Crime(s) of the Century ~ By DOUG POWERS

By Doug Powers Posted: June 29, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009

Now they're planning the crime of the century Well what will it be? Read all about their schemes and adventuring It's well worth a fee So roll up and see How they rape the universe How they've gone from bad to worse Who are these men of lust, greed, and glory? Rip off the masks and let's see. Supertramp – Crime of the Century

The above song needs a plural sequel called "Crimes of the Century," because I'd be thrilled if Congress were only planning one crime at any given time these days, but now there are so many that it's hard to keep up with. One of those crimes of the century that is still in the planning stages, but is close to unfortunate reality, is cap and trade – otherwise known as the Waxman-Markey bill. "Cap and trade" passed through the House of Representatives Friday afternoon by a close 219-212 vote. Many of the same politicians who bashed Bernard Madoff over the head for his Ponzi scheme voted to do something similar multiplied many times over – but in order to "save the planet" from evil carbon-based pollutants like … you and me. Ohio Rep. John Boehner referred to Waxman-Markey as a "pile of excrement" (though Boehner used a different word). Frankly, I think this is an insult … to piles of excrement. The U.S. government and its collection of worms, weasels and vermin are wonderfully adept at exploiting people who haven't even been born yet, and they're at it again and they won't stop until they're made to stop. [YOU MUST READ THE REST OF THIS COLUMN!]

Note: Doug has taken the Twitter plunge! You can follow his ramblings at ThePowersThatBe. Here are a couple extra little treats for you, featuring the song mentioned above by my favorite group, Supertramp:

The nation's birth certificate ~ By Joseph Farah

By Joseph Farah Posted: June 29, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 Later this week we will celebrate the birth of this nation. We know where that birth took place – Philadelphia. We know who the parents were – we call them our "Founding Fathers." We know there were many witnesses and lots of documentation. We know the building in which this birth took place – Independence Hall. It's still there, a celebrated historical marker for visitors over the last 233 years. We know how much pain and sacrifice was involved with the birth of the nation and its aftermath. We know all this with certainty, in part, because there is a birth certificate for the nation drafted July 4, 1776, that has been well-preserved and observed ever since. That birth certificate, of course, is known as the Declaration of Independence. By the way, that document is not a computer-generated abbreviation. All the copies of the Declaration of Independence I have ever seen have been actual facsimiles. No one would expect a historically significant document to be chopped up, with names of key players removed, signatures excised and key details omitted. Thank goodness America has a birth certificate – one that the whole nation, including generations to come, can read and view and study and admire. It gives a legitimacy to our history and to who we are today. It leaves no doubt about from where we come. You can go see the actual document in the National Archives – just a few blocks from the White House. One thing you won't find in the National Archives, though I think you should, is a copy of the birth certificate of the first black president – Barack Hussein Obama. Don't you think that's strange? Don't you think there's a place for it in the National Archives, especially given the history of this nation and its conflicts over race and slavery? Don't you think it would be great if all Americans could go view the actual birth certificate of Barack Hussein Obama just like tens of thousands will be viewing the nation's birth certificate in Washington this week? [CONTINUE READING]

Glenn Beck Exposes America's ENEMIES

From USArulesOverObama on June 14, 2009:

Obama talks, but his words cover other actions. He looks cool and calm, but he is cold and steely. He's in a position of public service, but he sees himself as the ruler. He spoke an oath to uphold the United States Constitution ... His plan is to tear it down ... and he is tearing it down with the blessing of the Congressional Democrat majority and corrupt judges slipped into the court system long ago. No newspaper is investigating it. No TV news is reporting it. No one is exposing it, save one. Glenn Beck on FOX NEWS ("fair and unafraid") is exposing treason happening under our very noses, within our very gates, in a corrupted government ripe for a Progressive take-over. And they are taking over even as you read this: "For a long time, I went, 'how did we possibly get here'? And I didn't want to believe that we were headed down the path that we looks like we are. ... My next issue of my magazine, 'Fusion', is all about the cancer that is in this country. This is the problem in our country. It is progressivism. ... We started with this thing with Chrysler and GM, the way they're closing people down. It is, we are on the road to fascism with these czars." R.J. PESTRITTO: "The czar thing is absolutely amazing. This is what they did in the old, in the 30's in Italy. All these things that are going on right now, cars, taking over banks, health care, nation you-name-it, what makes this all fit together, what's the pattern here, we see the pattern here. It's progressivism. It was laid out in book form, in writings, in speeches, in the 1910's and the 1920's. Barack Obama is a disciple of that understanding of things. He's audacious enough to think he can actually bring it off. He's doing it in a very radical way." MATT SPALDING: "The progressives knew that their vision of government could not proceed on the basis of the original model of the separation of powers, as you were pointing in the first segment of your show tonight. So what they argued was that Congress, instead of passing specific laws, which they're supposed to do as your elected representatives, Congress should instead pass very vaguely worded laws, just like the TARP law is, and should set up a kind of network of bureaucratic agencies. And they thought that these agencies would have the expertise, very much along the lines of the czar system that we have under the Obama administration, and thought they'd have the expertise to handle this vast increase in regulation of our economy and society." Who is this Barack Hussein Obama -- A.K.A. Barry Obama -- A.K.A. Barry Soetoro (illegal alien)? http://www.obamacrimes.info/ This "website was created after research indicated that Barack Obama is not a 'natural born' citizen or a Citizen of the United States as required by the United States Constitution to be eligible for the Office of President." ~~ attorney Philip J. Berg (a registered Democrat, BTW)

The end of Mark Sanford? ~ By Star Parker

By Star Parker Posted: June 27, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 When I've been asked who I thought could be the individual to lead the Republican Party out of the wilderness, my answer has always been Mark Sanford. His vision for his party and his country – traditional values and limited government – has always been clear, consistent and, in my view, correct. And he has always pursued that vision, as a congressman and as a governor, with a boldness and courage rare among politicians. The Cato Institute publishes a biannual report card of the nation's governors, ranking them according to fiscal responsibility. In the most recent report, three governors out of 50 received an "A." Sanford was one of the three. So, like many others, I watched with disappointment his confession about his clandestine adulterous affair. Now what? No surprises that most predict the end of Sanford's political career. And, of course, we've got the usual, and gleeful, accusations of hypocrisy that another conservative Republican has been caught with his pants down. But if there is a crisis in America today – and I think there is – is it that leaders fall short of standards, or is it that our answers to human frailty increasingly tend to deny that any standards exist? The most strident accusations of hypocrisy come not from those saddened that Sanford fell short of the traditional values to which he subscribes. They're from those who want to de-legitimize and marginalize those traditional values. John F. Kennedy gave a famous speech during his 1960 presidential campaign to address the question of his Catholicism. Rather than argue that Catholic values are consistent with American values, he argued that religion and public policy have nothing to do with each other. Kennedy turned out to be one of the great sleazes to occupy the White House (not unlike his brother Sen. Ted who, in his last hurrah, is now trying to socialize American health care). During the almost half century since Kennedy gave that speech, the moral, social and legal fabric of our country has steadily unraveled. In 1960, around 5 percent of our babies were born to unwed mothers. Today it is 40 percent. The pillars upon which our free country stands – sanctity of life, liberty and property – have been eroded to the point where they are barely recognizable. Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, 50 million unborn children have been destroyed. The United States now has among the most liberal abortion regimes in the world. In some of our states, a 12-year-old girl can get an abortion without informing her parents, be assisted by her school administrators and have it paid for with taxpayer funds. [CONTINUE READING]

Obama, Acorn, And Election Fraud

A video from DarcPrynce from October 05, 2008

A video compilation of various news clips regarding Barack Obama, the left-wing activist organization ACORN (now COI) that he used to work for, and the massive voter registration fraud they've perpetrated over the years. Produced by Edward L. Daley

Obama, Acorn, And Election Fraud

It's really too bad that so many people made the mistake of voting for Barack Hussein Obama for President. I guess they should have seen this video. Now, maybe we can work on getting Obama impeached! And he SHOULD be, since he refuses to prove he is a natural born citizen, as required by the Constitution of the United States, by refusing to provide his long-form Birth Certificate. (What is he hiding, anyway?) A must-read RELATED STORY: traces of nuts

'Cap and trade' your freedom ~ By Joseph Farah

By Joseph Farah Posted: June 27, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 I'm going to take a wild guess and say that 5 percent of Americans could give an accurate definition of what "cap and trade" means. We hear the phrase a lot. It has what I call a high MEGO factor. MEGO is a news industry acronym for "my eyes glaze over." Nevertheless, the plan by Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress to institute a "cap and trade" system on the production of carbon dioxide and other so-called "greenhouse gases" (the principal one being water vapor, by the way) is nothing more than a plot to destroy the American economy once and for all. You think I'm kidding? Here are a few facts to consider:

The plan is based on largely pseudo-science suggesting that these natural gases (not pollutants) are causing massive, catastrophic climate change. The plan is based on the idea that increases in these gases are caused by man's activity on the planet, even though man-made carbon dioxide and water vapor represent an infinitesimally small amount of the carbon dioxide and water vapor in our atmosphere. Historic tracking of the relationship of carbon dioxide volume in the atmosphere and temperature increases does indeed correlate a trend – but not the way Al Gore explains it. Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere follow warming trends. They don't precede them. There is no evidence that small fluctuations in global temperatures actually lead to devastating results. In fact, they are often beneficial – and they are cyclical. The planet has been much colder in man's history. And it has been much warmer in history. These trends occurred before man was involved in major industry.

But let's put all that aside for a moment. Let's pretend the assumptions of Al Gore and a handful of government-paid scientists are correct – the planet really is warming because of man's activity. The "cap and trade" system about to be imposed on Americans will do nothing to stop or reverse the amount of "greenhouse gases" spewing into the world's atmosphere – not even close. [CONTINUE READING]

How to be a useful idiot ~ By Patrice Lewis

By Patrice Lewis Posted: June 27, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 My husband got the funniest e-mail a while ago. It said: "Official Business order #64587216Z5FE456J9. Cash Bailouts are Finally going out. Please register for your Official Stimulus package here: http://--- The sooner you register, the sooner you will likely receive your Stimulus Package." I mean, honestly – what idiot would fall for this? Or how about this one. I answer the phone and hear: "HOOOONKKK … This is your captain speaking!" The voice tells me I can win a cruise to the Bahamas for answering "10 simple questions." I've never answered the questions, of course, because I have no interest in being a useful idiot. Nearly as amusing was a survey I received seeking my consumer purchasing preferences for a variety of products. Do I use adult diapers, for instance, and if so which brand? This survey went on for pages and queried me on everything from my musical tastes to my grocery shopping habits and preferred medications. I thought it hilarious that anyone could be idiotic enough to answer. Or how about this piece of merriment? Another survey wants to know my household income, my educational level, how I get to work, what type of house I live in, how much it's worth, when it was built, how it's heated, what insurance I have, what languages I speak, how many children I have and everyone's physical, mental and emotional condition. Ha ha. That's gotta be the funniest one yet. I hear 3 million people received this one. Oh, wait a minute. This was the 2009 American Community Survey, which supplements the U.S. census. And all the answers I wouldn't reveal to anyone, much less the government, are required by law. Isn't that nice? The original purpose of the census was for taxation and apportioning political representation. But according to a NY Post article, the intrusive information sought in the census is used by the government "to spread around your tax dollars and justify federal bureaucracies; it can also be distributed to private businesses." Private businesses! How did the simple words of Article I, Section 2, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution ("Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States. … the actual Enumeration shall be made … every subsequent Term of ten Years. …") degenerate into … the number of toilets in our house? What on earth does this have to do with representation and taxation? Answer: It doesn't. It has nothing whatever to do with apportionment. Just as our driver's licenses and Social Security numbers have deteriorated into government-issued identification papers, so has the census deteriorated into a massive, intrusive excuse to collect vast amounts of personal data. The key words in the Constitution are "apportion" and "enumeration." You must enumerate (count) before you can apportion. Apportionment does not require knowing how long it takes you to get to work or what languages you speak, much less the bathroom specifics of your home. What kind of useful idiot would passively roll over and answer these questions? People are routinely threatened with fines "up to $5,000" if they refuse to be useful idiots. And you can get fined up to $500 if you falsify any answers, so don't think you're being clever if you put your race as Martian or the number of bathrooms in your home at 83. Ten years ago we wrote a cover letter to accompany our returned census, which said, "Pursuant to Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, we are hereby informing you there are four people in our household, two of whom are voting age." Naturally a census drone knocked on our door shortly thereafter and pressed us to answer the rest of the survey, an offer we politely declined. End of story. To be sure, there are few lone politicians crying in the wilderness against this kind of invasive bullpoop. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, says, "One can only imagine the countless malevolent ways our federal bureaucrats could use this information. … The founders never authorized the federal government to continuously survey the American people. More importantly, they never envisioned a nation where the people would roll over and submit to every government demand. The American Community Survey is patently offensive to all Americans who still embody that fundamental American virtue, namely a healthy mistrust of government." And Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann says the census questions have become "very intricate, very personal" and "the only question we will be answering is how many people are in our home. We won't be answering any information beyond that, because the Constitution doesn't require any information beyond that." (SEE VIDEO BELOW) Shelly Lowe, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Census Bureau, said Mrs. Bachmann is "misreading" the law. She sent a portion of the U.S. legal code that says anyone over 18 years of age who refuses to answer "any of the questions" on the census form can be fined up to $5,000. HOOOONKKK. [CONTINUE READING]

Rep. Michele Bachmann on Glenn Beck

Hark! Where's the Bible Ark?

Ethiopia's Orthodox patriarch cops out on revealing plan for public viewing Posted: June 26, 2009 4:16 pm Eastern © 2009 WorldNetDaily The leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church today backed off on a much-anticipated announcement about the Ark of the Covenant -- the ancient container holding the Ten Commandment -- which he claims to have seen. But no other evidence or, indeed, even any announcement, was made public today when word had been expected. Ark hunters and Bible enthusiasts have been buzzing for two days on the report from the Italian news agency Adnkronos that Patriarch Abuna Pauolos, in Italy for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI this week, said, "Soon the world will be able to admire the Ark of the Covenant described in the Bible as the container of the tablets of the law that God delivered to Moses and the center of searches and studies for centuries." He had suggested the possibility the artifact might be viewable in a planned museum. "I repeat (the Ark of the Covenant) is in Ethiopia and nobody … knows for how much time. Only God knows," he said in the Adnkronos report available online. The report said Pauolos reported the artifact "is described perfectly in the Bible" and is in good condition. [CONTINUE READING] Related story: 'Ark' revelation: Can they dig it?

Digg this story (Oops! No Nazi face-melting today...)

Our Democratic Socialist Party ~ By Henry Lamb

By Henry Lamb Posted: June 27, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 For all practical purposes, the Democratic Party in the United States has become the Democratic Socialist Party of the United States. With Barack H. Obama at its helm, the Democrats have launched an agenda the socialists have pursued for a century. While employing just the right rhetorical tone, Obama ridicules those who call him a socialist, while he is advancing his unprecedented socialist agenda. Obama is a better salesman than his socialist predecessors, but the result is the same: Government control must trump individual freedom in order to achieve economic balance, environmental protection and social equity. Obama and his socialist Democrat congressional majority are transforming America more dramatically, and faster, than anyone could have imagined. The Americans who created the government of the United States, accepted by the majority of Americans when the U.S. Constitution was ratified, expressly limited the power of the federal government and reserved all power not granted to the federal government for the states, and for the people. The purpose of the government was to protect the freedom of its citizens from all enemies, whether foreign or domestic. The Democratic socialists in Washington reject this purpose, and are rapidly constructing a government in which the expression of individual freedom – as in peaceful assemblies such as the recent tea parties – is labeled a threat, a potential threat, or "low-level terrorism." Instead of defending individual freedom and protecting free enterprise, this government is extinguishing both as fast as possible – while completely ignoring the Constitution's limitation on its power. Where, exactly, does the Constitution authorize:

The government's majority ownership of General Motors; The bailout of private banks and insurance companies; Federal jurisdiction over all water – and activity that may affect water – as proposed by The Clean Water Restoration Act (S787); Federal jurisdiction over the production of all food as proposed by the Food Safety Enhancement Act (H.R. 2749); Federal takeover of the entire healthcare industry; and Federal control over the use of energy.

These are only a few of the major ways the Democratic socialists in Washington are transforming America from the land of the free, to the home of the government-controlled. Obama is far too smart to impose this agenda by brute force; instead, he is exercising his Chicago-style political skills. For example, Obama, and the Democratic socialist majority, are pushing "Card-Check," otherwise known as the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 1409). This bill will allow union thugs to unionize any business without a secret ballot vote. This is payback for union support of the Democratic socialists. As if this were not enough, Obama and his Democratic socialist majority are considering exempting unions from a new tax on medical benefits paid by insurance companies. That's right, one of the methods under consideration to pay for the new socialized medicine scheme is to tax every employee who is not a union member for any and all benefits received from private insurance companies. This would immediately force non-union businesses to become unionized, or force their employees to pay taxes on insurance benefits that employees of unionized businesses don't pay. Slick trick; this is Chicago politics at its best. The most destructive goal of the Democratic socialists is the sweeping energy policy now under construction. Regardless of what it is called or the final shape it may take, the goal is to not only increase the price of energy beyond affordability, but to ration its use as well. [Pretty scary stuff, right? But wait, it gets worse. CONTINUE READING!]

Please DIGG this story

What a concept: Lawmakers supporting sovereignty ~ By Oliver North

By Oliver North Posted: June 26, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 WASHINGTON – My old American Heritage Dictionary defines "sovereignty" as "complete independence and self-government." Our Declaration of Independence affirms, "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." In January 2000, Jesse Helms, the legendary U.S. senator from North Carolina, succinctly summed up the meaning of these words for the United Nations Security Council by explaining that "nations derive their sovereignty – their legitimacy – from the consent of the governed." The ayatollahs brutally crushing dissent in Iran consider this linkage – sovereignty, legitimacy and the consent of the governed – to be as repugnant as a ham sandwich. Regrettably, these concepts do not appear to be grasped at the Obama White House, either. Thankfully, there are some in Washington who do understand. Nearly a year ago, Freedom Alliance, the Center for Security Policy and The Heritage Foundation began urging members of Congress to convene a body to focus on issues of American sovereignty. On Wednesday, Reps. Doug Lamborn, Thad McCotter and Scott Garrett announced the formation of the Congressional Sovereignty Caucus – an entity dedicated to preserving U.S. sovereignty. More than 30 other members of the House of Representatives already have enrolled. U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint became the first member of the "world's greatest deliberative body" to join. They have their work cut out for them. Yesterday, less than 24 hours after members of the Congressional Sovereignty Caucus met with supporters at the Capitol Visitor Center, the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment of Harold Koh, formerly the dean of Yale Law School, as the legal adviser for the State Department. The 62-35 vote means that Koh is now in a position to negotiate treaties, affect international law and influence U.S. foreign policy. That's not good news. Koh is a self-described "transnationalist," who "believes in and promotes the blending of international and domestic law." According to Koh, "U.S. courts can and should use their interpretive powers to promote the development of a global legal system." In short, he is a proponent of ensuring that citizens of the United States are in "obedience with international law." Unfortunately, the legal adviser's appointment is just the tip of the iceberg in the Obama administration. Mr. Obama's nominee to become associate justice of the Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor, has spoken favorably about foreign law influencing U.S. legal decisions. In April, she argued, "To the extent that we have freedom of ideas, international law and foreign law will be very important in the discussion of how to think about the unsettled issues in our legal system." This kind of "thinking" is now endemic among Washington's political elite. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has asserted that the U.S. must "modernize and revitalize" international organizations and create new global governing institutions. Sen. John Kerry, now chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, urged that U.S. defense policy should pass a "global test" before being implemented. And while campaigning for president, our apologizer in chief declared in Berlin that he is a "citizen of the world."[CONTINUE READING]

The intentional destruction of America ~ By Joseph Farah

By Joseph Farah Posted: June 26, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 It's time for Americans to consider a very scary possibility – that the president of the United States and the Congress are actually embarked on an intentional plan to destroy most everything that throughout history made the country great and unique. Could it be that the sweeping, wholesale policy changes we have seen implemented and begun in the last six months are not just "mistakes" or the results of miscalculations? Could it be that the clear intent is to bring America down – and that those controlling America's political future know exactly what they are doing? Could it be that those holding the levers of power in Washington are not just ill-equipped for their jobs and making bad choices, but that they are determined to destroy America's economy and culture because they don't like it, never liked it and wish to see our nation operate more like the rest of the world? Personally, I'm there. I've been there. There is not a doubt in my mind that people like Barack Obama, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the like just plain think differently than, say, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison – not to mention me. The contrast in worldviews couldn't be any more striking. The Founding Fathers, who gave us the greatest experiment in liberty the world has ever known did so by removing the shackles from the people and placing them on the government. They did so because they believed human beings are accountable ultimately to God, from whom our natural rights and responsibilities descended. They sought to strictly limit the powers of government, which had, just as they had throughout history and just as God told us they would in the book of Samuel, result in the oppression of the people. Meanwhile, what do Obama and company offer? They offer servitude to the state under the guise of "security." The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are being actively and openly dismantled as the guiding principles of American government. Sovereignty and independence? We're told today by Obama and company that we live in an "interdependent" world and that we need to be accountable to "the community of nations." That's just a euphemism for dependence and life in an unaccountable global tyranny – where what you think is not nearly as important as what their elite friends think. [CONTINUE READING]

Judge: Eligibility dispute is 'serious'

Says case will be expedited when representation lined up Posted: June 26, 2009 12:00 am Eastern By Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily A judge hearing one of the cases challenging Barack Obama's eligibility to be president has taken the unusual step of describing the dispute as a serious constitutional issue and further has begun adding letters of comment from the public to the court record. Word of the action by U.S. Magistrate Judge Joel Schneider in Camden, N.J., comes from attorney Mario Apuzzo, who is handling the Kerchner vs. Obama case. Apuzzo filed his lawsuit in January on behalf of Charles F. Kerchner Jr., Lowell T. Patterson, Darrell James Lenormand and Donald H. Nelson Jr. Named as defendants are Barack Hussein Obama II, the U.S., Congress, the Senate, House of Representatives and former Vice President Dick Cheney along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The case focuses on the alleged failure in Congress to follow the Constitution. That document, the lawsuit states, "provides that Congress must fully qualify the candidate 'elected' by the Electoral College Electors." [CONTINUE READING]

EPA's own research expert 'shut up' on climate change

Government analyst silenced after he critiques CO2 findings By Chelsea Schilling Posted: June 24, 2009 11:05 pm Eastern © 2009 WorldNetDaily Environmental Protection Agency officials have silenced one of their own senior researchers after the 38-year employee issued an internal critique of the EPA's climate change position. Alan Carlin, senior operations research analyst at the EPA's National Center for Environmental Economics, or NCEE, submitted his research on the agency's greenhouse gases endangerment findings and offered a fundamental critique on the EPA's approach to combating CO2 emissions. But officials refused to share his conclusion in an open internal discussion, claiming his research would have "a very negative impact on our office." His study was barred from circulation within the EPA and was never disclosed to the public for political reasons, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute, or CEI, a group that has accessed four internal e-mails on the subject. CEI General Counsel Sam Kazman told WND, "His boss basically told him, 'No, I'm not going to send your study further up. It's going to stay within this bureau.'" A March 12 e-mail to Carlin warned him not to have "any direct communication with anyone outside NCEE on endangerment." Carlin, a researcher who earned his doctorate in economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an undergraduate degree in physics from California Institute of Technology, informed officials that two-thirds of his references were from peer-reviewed publications and defended his inclusion of new research on the topic. "It is also my view that the critical attribute of good science is its correspondence to observable data rather than where it appears in the technical literature," he wrote. "I believe my comments are valid, significant and contain references to significant new research … They are significant because they present information critical to justification (or lack thereof) for the proposed [greenhouse gas] endangerment finding." After nearly one week of discussion, NCEE Director Al McGartland informed Carlin on March 17 that he would not include the research in the internal EPA discussion. "Alan, I decided not to forward your comments," he wrote. "… The administrator and the administration has decided to move forward on endangerment, and your comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision. … I can only see one impact of your comments given where we are in the process, and that would be a very negative impact on our office." [CONTINUE READING]

Aplington-Parkersburg coach Ed Thomas murdered

By Jeff Raasch and Orlan Love The Gazette, Updated June 24. 2009 9:59PM Ed Thomas’ son, Aaron Thomas, spoke at a press conference in Parkersburg this afternoon on the shooting death of his father. “With the shocking events of the day, nothing could prepare you for what our family or community is going through,” Aaron said. “A man of deep faith who touched many lives … our family thanks everyone for all the thoughts, the prayers, the concern for our family. “We also want to make sure we express our concern and our care for the Becker family,” Aaron added, referring to Mark Becker, the man facing first-degree murder charges in Ed Thomas’ death. “People need to pray for (the Beckers) as well." Without a doubt, we’re going to miss him,” Aaron said. “I feel very fortunate to be the son of Ed Thomas.” Requesting privacy for the family, he concluded, “we do appreciate your sympathy and your understanding at this time.” Becker, 24, is accused of killing Aplington-Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas at the school's weight room this morning. “ Becker is charged with first-degree murder. He made an initial appearance on a first-degree murder charge Wednesday afternoon in the Butler County Jail in Allison. The hearing was held before Associate District Court Judge Peter Newell, who set a $1 million cash bail. Authorities planned to move Becker to the Cerro Gordo County Jail in Mason City Wednesday tonight. Dave Winker of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said Becker was arrested “shortly after the 911 call came in." He declined comment on a possible motive for the shooting. “Motive is another one of those areas that, it’s just to early to speculate on,” Winker said. “Any discussion of motive would be speculation at this point.” Click here for the latest photos [CONTINUE READING]

Obama campaign ad comes back to haunt him

By Bill Dupray DC Republican Examiner Obama has a new online course he's offering for free. It is called How to Make Yourself Look like a Lying, Hypocritical Horse's Ass in 30 Seconds. Maybe you recall this little gem from our illustrious leader during the campaign.

Here's the transcript:

John McCain’s health care plan. First we learned he’s going to tax health care benefits to pay for part of it. Now the Wall Street Journal reports John McCain would pay for the rest of his health care plan "with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid." Eight hundred and eighty-two billion from Medicare alone. Requiring cuts in benefits, eligibility, or both. John McCain. Taxing Health Benefits, Cutting Medicare. We Can’t Afford John McCain.

Well, that was then. You need to read the rest of the column to see what is now.

9/11 FEMA videographer at Ground Zero goes public

Voltairenet June 23, 2009 As official videographer for the U.S. government, Kurt Sonnenfeld was detailed to Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, where he spent one month filming 29 tapes: “What I saw at certain moments and in certain places … is very disturbing!” He never handed them over to the authorities and has been persecuted ever since. Kurt Sonnenfeld lives in exile in Argentina, where he wrote « El Perseguido » (the persecuted). His recently-published book tells the story of his unending nightmare and drives another nail into the coffin of the government’s account of the 9/11 events. Below is an exclusive interview by Voltairenet. Introduction Kurt Sonnenfeld graduated from the University of Colorado (USA) with studies in International Affairs and Economics, as well as in Literature and Philosophy. He worked for the United States government as official videographer and served as Director of Broadcast Operations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s National Emergency Response Team. Additionally, Kurt Sonnenfeld was contracted by several other governmental agencies and programs for classified and “sensitive” operations at military and scientific installations throughout the United States. On September 11, 2001, the area known as “Ground Zero” was sealed from the public eye. Sonnenfeld, however, was given unrestricted access enabling him to document for the investigation (that never took place) and provide some “sanitized” pool video to virtually every news network in the world. The tapes that reveal some of the anomalies which he discovered at Ground Zero are still in his possession. Accused of a crime that did not occur in a manifest frame-up scenario, Kurt Sonnenfeld has been persecuted across continents. After several years of fear, injustice and isolation, he has decided to take a public stand against the Government’s official story and is prepared to submit his material to the close scrutiny of reliable experts. [CONTINUE READING FOR THE Voltairenet INTERVIEW]

The Pintsize Pundit Pit

On Fox & Friends on Monday, June 22, 2009 THE PRODIGY PUNDIT PIT Three young, pint-size (as Doocy put it) prodigies that have been on Fox & Friends become the Pundit Pit for the Monday morning show, weigh in on such issues as ways to improve education in America, as well the looming national debt. This segment is hosted by Steve Doocy. The Pundit Pit is represented by these prodigies: Jonathan Krohn, the 14-year old political prodigy that spoke at the CPAC conference in late February 2009; Moshe Kai Cavalin, the 11-year old college grad with a major in Astro Physics, who wants to go the 2012 Olympics; and Adora Svitak, the 11-year old author of a novel, "Yang In Diguise," and is known for her essays, stories, poems, blogs, and full-length books. Here is the Prodigy Pundit Pit:

Drape flag in black or invert it? ~ By Barbara Simpson

By Barbara Simpson Posted: June 22, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 I'm having second thoughts about this year's July 4 celebration. I think we need to introduce a touch of black, and I'm not talking about skin color. We call it "Fourth of July," but it's really Independence Day, celebrating our freedom from the British monarchy. There's deep meaning in that which has become lost in the secular celebrations of sports, barbecues, picnics, vacations – and even the fireworks. Newspapers are filled with food ads to satisfy appetites and thirst, but the real meaning of the day – indeed, a day important enough to be a national holiday – is too often ignored. On top of that, given what's been happening in and being done to this country and our liberties – to say nothing of our Constitution, I'm not certain we should even be celebrating; perhaps we should mourn. How about instead of flying Old Glory in all its beautiful splendor, we fly it with a black ribbon draped across the stars and stripes? When you consider all we've lost because of the administration of Barack Hussein Obama and his willing henchmen in government and the media, there's good reason for an element of mourning on this Independence Day. We are not as free as we were barely six months ago, and we'll continue to be less free as the days pass and this administration puts in place rules, policies, czars, regulations and other whims of the man who is president. The end result is that this and generations to come will be burdened by a debt inconceivable by any sane person and burdened by the loss of freedoms unforeseen by any but the most dedicated Marxist whose goal is to bring the United States of America to its knees. We're beginning to buckle, and if the changes continue unabated, that "red" dream may come to pass. If that happens, there won't be any Independence Day celebration at all. Perhaps the politicians will substitute May Day, the day socialists and communists haul out armaments and the military to intimidate those who oppose totalitarianism. Until then, we face the reality that given the changes that the man who is president has foisted on this country and what's still on his agenda to "accomplish" by year end; given what this Congress, in collusion with him, is perpetrating on us; given how our Constitution is being lacerated and our system of law is being shredded by partisan, law-making making judges, I'm left with the sense we have two choices. We can fly the flag with a black ribbon or, if we really feel betrayed, we can fly it upside down. That's the traditional "distress" symbol, and if this country and our freedoms aren't "in distress" at this point in time, I don't know how else to describe it. Fear? You bet. Concern, you bet. [CONTINUE READING]

Iran has tea party, Obama not thirsty ~ By Doug Powers

By Doug Powers Posted: June 22, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 As the governing body of Iran slaughtered unarmed protesters, a skateboarder rolled through hallways of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (marking the first time in months a Hawk has been in the White House) and Barack Obama was praised for skillfully killing a fly, the president managed to eke out an ignorant and/or purposefully misleading statement on the Iranian unrest – in between frozen custards of course:

The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights. …

Tough as liquid nails, eh? "We've got Twitter and we know how to use it, buddy!" The rest of Obama's statement is here. Iran could get around the "innocent life that is lost" part by referring to their dustup operation as "super late-term abortions." Did you know there are "universal rights"? I didn't. Our government can't manage to adhere to the rights contained in our own Constitution anymore, but it can whip up a fresh batch of rights for the entire universe? What Obama's statement seems to imply – either by naiveté of biblical (or Koranical) proportions, or by "strange bedfellows" empathy with the ruling Iranian clerics – is that a totalitarian theocracy can remain a totalitarian theocracy as long as it can bite its tongue long enough to allow people to complain in the streets. It's in this kind of defense of freedom that oppression metastasizes. Another reason I believe Obama has refused to speak out more on this is pure conjecture on my part, but I have a suspicion that those protesters in Iran remind Obama just a little too much of American tea partiers, and so, ultimately, there is no love lost there. Couple that with accusations of election fraud in Iran (how do you say ACORN in Farsi?), and it isn't difficult to see why Obama is less than enthusiastic about addressing this particular "problem." [CONTINUE READING]

Drenched in blood of slavery ~ By Roger Hedgecock

By Roger Hedgecock Posted: June 21, 2009 6:37 pm Eastern © 2009 The U.S. Senate voted unanimously last week to adopt a resolution apologizing for slavery. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, lead sponsor of the resolution, said, "You wonder why we didn't do it 100 years ago. It is important to have a collective response to a collective injustice." Only after decades of public education ignoring and distorting U.S. history can such a huge lie be said with a straight face. Senator, you didn't do it 100 years ago because 100 years ago you Democrats were enforcing Jim Crow segregation laws, poll taxes to keep blacks from voting, and riding around in sheets and pointy hats just in case blacks didn't get the message. You say "It's important to have a collective response" because you want to bury the origins, purposes, and historical practices of your own party. The worst part is, Republicans in the Senate let you get away with it. Principled Republicans knowing their history would have authored a resolution reciting the facts that the Republican Party was formed, among other reasons, to oppose slavery and that the Republican Party and its first President Abraham Lincoln responded to Southern, Democrat-led secession with a successful war that preserved the union and freed the slaves. After Lincoln's assassination (by a Democrat), the Republican-led Congress (over the objections of the Democratic Party minority) amended the Constitution to confirm the liberation of the slaves (13th Amendment: slavery abolished), and the 14th Amendment (freed slaves are citizens equal to all citizens) and the 15th Amendment (right to vote guaranteed to freed slaves). Southern Democrats spent the next 100 years trying to keep freed slaves down with segregation laws, poll taxes to deny the right to vote, and lynching to enforce the social order. The KKK was formed by a Democrat; no Republican has ever been a member of the KKK. This is the heritage of the Democratic Party. In fact, the Democratic Party was formed in the first place to defend and expand slavery. In 1840, the very first national nominating convention of the Democratic Party adopted a platform which read in part:

Resolved, That Congress has no power ... to interfere with or control the domestic institutions of the several states ... that all efforts by abolitionists ... made to induce Congress to interfere with questions of slavery ... are calculated ... to diminish the happiness of the people, and endanger the stability and permanency of the union.

Got that, Sen. Harkin? Your party was born defending slavery as necessary for the happiness of the people and threatening secession and war if slavery were challenged. [CONTINUE READING]

David vs. Goliath of government agencies ~ By Chuck Norris

By Chuck Norris Posted: June 22, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 One of the most hideous ways the IRS usurps power and control over Americans is through its oppression over nonprofits and especially religious groups. Threatening to withdraw tax exempt status or to levy penalties are just a couple ways it exercises its tyranny. For example, on April 3, 2009, Catholic Answers, one of the nation's largest lay-run apologetic (or defense) ministries for the Catholic movement, filed suit in federal court against the Internal Revenue Service for violating its rights to free speech. What spurred on the lawsuit is that the IRS imposed fines on Catholic Answers because President Karl Keating wrote in one of his e-letters that 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry shouldn't be allowed to receive the Eucharist (communion) because of his pro-abortion stand, advocacy and voting record. Whether you agree or not, Keating was voicing his conviction and opinion, which is his First Amendment right to do. At no point did Catholic Answers even tell people for whom to vote or not to vote. Does that letter-writing act sound like something that deserves IRS fines and further taxes? You can imagine the long, uphill battle that will ensue for Catholic Answers as it attempts to sue the IRS. It confesses that it's doing so "not just for ourselves, but on behalf of non-profit organizations and churches all across the country that are constantly harassed, threatened, intimidated, and persecuted by the IRS." That is the reason it is also appealing to the public for donations. Everything is wrong and ludicrous about these types of governmental actions, from the tyrannical power of the IRS to the violations against American rights and freedoms. And two major historical inconsistencies emerge from these situations as well: First, early in our country's formation, the pulpits used to be the conscience of this nation. Preachers were never restricted in their political voice in any way per the First Amendment. In fact, clergy and politicians used the pulpits to rally support, without threat of governmental intrusion or penalty. Second, the Internal Revenue Service wasn't started until nearly 100 years after the Revolutionary War in 1862 as the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Its creation coincided with the creation of the income tax, which it was designed to collect (though it would be later ruled as unconstitutional until 1913 via congressional law). Both were the initial work of President Lincoln and Congress, which saw them as necessary to pay for civil war expenses. But could Lincoln even have imagined how the IRS would have become the most bloated federal bureaucracy on the planet? [CONTINUE READING]

Obama late to party on Iran ~ By Joseph Farah

By Joseph Farah Posted: June 22, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 Until the weekend, everyone was wondering why Barack Obama was AWOL on the popular uprising in Iran over a rigged election that returned to power Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the anti-Semite, Holocaust-denying little Hitler. Obama, who seems to hold a press conference on something just about hourly, had, until Saturday, apparently not decided who is right and who is wrong in Iran. I had a different thought. Maybe Obama's long silence was intentional. Maybe, just maybe, he doesn't really have any problem with what the mullahs are doing in Iran. And maybe, just maybe, he couldn't care less about the sacrifices being made in the streets of Iran by those freedom fighters. Let's think about this:

Has Obama ever given any indication he has a problem with electoral fraud? On the contrary, he is a former lawyer for ACORN. Voter fraud is what ACORN does. He's a politician from Cook County, Ill. Are successful politicians from Cook County averse to voter fraud? On the contrary, it's what they do. Do you think Ahmadinejad's repeated threats to destroy Israel keep Obama awake at night? Somehow I don't think so. This is a man who openly espouses carving up Israel geographically – placing it in a position for a slow death. Maybe he sees Ahmadinejad's final solution as more merciful. Ahmadinejad was a disciple of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who coined the term "Great Satan" to describe the U.S. Obama, meanwhile, spends much of his time apologizing for America's excesses of the past and dismantling the institutions and ideals that made it great. Do you really think Obama sees Ahmadinejad and the mullah regime as his enemies? Or, do you think as I do, that he believes his real enemy is personified more by Rush Limbaugh?

See, I think we're all missing the point as to why Obama took so long to condemn the Iranian tyrants and failed to give even moral support to the protesters in the street who risked their lives for freedom. [CONTINUE READING]

Billboard cartel says no to questioning Obama

Trade group headed by Democrat donor discouraged acceptance of eligibility ad Posted: June 21, 2009 7:14 pm Eastern © 2009 WorldNetDaily WASHINGTON – A fourth billboard company has rejected a campaign designed to raise visibility on questions surrounding Barack Obama's eligibility for office – this time by claiming the Outdoor Advertising Association of America, a trade and lobbying group that claims to promote freedom of speech, actually discouraged acceptance. The OAAA, headed by President and Chief Executive Officer Nancy Fletcher, a Hillary Clinton financial contributor in 2008, reportedly advised some members not to accept ads from WND that asked, "Where's the birth certificate?" Fletcher, who refused to respond to WND inquiries about the action of the OAAA, points out on the group's website that "outdoor advertising is regulated by multiple layers of government." "Yet while there are so many changes in the industry and in American lifestyles, certain principles haven't changed," Fletcher writes."For more than two centuries, the American republic has drawn strength from its Bill of Rights and the Constitution. The Founding Fathers put a premium on freedom as they wrote clear safeguards against an overbearing government. In particular, the First Amendment protects free speech and the Fifth Amendment protects property rights. Debate is honored and encouraged in a free society. Indeed, people have debated outdoor advertising regulation since the first postings, and debate will continue. As the world changes around us – in ways we perhaps cannot contemplate – we know Americans share deep respect for free expression and for private property." Nevertheless, at least one billboard company, Steen Advertising, backed out of a commitment to lease billboards to WND after a sales executive said the company was warned off the campaign by the OAAA.

"We are not going through with the deal," wrote Candice Berju, account executive for Steen, to a representative for WND Tuesday, June 16. "No one spoke as to what the campaign was, I had to find out on my own. The OAAA has advised companies not to run this campaign." When WND called Berju for further explanation, a company supervisor in Delaware put the call on hold for 10 minutes. When she returned, she said both Berju and her boss would decline to comment. [CONTINUE READING]

WARNING: Fake Twitter Invites Carry Malicious Worm

I saw this when clicking on "Fake Twitter Invites" under Twitter's TRENDING TOPICS. This one happened to be #5 on the Trending Topics list. I have used the link provided by twitter user brookwoodu. The column I am quoting comes from Mashable: The Social Media Guide:

June 20th, 2009

By Pete Cashmore Security sites are warning web users to beware fake Twitter invites in their email inboxes. The reports, based on an alert on Wednesday from Symantec, say the emailed invites come with a malicious attachment which, if downloaded, harvests email addresses from your computer and copies itself to removable drives and shared folders. The emails carry the subject line “Your friend invited you to twitter!”, while the sender’s address is spoofed as “invitations@twitter.com”. Unlike a typical Twitter invite, however, the email contains no invitation link: instead it carries the attached file Invitation Card.zip, tempting the receiver to download it. The attachment, of course, contains W32.Ackantta.B@mm – a nasty, email address-harvesting worm. ___________________________________________ Twitter Spam = Mainstream Recognition ___________________________________________ Unlike previous, resolved “Twitter worms” (eg. Mikeyy), this one has nothing to do with Twitter: it doesn’t spread via the Twitter.com website or even target Twitter users specifically. Rather, it seems that Twitter has reached the mainstream appeal required to make it a worthy topic for email scams. A good proportion of web users, the spammers must assume, will have heard of Twitter and therefore might download the attachment. If you receive one of these mails, simply mark it as spam without downloading the attachment. And if you think you might be infected, update your anti-virus software and run a full virus scan.

[See the story at Mashable.com]

Chris Dodd's chutzpa: Priceless ~ By Doug Powers

By Doug Powers Posted: June 01, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 Having devoted a good deal of space in my column over the years to pointing out and mocking various government absurdities, I have often expected there would be a time when I would reach the end of the line of idiocy, double-speak, hypocrisy and deviousness – then reality strikes yet again. Mind-boggling government lunacy is bottomless, infinite and immune from common sense and even meteor strikes. I suppose as an opinion columnist I should be thankful for that, but it's more difficult to handle by the day, because though the political madness is endless, the well of adjectives, ad hominem slurs and pointed metaphors for politicians can occasionally run dry due to over-pumping. Fortunately, today is not that day. Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who is perhaps best known to veteran political observers as the top slice of doughy, crusty white bread in the legendary waitress sandwich, is facing an uphill re-election bid next year. Dodd, in addition to being Phil Donahue's liberal stunt-double, is the mortgage opportunist who allowed AIG bonuses to stay in the stimulus bill that nobody had time to read before voting to pass, and then later jumped on the bandwagon of bashing the people who got the bonuses (but earlier had no problem accepting AIG's campaign donations). Normally these issues would be insurmountable for even a veteran politician to overcome, but since Dodd is from a collection of liberal East Coast states that pride themselves on the motto "Live free or at least fool yourself," I fully expect Dodd to win re-election to a sixth term. Part of Dodd's challenge in a campaign that is now underway is to demonstrate to any voters who care about such things that he's not a boneheaded weasel with confusing double standards. To do this, Dodd's campaign has created an ad (or see below) that demonstrates that he's … a boneheaded weasel with confusing double-standards.[CONTINUE READING]

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Jim Sumpter: Tax and spend and hope and pray

(Click on the top video on the following menu)

Encouragement for imperfect dads ~ By Greg Laurie

By Greg Laurie Posted: June 20, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 It is my opinion that a man who honors the vows he made to his wife and who stands by his children and grandchildren is the unsung hero of America today. You can take most of the social ills in our culture and find a link directly back to the absence of a father in the home. In the past 30 years, there has been a 550-percent increase in violent crime, a 400-percent increase in illegitimate births, a 200-percent increase in teenage pregnancy and a 300-percent increase in teenage suicide. And experts have traced all these things to the breakdown of the family and, specifically, the absence of a father. Now, I am not a perfect father, but I want to be the husband, father and grandfather God wants me to be. In the New Testament story of the prodigal son, we find an example of a great father, of what a dad ought to be. This father had two sons whom he loved and provided for. But one day, the younger son demanded his share of the estate. The custom was that the inheritance would be divided among the heirs when the father died, but this son was basically saying, "Dad, I am tired of waiting for you to die. I want my money now." What a brash young man. How disrespectful that was. How it must have broken his father's heart. All this son cared about was himself. So the father divided the inheritance between both boys. And upon receiving his, the younger son left home and ultimately squandered it all. Basically, this dad allowed his son to make his decisions and, yes, even face the repercussions of them. You see, we can only take our children so far – and not any further than we ourselves have come. Our children are watching us. They will walk in our footsteps. They will emulate our behavior. And hopefully as fathers, we are walking the right way. The Bible says, "Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it" (Proverbs 22:6 NLT). So start now. That is our responsibility as parents. [CONTINUE READING]

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Are the uninsured really 'victims'? ~ By Star Parker

By Star Parker Posted: June 20, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 The Democrats' health care initiative reminds me of the joke about the Boy Scout fighting on a street corner with an old lady. When a passerby asked what was going on, the scout said, "I'm trying to help her across the street but she refuses to go." Health insurance, so far, is not mandatory by law, and we've got 16 percent of the population – 47 million or so – without it. Auto insurance is mandatory by law, and according to the Insurance Research Council, 14 percent of drivers nationwide still don't buy it. Government can't make people do what they don't want to do. And it can't change human nature. Political freedom and capitalism work so well because they reflect the truth that human beings have free choice – but this means individuals take personal responsibility. The left has always been in denial about this, which is why they're endlessly trying to expand government and reduce freedom. They see individuals as hapless victims the state must take care of. During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama said "The reason people don't have health insurance isn't because they don't want it. It's because they can't afford it." This is largely untrue. According to a new study from the Employment Policy Institute, authored by two economists from City University of New York (one, Dr. June O'Neill, spent four years as head of the Congressional Budget Office), 43 percent of the 47 million can afford insurance and choose not to purchase it. According to 2007 census data, 20 percent of uninsured households earn over $75,000. Regarding the remaining 57 percent, the authors call them "involuntarily" uninsured because they can't afford insurance. But "involuntarily" is also a misnomer, because it implies no connection in how they choose to live to the fact that they can't afford insurance. [CONTINUE READING]

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Washington, Clinton, Obama … and truth ~ By Pat Boone

By Pat Boone Posted: June 20, 2009 1:00 am Eastern © 2009 I doubt it's ever taught in school today – seems the NEA has different ideas about what our kids need to know. But most adults over 40 surely are familiar with the story told of young George Washington, who'd been given a small hatchet for his birthday. So, eager to try it out, the boy looked for something on which he could use his new hatchet. And he found it – a little cherry tree. When his father found that a perfectly good cherry tree had been destroyed, he asked George if he knew what had happened. "Father, I cannot tell a lie," said the future first president of the United States of America, "I did it." An insignificant story, perhaps, just a little morality tale for kids. No one today can verify whether it actually happened or not. I, for one, believe it did, mainly because of its apparent insignificance. If there weren't in fact a basis for the story, who would make it up? Surely a fableist would conjure up something more dramatic than a little boy cutting down a cherry tree with his new hatchet. But what makes it significant is that it underscores, from a very early age, the character of the man who became our first president – and a role model for all who would follow him into that office. Throughout his distinguished military career, his political leadership and his virtually unanimously elected two terms as president of the United States, his honesty was never questioned. In fact, his admiring friend Thomas Jefferson wrote about George Washington: "His integrity was the most pure, his justice the most inflexible I have ever known. He was, in every sense of the word, a wise, a good, and a great man." Is it any wonder, then, that for nearly 200 years, parents and teachers have pointed to the man we call "the father of our country" as an example for our kids to emulate? That, too, makes the story of the apple tree meaningful and important; children from their earliest years can understand the moral and learn a valuable lesson. [CONTINUE READING]

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