Friday, November 21, 2008

On a Lighter Note

I will be spending the next week with my family, enjoying the Baptism of my child, Thanksgiving, etc... and with any luck, enjoying some Irish Poteen.


In the mean time, I may be posting - or not... be sure to check in!

God Bless!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Obama to McCain: All Your Base Are Belong To Us!

John McCain met with President Elect Barack Obama yesterday in Chicago during Obama's transition. The meeting lasted less than an hour.

The two released a joint statement after the meeting in which they announce "bipartisanship" and the healing that is needed in America - a call that is applauded by the left, but brings into question those of us on the right who remember 8 years of Bush-Bashing hatred dripping from the fangs of the moonbats on the left... Now McCain, the failed "leader" of the Republican Party has secretly met with Obama and surrendered the conservative movement, conservative ideals, and small government ideals in the name of "bipartisanship".

The same ol' McCain - selling the GOP for his own personal sake... McCain/Feingold - an attack on small government 1st amendment rights, born out of the personal finance scandal of McCain... McCain/Kennedy - an attack on American Sovereignty against a massive immigration invasion propelled and funded by Mexico, born out of the left's handbook and embraced by McCain.

This is the reason why I have never liked McCain... he is the embodiment of the RINO - a left of center, left of Bush even, neoconservative - the final nail in the coffin of the beast that grew out of the GOP under the Bush Years... Though my support for him was out of necessity - the lesser of two evils...

I digress...

McCain has surrendered the GOP to Obama. The photo op and joint release was an attempt for McCain to save face - but the conversation was all Obama, and a defeated McCain, for sure.

Obama's message: All Your Base Are Belong To Us!

McCain's response: "Obviously".

Obama followed up with: "You are on the way to destruction - You have no chance to survive Make Your Time... ha ha ha..."

McCain is not our Captain... it is up to us to "take off every Zig"...





Look, McCain - If Obama is "Wrong for America" - if his policies are dangerous for this country, why would you come out and "obviously" support him... why not make a stand for conservative principles and declare that you are going to Fight Obama's radical policy every step of the way - and declare that if you have to, you will be the sole thorn in his side for his ONLY 4 years! Instead, McCain, you cower to him, hoping to gain good graces with an entity that stands to do such damage to this country - more so than his predecessor! This, sir, is why you lost!

Obama's first plan of attack is to override all of Bush's Executive Orders - granted, some are more than worthy of removal... but the lifting of the Offshore Drill Ban by Bush, should it be overruled by Obama, would reverse the trend we have seen in plummeting oil prices - and is the ONLY reason why congress let the congressional ban expire!

Other such executive order reversals and executive orders of his own would indicate that he is claiming a mandate for social policy change - even though the voters overwhelmingly voted down higher taxes and liberal social policy across the board!

Conservatives, in order to fix the problems that Obama is going to cause, and in order to fix the problems that Bush DID cause, we need to dig deep now - take off every zig - and begin a campaign for Conservatism in 2010... We need to send a message to socialist Democrats, as well as socialist RINOs - All OUR base are belong to US!

Tell the new congress, the new senate, and the new (ugh) president that Social Engineering is NOT the role of the Federal Government. Maybe on January 20th we push for a campaign to flood the White House and Capital with millions of copies of the US constitution with the message:



LEARN IT - LOVE IT - COMPLY WITH IT!




Monday, November 17, 2008

State of Emergency largely ignored in Lakotah region of SD

I received a press release today from the Republic of Lakotah, reporting the inactivity of emergency aid via the Red Cross, in which ONE AID WORKER was dispatched to the region, and has departed in the midst of the emergency.

On the Pine Ridge Reservation - the Republic of Lakotah - 12 days of consecutive snow have fallen, which began as a one day snowfall of 4 feet, a blizzard which isolated many individuals in their homes. The continued snowfall has further isolated families across the reservation and local region where NO POWER or WATER are available.

The isolation has left the status of many Sioux Indians' lives unknown, per the press release. The text of that release is as follows:

Republic of Lakotah
help@republicoflakotah.com
605-867-1111
RE: Twelfth Day of Snow Emergency
* Many hundreds of American Indians still snowbound and without electrical
power or water on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
* Sofia Romero, age 98, snowed in, no power, no water, food situation unknown.
* Emme Zimiga, age 96, snowed in, no power, no water, food situation unknown.
* Amanda Milk, age 80's, no legs, dialysis patient, snowed in, presumed dead.
* Hisle SD - 38 households (average of 17 persons per household on Reservation)
still snowed in with out power or water.
* Lost Dog Community - 5 families snowed in, no power, no water, food
situation unknown.
* Lacreek Electric Association reports that over 1,000 power distribution poles
broken by the storm have been replaced, but dozens more are still down, while
repair efforts have been diverted to the some of the main distribution lines still
partially inoperative.
* Red Cross Effort Vehemently Incompetent - As documented by Marion White
Mouse (605-462-6242), the American Red Cross sent a contingency of one
volunteer, Monica Turkleson who departed the Reservation prematurely on
Saturday, November 15th. Ms. Turkleson's “aide” consisted of nothing and her
behavior was reported as impatient, rude and racist. Russell Means suggests
that this organization change its name to the “White Cross.”
The Pine Ridge reservation is the poorest region within the borders of the United States. Most streets are unpaved, unnamed, and most homes are without power, running water, or telephones. The average life expectancy is 44 years - the lowest in the Western Hemisphere (including Haiti). The reservation is plagued with poverty (median income is $3000 annually), high rates of infant mortality (300% the US average), suicide, and general neglect.

Contact the Red Cross, or your local congressman to insist that emergency action be taken to assist the Lakotah.

The Problem with Bail-outs: Auto Industry

Smaller banks are already offering themselves up to the altar of the government bail-out in order to continue to be competitive in the banking industry - so the nationalization of our infrastructure is clearly underway.

But now the aging auto industry is sniffing around the empty coffers, looking to be bought out by the government - nationalize the US auto giants - nationalize 3 million jobs. To what gain?

Let's look at the 2009 Ford line-up... Their Hybrid cars are laughable in the MPG department, and they have not proposed one single alternative fueled (electric, hydrogen, etc) vehicle for 2009, 2010, etc. Their "Flex" vehicle does not even use flex fuel technology - and is merely a poor name for another standard automobile. They have become out of touch with the consumer, and are paying the price in lower sales and under performing product.

General Motors has an electric vehicle being introduced for 2010 under limited quantity, but it is coming at a cost of their entire SUV line. The markets are indicating a trend toward "other than gas" vehicles - and perhaps their innovators can incorporate the electric technology into their family vehicles. There is some hope with GM - driven by the free market.

Chrysler - well, I cannot remember a good vehicle coming off of their lines in some time!

All three auto giants are showing a sluggish response to market forces, little move towards structural overhaul of the corporate operations because of the market failures, and as such are being punished by the markets.

The auto industry is not failing - foreign automakers are thriving - staying on the cutting edge of automotive innovation. It is the AMERICAN auto industry that is failing for lacking innovation and ability to adjust.

Now steps in the government... The Government will potentially be buying up the US auto giants as part of the nationali--- oops... the economic assistance program... The US Government, an entity living beyond the intention of the Constitution, authoritarian in nature and poised for total control over the subjects of the United States, is contemplating ownership of the US auto giants. Assume, for a moment, that the US Auto Makers, in an effort to merely retain jobs, begin to pump out and continually flood the market with automobiles that NO ONE WANTS - all in the name of retaining jobs... The government will then BE BOUND to ensure that their workers interests are being looked after - and as such, would LIMIT the sale of foreign cars in the United States. US Citizens would be obligated to purchase US cars. Tariffs would be imposed on foreign auto industries - ultimately hurting the US jobs associated with their manufacturing operations within the US. Perhaps they would be forced, should they choose to continue to sell in the US market, to relocate headquarters to the United States and become a US Government subservient industry as well... all in the name of "continued competitiveness".

Dearest readers - the system is grossly broken.

The free market is no longer free. The US government has become a force unstoppable by it's subjects. The stage has been set for a world government, under the guise of world economic stability. We are witness to a world without borders being constructed before our eyes... a world where the rulers oversee the continued obedience of the pleebs - work to sustain consumption, consume to support our government, the government will ensure your freedom.

Work and Obedience ensures Freedom... where have I heard that before?

People - I implore your logic and reasonable thought on this issue! We are truly at a crossroads in our great experiment. One option, which has all the momentum, leads us down a road of continued governmental growth, continued governmental authority, and continued erosion of civil liberties across the board. The other option, which is in the minority, is to strive for the radical concept for which our founders fought - liberty... let bad businesses fail, let the people hold corrupt politicians and CEO's accountable in the court of law, let Americans get back to family value - not consumer/work values... tell the government to STOP taxing our land, STOP taxing our income, STOP taxing our success and the success of our families... Tell the government that enough is enough, that it is time to minimize, time for some introspection.

There is danger in a big central government. There is more danger in a large world based government. The only intent is to rule - there is no accountability to the citizen, because the citizen ceases to exist. There is no progress in government forced consumerism... there can be no innovation.

Perhaps John Galt had the right idea?

"I swear—by my life and my love of it—that I will never live for the
sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.”
John Galt in
Atlas Shrugged

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The Picken's Energy Plan - New Direction Void of Foresight

T. Boone Pickens chose the presidential election season to push a revolutionary idea surrounding America's energy supply, energy independence, and green technology. The Picken's Plan was to begin with a $60 Million privately funded turbine wind farm in the Texas Panhandle, consisting of a MASSIVE 2700 turbine first phase. Texas law prohibits energy export to other states, so the intent was to become the sole energy supplier to the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area - creating a completely green city.

This plan created a buzz through the internet - drawing support from bloggers, YouTubers, and grassroots activists alike... that is, when the cost of oil was too much for Americans to bear.

Now, oil has fallen below $60/barrel, and Pickens has announced that his Pickens Plan is going to be put on hold. Though there is a hint that when oil pushes over $100/barrel in the future, the plan may be resurrected.

Was it all a publicity stunt? Perhaps it was some sort of distraction or strategy for the campaigns. Or perhaps the halt is due to uncertainties surrounding an Obama tax/spend policy, or his own energy policy? Speculation, of course...

However, the idea was brilliant. A private businessman challenging the government for fixing the problem of energy independence. Selling the idea of green energy investment at a private level, pulling in the support of the people, and providing a base for the infrastructure of the future - wind farms along the wind corridor of the Eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and the Eastern Plains. One could only imagine that the second phase would be a push for private solar plants on the rooftops of each homeowner, as suggested by me in a previous post.

Imagine if a state could build the private infrastructure to make the idea of energy independence a reality - a solar / wind combo punch that would flood the market with private energy - creating a possibility for an energy trade system between households, the private energy stock market, or energy eBay. It is a private enterprise dream...

Unfortunately, the Federal Government is squatting on private enterprise, selling the lie to the public that private enterprise is bad and immoral - and that government welfare is our only hope in this country. What a sham.

What Pickens' motive for holding his plan may be, I can only speculate... but one thing is for sure - such innovation, motivation, and foresight is needed!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Remembrance Day

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month... The first great war came to an end - a war in which many men gave their lives and service to put an end to conquest between kingdoms of Europe. It brought to close a war that changed the way wars were fought - no longer was war a gentleman's feat. The Great War introduced chemical warfare, trench warfare, aerial combat, arms races which took advantage of industrial technologies, and a total warfare that would make Sherman blush.

It was an end to the "War to end all wars".

Unfortunately European Nationalism replaced monarchies, and the hellish scene was replayed a generation later - leading to the second great war, WWII.

By the closing days of WWII, fascism saw defeat, but the world saw a war machine that had gone nuclear, and was intending on a permanent presence.

Since then, the world has been in a constant state of war - that is to say that the United States itself has directly been involved in a hot/warm conflict since the beginning of WWII - 67 years of war - and it has begun to define the state of our union:

1941 -1945: WWII - heavy active combat in Europe, Africa, Middle East, and East Asia
1945 - 1989: Russia - Cold War instigated numerous conflicts world-wide
1945-1946: Philippines - Occupation for Independence
1945 - 2008: Korea - Initial occupation to fight socialists, then Korean War, then continued occupation. Actual HOT conflict 1950 - 1953
1950 - 1955: China - multiple small conflicts as the country fell to communists, ultimate US withdrawal of troops
1956 - 1958: Middle East - the US acted as security for international interest in the Suez Canal Crisis and the Lebanon Crisis
1955 - 1975: Vietnam - bailing out the French, the US became the main fighting force by 1959, marking the beginning of the Vietnam era in the US - including bombing campaigns of Cambodia and Laos along the Ho-Chi-Minh trail
1962: Thailand, Cuba, Laos - The US deployed troops around the world to fight the spread of communism
1973: Israel - US assists in delivering arms during the Yom Kippur War
1975 marked a near unilateral withdrawal from major conflict zones in the Middle East and Southeast Asia
1976: Korea - the US surges troops along the DMZ to reduce tension and NK aggression against the US and SK
1978: Congo - the US bails out the French and Belgians from central Africa
1978 - 1989: Afghanistan - covert war against the Soviet Union, funded by the US and fought with US weapons
1980 - 1990: Middle East - US is involved with operations in Iran, Libya, Sinai, Lebanon, Egypt, Persian Gulf (Iran) - acting as security forces for regional conflicts and protection of oil shipping lines
1988-1990: Central America/South America - The drug wars of Panama, Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru
1991 - Kuwait: First Persian Gulf War against Iraq, lead to occupation of Saudi and Kuwaiti territory from 1990 - 2003, enforcing no fly zones
1992 - Somalia: Part of Peace Keeping operations with cooperation in the UN
1993 - 1999 - Balkans: Us involved in ending armed conflict between ethnic groups
1998 - 1999 - Kenya, Tanzania, Afghanistan, Sudan: battle against al-Qaeda begins globally
2001 - 2008 - Afghanistan: war on terror
2003 - 2008 - Iraq: war against Saddam Hussein, became central front of war on terror

There you have it - 67 years of continuous US involved wars, conflicts, etc... The list is much more extensive, including deployment of small forces for training, special ops, etc... but the major battles and conflict are shown above, indicating a change in the world in the face of new war technologies.

So on this Remembrance Day, I ask that we not only remember the service and dedication to the missions that so many men and women have valiantly conducted their missions - but to also question the escalation of post WWII violence around the world.

I can speak for many when I say that there is an increased tension in world security, world peace, and ideological conflicts in our time - much more so, I would surmise, than in the years leading up to WWII.

This Veteran's Day, remember our service men and women - but also remember the intent of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - a Remembrance of what the sacrifices of the Great War represented - a reminder that it is more important to strive for peace than for war... the toll is much too high, otherwise.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Run on Gun Stores in Wake of Obama Election

Gun Stores across the nation reported surging business yesterday, in the wake of the election of Obama. The sudden demand for certain models, mostly assault rifles, has resulted in a price jump - and many locations are indicating popular AR models being sold out and buyers purchasing on back-order. Sources below:

Colorado
South Carolina
Utah
TN and Texas

This surge, as indicated in whispers around the nation, is - in part - due to the increased tension of some internal conflict within the country. There is an sense of uncertainty, of speculation, and of fear of the unknown - and the private citizens are preparing for the worst.

The other part is, of course, that Obama has openly supported a permanent ban on Assault Rifles - claiming that they "belong on foreign battlefields and not the streets of America." He has openly supported regulations which would move the nation towards eliminating personal defense weapons, and even attacked hunting by supporting "Super Taxes" on ammunition - making it impossible to procure... the same mentality in "bankrupting Coal Companies" applies to bankrupting citizens who want ammunition for their weapons.

Be it either way, the citizenry is arming itself ahead of the unknown. Liberty is not dead yet!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

2 Year Stall in the Senate - Our Only Hope

As the votes continue to be tallied, it is now clear - The Liberal Democrats do NOT have their Super Majority. The count looks to be Democrats 56, Republicans 44, assuming that Lieberman continues to caucus with the Democrats - if not, that would make it 55/45 - enough for a 2 year stall while we figure out how to act like libertarian conservatives again!

I am reminded of Star Wars scene of Leia - only this time, it is "Hold on Senate - You're our only hope!"

The Senate Results in the 4 remaining close-call states:

99% Reporting in Alaska: R-Stevens 106351 (49%) to D-Begich 102998 (48%)
Since Steves is now a convicted felon, I believe that the process is that the seat will be opened for Sarah Palin to appoint a replacement. Fingers crossed for Todd Palin.

75% Reporting in Oregon: R-Smith 525942 (48%) to D-Merkley 510999 (46%)
Smith is the incumbent, and a necessary hold for the Northwest Republicans

100% Reporting in Minnesota: R-Coleman 1210940 (42%) to D-Franken 1210370 (42%)
Coleman is the incumbent... this race will be recounted - but I feel that Coleman will retain this seat.

99% Reporting in Georgia: R-Chambliss 1834836 (50%) to D-Martin 1723760 (47%)
Chambliss is the incumbent, and it looks like this seat is safe from recount.

A stall in the senate could slow the appointment of liberal justices, block ultra liberal social policy (like Freedom of Choice act and Fairness Doctrine), and hold out for the 2010 election, at which point the country may be ready to balance the power at the federal level.

One thing is for certain, to those on the right, who are anti-Authoritarian / anti-Socialist - an Obama election was a slap in the face - the same way a Lincoln election was a slap in the face to Southern States. Lincoln was a radical who promised fundamental change in America. A true historian knows that the fundamental change was not about slavery, but about state's rights and the sovereignty of states. Obama has the notion, the desire, and the momentum to finish the job started by Lincoln - eliminating the States as sovereign entities, and eliminating the ability of the people to self govern. Lincoln accomplished his task by the use of military force. Obama will take the White House with combat troops deployed to the US, and with the battle cry of a 'civilian military police force' - with the same power and funding as the US military... perhaps it is not 1984, but 1860...

One thing is for certain - those 4 senate seats may be all that is keeping this country together.

Self-Entitlement, Naivete, and Socialism in America

The naivete of youth, when romanticised in tragic Shakespearean poems, is a beautiful thing. However, when that vice is used to radically change a country, leaving behind any semblance of personal liberty, it is disgusting.

I Corinthians: "When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I reasoned like a child, I understood like a child - when I became a man, I put away childish things"

To celebrate support for a massive swell of childish reasoning - the illogic of self-entitlement, that we deserve something because we are, not because of what we have done - that is something I cannot do.

The scholars and philosophers who dreamed up this nation were not men of self-entitlement... they were better men than all of us. They were men who had the ability to reason and use abstract thought when formulating a solution... and they concluded that to be free from tyranny, a man had to be free to own privately, to work without punishment of success, and to actively voice opposition when oppression of his rights were upon him.

The youth of today are irrational. The youth of today are uneducated in truth. The youth of today have undone what free men have given them - with the swift mark of the pen.

Am I disappointed? Obviously. But not because "my man" lost - McCain was no perfect candidate, he was merely a stall in the lurch towards socialism... he would have undone some of Bush's Socialist policy... but it would have been nothing more than a stall for time - for people to get past the pain of Bush, and consider their liberty.

More than disappointment, I am fearful. Fearful of something my democrat wife said to me after I spent 16 hours resolving contested ballots - unable to watch the unfolding going on outside my sound-proof room: He is going to bring Unity.

Unity - at what cost.

Russia was unified under Stalin. Germany was unified under Hitler. Socialists both. (But also authoritarians both... this could be where Obama differs.)

The perception of unity under authoritarian socialism is brought about by enactments of liberty crushing legislation eliminating the ability to speak in opposition, to act in opposition, to exist without fear of oppression. This cost of "Unity" is too high.

Warning signs as the country begins to unfold under Socialist leadership:

1. The Fairness Doctrine - the elimination of the number one source of opposition discussion - call it propaganda, or a collection of free thinkers continually debating the issues and challenging the powers that be - remember, talk radio took on Bush, just as much as Clinton - Over Immigration, Bail-Outs, and even the Patriot Act - Look at Michael Savage. To eliminate the alternate media is to silence the freedom for alternate thinking.

2. National Police Force - Call it what you will (Citizen Security, Community watchmen, etc), a police force answering to the federal government undermines the sovereignty of the individual states. The enactment of such a force would be challenged in the courts, but under a new liberal court, would be held-up on principles of liberal socialism, not constructionist philosophy. Such a force is an authoritarian challenge to freedom and liberty in this country!

3. Government take-over of industry - Thanks Bush... This one is already in the works. Since the bail-out consisted of the Federal Government buying banks, smaller banks are now offering themselves for sale to the Federal Government in order to compete... The Federal Government has eliminated the ability for private banks to compete and succeed. The same is happening to other industries, such as the automakers, who are (as of this morning) lobbying Obama for a similar bail-out. Once the federal government owns the industry sector, we are all employees of the government, and where once the government worked for us, we now work for them!

4. Increased surveillance - from monitoring personal web-browsing habits, to tapping into phones - Big Brother will be watching. As I reported earlier, the infrastructure is in place to conduct constant surveillance of all citizens - and with the creation of the new digital signal in television, there is the ability to conduct constant in-home surveillance as well.

Unity - under fear for our lives - is not Unity at all... we will merely be a heard of sheeple sustaining the powers that be.

Let us hope that as the final ballots are counted, that there is a block of a super majority - our ability to make a legal stand, a procedural stand... And let us hope that the damage can be undone - both the damage from Bush, but also the coming of societal damage from Obama.

Lawyers - sharpen your wits... there should be a flurry of lawsuits against the federal government on the grounds of violating the constitution... Let's be ready!

Monday, November 3, 2008

Why COAL could be the NOVEMBER SURPRISE - No Early Voting in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is the state in which John McCain is hoping to close the deal on the presidential election. In the closing weeks of this campaign, both McCain and Palin have spent significant time in the Keystone State in hopes of gaining support in the Democratic territory. What is more significant is that Pennsylvania is a state which DOES NOT allow early voting. That means that last minute issues - such as the scandal on Obama and his stance on Coal - could turn out the vote in Western Pennsylvania, where voters have already been called "racist, bible clinging, gun toting rednecks" by Obama, Biden, and Dem. Congressman Murtha.


Mike Carey, president of the Ohio Coal Association (OCA), today issued the following statement in response to just-released remarks from Senator Barack Obama about the nation's coal industry.
"Regardless of the timing or method of the release of these remarks, the message from the Democratic candidate for President could not be clearer: the Obama-Biden ticket spells disaster for America's coal industry and the tens of thousands of Americans who work in it. These undisputed, audio-taped remarks, which include comments from Senator Obama like 'I haven't been some coal booster' and 'if they want to build [coal plants], they can, but it will bankrupt them' are extraordinarily misguided. It's evident that this campaign has been pandering in states like Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania to attempt to generate votes from coal supporters, while keeping his true agenda hidden from the state's voters."
The area in question has the potential to swing Pennsylvania towards McCain/Palin. Consider the following graphs:

The upper left is the county-by-county 2004 results for President, with an outline of the coal fields, as indicated by the survey map below. To the right of that picture is a more accurate purple map, indicating that as many as 5 counties in Western PA are "swing" counties, and two in Eastern PA, which fall into the Coal Belt.

Obama's audio, as provided by my previous post, could help undecided (and decided) voters in those key areas to vote in favor of a candidate who has not just endorsed the idea of bankrupting and eliminating their jobs.

With no early voting in the state, and a number of undecided voters in the region, this could be the boost needed to push PA over the line and into the McCain camp. It's the jobs, energy costs, and economy stupid!

Should The Commander in Chief want to Bankrupt an Industry and a Nation's Citizens?

Voting for Barack Obama: SKYROCKETTING ENERGY PRICES - but for the betterment of the world. In his own words:

"Under my plan... of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket, even... uh, regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad, because I'm capping greenhouse gasses. Coal power plants, natural ga - you name it - whatever the industry was, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money, they will pass that cost onto consumers... "

"If you can't persuade the American people that, yes there is going to be some increase of electricity rates on the front end, but that over the long term, because of a combinations of more efficient energy usage, and changing light bulbs, and more efficient appliances, uh, but also technology improving how we can produce clean energy, that the economy will benefit..."

Listen for yourself:


Barack Obama's plan in an era of economic downturn - bankrupt the Coal Industry - Bankrupt the American worker... impose skyrocketing costs so that over the long run, we will be better off - while jobs are lost in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania because Coal is being completely eliminated as a means of energy sustainment.

The problem with Liberal Leftist Eco-Heads, as opposed to Conservative Libertarian Eco-Heads (like Myself) is that they don't understand that to succeed in alternative energy and energy independence, you must first be able to sustain what you already have. That is, our first objective is to ensure that we have a bridge of energy independence before we run headfirst into alternative energy independence.

Obama and those on the left are completely and utterly WRONG on energy. The endgame is the same - but a policy of bankrupting an industry and a people in order to justify your ends... SIMPLY WRONG!

"If somebody wants to build a Coal Powered Plant, they can, it's just that it will bankrupt them because they are going to charged a huge sum because of all the Greenhouse gas that is being emitted" - Obama

Is Iraq Kicking out the US?

As the deadline approaches for an end to legal US operations within Iraq, no move is being made by the Iraqis to approve a new security deal with the United States - one which currently outlines US combat troops in the country until 2012. The plan also requires Iraqi control over US combat troops, giving the Iraqi government security control of it's country... but is this one step too far?

The plan has already been through a series of stalemates, putting the future of US operations in the country in question. If the plan is not approved by Dec 31st, by the Iraqi parliament, the US must cease all operations within the country, and begin to remove all forces.

The Iraqis requests are a direct affront to the continued presence of the United States in their country - and they may be playing on the hopes of an Obama victory in the US to offer a plan for immediate withdrawal. The requests include greater control over US forces in the country, a pledge to not attack Iran from their territory, and criminal trials for US soldiers under Iraqi laws. Such measures are sure to further Iraqi support, but are also going to dissuade US support.
So the question seems logical - is the Iraqi government maneuvering to expel US forces from their country by legal means? Taking the question one step further - If a restored government requests that the US leave, should the US act on behalf of their new ally and leave?

This is an obvious indicator of success in Iraq. But there has never been a definition of when the "job was done"... there is a lot of talk about finishing the job, and not leaving before the job is done in Iraq... so perhaps this is the indicator?

If not, I question what is the indicator of success in that country - because I can guarantee that there will never be zero violence... heck - just look at any major US city and try to argue that we are at a state of zero violence!