism, so I am forced to ask some very difficult questions. I am asking you to consider them with me."

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The Next 4 Years of Hell - by T. L. Farlow

A sad moment in American history if Farlow is right: "Chaos will ensue! Riots will be a regular occurrence. Yes, there will be change, but there will be no hope. That’s right, no hope for America." But he offers a solution: "The events of the world that unfold before our eyes should be proof enough that we should turn away from our worldly ways..." In a shout I sent tonight on digg.com for this one, I said:

I send this to you this evening, not to depress you, but to inspire you. Knowing what we could face after W leaves office doesn't seem to be giving us much hope of a "change" that will really help us. Farlow really does touch on the One that WILL help us, but we MUST turn to Him - NOW! Our Lord and Savior can get us through this, and maybe give us a solution - an alternative candidate. Maybe we just need to all do a write-in vote this fall, something like: "Jesus Christ"... Whoa! What an idea!! What would they do if they had a few million write in votes for "Jesus Christ"? It just hit me what an idea that would be! At any rate, what we REALLY need to do is to give the Electoral College a really big problem, where the GOP or Democrat nominee doesn't get anywhere near a majority, in ANY state!

While Rush Limbaugh - the El Rushbo, the Man who runs America - has a corner on the "Operation Chaos" movement to mess with the Democrats, little ol' johnnyk seems to be finding ways to put the whole election process into chaos. While Democrats in Michigan and Florida may be disenfranchised, I feel a good majority of the Republican Party voters, nationwide, are now disenfranchised! So, here it is, OUR opportunity to add the ultimate chaos when it comes to the Electoral College, and give them a major head-ache in seeing millions of write-in votes, over and above the Democrat and Republican candidates. That's what we can call "Operation HAVOC"! read more digg story

Environmental psychotics - by Joseph Farah

Are you nervous about the environment? Are you anxious about global warming?? Do your worries about man's relationship with planet Earth cause you paralyzing amounts of stress? You are not alone. Little crumb-crunching children are being systematically indoctrinated into believing their ordinary lifestyle will wreak havoc on the world's eco-system.

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John McCain and his global-warming train - By David Limbaugh

McCain, about global warming: "The most relevant question now is whether our own government is equal to the challenge." David Limbaugh: "No, Sen. McCain, the most relevant question is whether political leaders will have the diligence to study this issue and the integrity and courage to stand up to the propaganda of the enviro-bullies." read more | digg story

Up to 700 arrests estimated in Postville raid

From the Des Moines RegisterPostville, Ia. – At least 300 people were arrested today at the Agriprocessors, Inc. meat packing plant, federal officials said. The operation, which targeted people who illegally used other persons Social Security numbers and were in the U.S. illegally, was the largest of its kind in Iowa, said Claude Arnold, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.According to an affidavit, “Based on information thus far developed in the investigation, it appears, based on 2007 fourth quarter payroll reports, that approximately 76 percent of the 968 employees of Agriprocessors were using false or fraudulent social security numbers in connection with their employment.”

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'Sustainable development': Freedom's foe - By Henry Lamb

In a sustainable community, a property owner's rights are limited to whatever government decides is appropriate. Freedom rests upon the principle of private property ownership. Ownership of property is the right to use the property and to exclude others from it. When the right to use one's property is diminished by government, so then is freedom diminished.

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Up to 700 arrests estimated in Postville raid

From the Des Moines Register

Postville, Ia. – At least 300 people were arrested today at the Agriprocessors, Inc. meat packing plant, federal officials said. The operation, which targeted people who illegally used other persons Social Security numbers and were in the U.S. illegally, was the largest of its kind in Iowa, said Claude Arnold, a special agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to an affidavit, “Based on information thus far developed in the investigation, it appears, based on 2007 fourth quarter payroll reports, that approximately 76 percent of the 968 employees of Agriprocessors were using false or fraudulent social security numbers in connection with their employment.”

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For Sale - 1 Slightly Used Turnpike

By T. L. Farlow

The headlines the other day called attention to the plight of many Americans who are selling off their valued possessions just to make ends meet. The ridiculously high costs of fuel, food, electricity, etc, have caused many to resort to measures that are considered panic driven.

With credit cards maxed out, with banks clamping down on loan processing to increase their liquidity rates, with house foreclosures rates doubling, with the value of the dollar sinking past sub-basement levels, there is little else that regular citizens can do. Yes, they are seeing the value of their possessions as assets that can be utilized to pay off bills or to purchase some more groceries. Good ol’ American ingenuity is working after all.

Yet, that is not all.

These hard times are not just applicable to citizens. No! State governments are looking to do the same thing. They too are beginning to sell off valuables to make ends meet:

FOR SALE – 1 slightly used turnpike, stolen from the citizens of Pennsylvania by inept, corrupt elected officials and bureaucrats.

FOR SALE – 310 mile stretch of Interstate 80, formerly the property of the citizens, now going to the highest bidder.

It is becoming quite apparent that there is nothing sacred in this country anymore. There is nowhere that a government official will not go to get more money for the state’s coffers.

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What Ellis Washington would do as president, part 2

Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: "We the people." "We the people" tell the government what to do, it doesn't tell us.

- Ronald Reagan's Farewell Address, Jan. 11, 1989.

Admittedly, none of this can happen until "we the people" regain control of our government. Ellis has some great ideas that he's been talking about in this series. I particularly loved this quote from Part 2:

Policy No. 3 – As your president, I would put all 50 states on notice that states rights are constitutional again, but also states responsibilities. Therefore, any state that wants to provide services to their residents must pay for them. I would urge each state to prepare for every foreseeable (and unforeseeable) contingencies in their annual budgets, including "acts of God."

This one reminded me of T. L. Farlow's piece, called "Far We Have Strayed From The Truth". In that column, Farlow writes:

"Wouldn’t it be simpler to tell these federally funded idiots that if they want to live in an area prone to hurricanes, they need to know that sometimes hurricanes will come and wipe them out? I mean, it has only been happening for thousands of years already."

Rather than depending on the "Chicken in every pot" from the Federal government, the States should be responsible for those "acts of God"! read more digg story

The "Murder" of the DC Madam?

When I first heard about the death of Deborah Jeane Palfrey yesterday (05/01/08), a big red flag went up in my mind, immediately. Within hours of the announcement that she was deceased, it was playing in the press as a suicide. Or, maybe that was said as "an apparent suicide". She allegedly hung herself with a nylon rope out in the shed... Right...

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