Obama - nobody should be suprised

I am amazed that everyone seems to be suprised with the latest episode of the Rev. Michael Pfleger and his hate speech at Obama's church. Obama has spent his career in politics at the far left edge of society.

He has never been an agent of change, in the Illinois Assembly he was one of the most liberal members and his hate towards those that do not agree with his politics has been evident for years; the problem is the PRESS HAS IGNORED THE RECORD.

I can only hope that more of this happens so the American people actually see him for what his is....an Agent of Hate, not change.

Durbin staff blows it again

After receiving the inept email from Durbins office, I decided to call his Springfield office and express my disappointment that they responded to my letter without so much as reading it.

I was directed to call Washington, since they are the ones that respond to all legislative questions. Ok, no problem; I look up the number and call Washington.

After explaining the issue in great detail, the staffer (who for now shall remain nameless) had the audacity to actually say this and I quote "Sir, maybe next time you should word your subject line better". Excuse me!?

I responsed with "Excuse me? I should do what?" He repeated it again......I was absolutely in shock.....my response was "So this is my fault? It is my fault that your office failed to even read the message, you just ASSUMED from the subject line that you knew what I was talking about? How about the next time YOU ACTUALLY READ THE LETTER!!!!!"

All I got was they are busy and do not have time to argue about this matter.

Too busy to read my letter and believes I should be more careful in how I word the subject line......I have a suggestion for Mr. Durbin - HIRE SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY GIVES A DAMN ABOUT THE CONSTITUENCY.....

Durbin Staff member screws up

One of the staffers of Senator Richard Durbin blew it big time with an email they sent to me recently.

Let me set the stage for you. I wrote Durbin's office expressing concern about Senate Bill 2913 Orphan Works Act of 2008. They responsed and here is the meat of their response:

Thank you for contacting me concerning SB 2913. I appreciate hearing from you.

This issue is under the jurisdiction of state and local government. As a federal official, I do not have an official role in this matter and do not have the opportunity to introduce or vote on bills before the Illinois General Assembly. However, I appreciate knowing your concerns.

Now, I have seen some staffers really make some dumb mistakes, but not being aware of pending legislation is absoolutely unforgivable.......I actually was laughing so hard I was crying. Whoever CW is, since that is the initials used in the response, needs to pay more attention to the legislation that is before the Senate and take their time in responding to constituent correspondence.

Between Doctors, Lawyers, and Politicians whose the smartest?

I have been pondering this question for months now. One would have to have been locked in a casket for the past twenty years to have missed the marvelous advances that medicine has seen and the people that have brought them to us. Indeed they are smart.

Lawyers, they have the skills to weave through thousands of pages of evidence and transcripts; disecting this information and presenting it to a panel of twelve ordinary people in a manner that they can understand. They have the ability to cite case after case off the top of their head and not miss a beat. Indeed they are smart.

Politicians - are they as smart? Smarter? Ten years ago I would have laughed at such a question and said that anyone stupid enough to ask that question is a certifiable idiot. I was wrong. We have all heard people like Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Hillary George W. Bush called stupid, idiots, dumb - and anyone that uses such a term is wrong.

These are some of the smartest people alive. I can hear the laughter so I will explain; and I will use George Bush as my example (and not for any particular reason).

So let us examine the record of why people call him stupid.

His speech leaves much to be desired.....true, but does poor speech patterns indicate a level of inferior aptitude ? Winston Churchill had a speech impediment but I seriously doubt that anyone would call him an idiot or stupid. Sir John Hicks, an enconomist also had serious problems with his speech, yet no one would remotely consider him stupid or an idiot. So speech certainly is not the problem.

Some will claim that his policies are the reason he is an idiot. Well, he was able to convince enough members of the U.S. House and Senate to implement them and that is not something that is easily done. Scratch that argument.

The first reason I would call him one of the smartest people alive is simply - HE GOT ELECTED. Now, you may call the American people stupid, and that is your choice, but again you would be wrong. If anybody could do it, we would have had a plumber as President or a stripper as Governor.

Some will say that it was not him that won the election but those in charge of his campaign.....well ok, if I concede that I have to ask the question - WHO HIRED THEM?

You cannot have your cake and eat it too, and if you are going to call him stupid, or Bill Clinton, or any other successful politician you must also call every single person they hired and who voted for them stupid as well and doing that makes you look like the idiot.

So whose the smartest? I will leave that for you to decide, but calling politicians stupid really only shows your own ignorance.

Obama - running on what?

Barack Obama's entire campaign has been about change. Every stop its preached as though it is a sermon. It is included in ever press release. Talking points ensure that "change" is used anytime the name Obama is used.

What we do not hear is what that change is. What exactly is he going to change? What was his record in the Illinois Senate? I do not hear him talking about what he has done since he was elected as U.S. Senator and is that because he has no record to run on?

Barack Obama for all his talk about change, is the least qualified candidat; George Ryan, a convicted criminal that got his just desserts, is far more qualified than Barack will ever be. If I had a choice (and I almost do not) between Barack and Hillary, I would vote for Hillary with no reservation, which is not to say that I am endorsing her, I personally believe that between the two, she poses the least danger to this country.

Then again, I am still a Fred Thompson fan....

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I have been unable to post for quite a while. Some would say it has been pleasant without my presence :) Others would say I was never missed; regardless, I am back and fired up!

With the battle between B. Obama and H. Clinton still going on strong, despite Obama's desire for her to quit and his attempts to relegate her to the line of hasbeens, there will be plenty of ammo for those on the right, and with John McCain the presumptive nominee, we have the unique position of ripping the Dems apart and shooting ourselves in the foot at the same time.

It will be a fun summer!

It saddens me to say this

but I believe the time has come for Illini coach, Bruce Weber to go. Make no mistake about it, Bruce Weber is an excellent coach, probably one of the top five coaches in the nation and if his only responsibility was in taking a young group of players and turning them into a championship team, Weber would be the Illini's coach for life.

However, we all know there is more to collegiate coaching than just "coaching". He is also responsible for recruiting top quality player to the university and on a scale of 1 to 10 Weber would score a -5. His recruiting has been dismal at best and I see no improvement long term.

It was no fluke that Illinois made it to the finals in 2005, he took a bunch of kids who were good players and molded them into a TEAM that was OUTSTANDING. Weber made that team what it was. Bill Self recruited the players, but Weber made those players a team. It seemed that with the success of 2005, Illinois had finally reached the pinacle of collegiate success yet since that time Weber has been unable to recruit a single top player in the country.

Weber recruited assistant coach Tracy Webster in hopes that he would be able to tap into the Chicago talent and in losing him to Kentucky on Friday, he has also lost Darius Miller, who committed to Kentucky on Friday.

I like Weber, I liked him when he was at Southern and will probably always like him but I am no different than the thousands of other Illini fans who after tasting success want more of it. I have no problem waiting a couple of years for success but when a coach has shown that he possesses no ability to recruit top flight talent, I am left with little choice but to call for his replacement.

The success we enjoyed in 2005 could not have been accomplished by any other coach and Weber is to be commended for that, however, one appearance in the finals is not enough to ensure a coach a life long position and with that I have finally, reluctantly I might add, joined the chorus of fans that are now calling for Weber to be replaced.

New links

I have added a few new links:

1. Jewish Republican Coalition.

2. Illinois Review (A good conservative website).

3. Fred Thompson Campaign website.

The links are in addition to the Backyard Conservative, and GOP Bloggers; both of which are excellent conservative blogs.

Enjoy,

D.W.

Interesting statistic

It has been 9, 553 days since Ken McElroy was murdered in downtown Skidmore, MO in front of 25+ people in broad daylight and nobody has been indicted, tried or convicted for the murder.

The American Justice system at its finest.

Sentences, Bond Amounts and disparity in the Justice System

I am sure that I am not the only one that has noticed the disparity in the justice system in Illinois.

If one is charged with a crime in Morgan County, the odds of you receiving a low bond amount are nill; yet the same crime in Chicago, Rockford, or Peoria will only cost you a few hours until the bond can be posted.

If you are convicted in Sangamon County you will on average receive a sentence that is 50% longer than if you were convicted in Cook or Winnebago County.

I do not advocate the lowering of bond amounts or sentences, what I do advocate for is a justice system that is fair and uniform throughout the entire state, instead of this huge difference between the various counties and cities. Allowing a hang 'em high judge to unduly punish a person is no more acceptable than a french bread judge that is afraid of ruining some kid for life.

If the State of Illinois adopted a uniform sentencing and bonding plan, there would be far less dissatisfaction with the general public.

Thompson - His Race to Lose

Senator Fred Dalton Thompson is a conservative, much to the chagrin of the Los Angeles and New York Times. It is important to note that when a newspaper attacks a candidate (which both of these have done with Thompson) it is for only two possible reasons: 1. they are attempting to sell more papers, or 2. they are scared of the candidate. It does not take a Nuclear Engineer to determine which is the case here.





Thompson has a down home likeability to him however more importantly he has a shoot-straight personna that many have compared to President Ronald Reagan and that voters have a tendency to migrate towards. He is well spoken and has a voice that is very easy to listen to.

The leading Republican candidates: Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain all face the troubling prospect of losing support almost immediately.

Mitt Romney will lose the conservative voters who are not ready for a Mormom to be elected President and the social conservatives who do not believe Romney has a strong enough history to be trusted with the nations highest office.

Giuliani will lose the social conservatives that believe in a strong defense but are wary of Giuliani on the social front.

John McCain - He is one presss conference away from pulling out of this race. McCain wanted to be annointed the heir apparent, but the new breed of Republican voters are no longer willing to entrust the nations highest office to someone just for party loyalty....you need to stand for something, and John McCain has flipflopped one time to many for a lot of them.

This is Thompsons race to lose.....the real question is, will he?

Planning a run for Mayor?

It has been brought to my attention recently that Ward 1 Alderman, Frank Edwards, is laying the groundwork now for a possible mayoral bid in 3 1/2 years. Despite having the ability to run for what would be a guaranteed reelection as alderman (Edwards could serve one more term beyond his current term), it appears that he has his sights set a little higher.

Could Frank be planning a jump to Mayor and then onto the Governors mansion?

Thoughts from the Deck

I was sitting on my deck late last night and was pondering about the state of politics today. Idaho Senator Larry Craig is in deep trouble; and maybe the Republicans in the Senate have returned to their roots. Despite the protestations to the contrary, Craig plead guilty to engaging in what I will call unsavory behaviour. If you believe him, and I do not, he was not smart enough to hire an attorney to handle the matter for him; instead, he plead guilty in hopes that it would just all go away.

I would consider Craig a man of reasonable intelligence and as any man with a reasonable amount of brain would tell you - YOU NEVER HANDLE A LEGAL MATTER WITHOUT CONSULTING WITH AN ATTORNEY - and you do not plead guilty to a crime you did not commit. Craig of all people should have realized that sooner or later the story was going to break and it would spin endlessly out of control.

The Senator has two-stepped this issue faster than a 20 year old couple on a Country & Western dance floor.

Of course that also brings us to the Republican leadership, who almost immediately asked the Ethics Committee to open an investigation into his actions and determine if any Senate Rules have been violated. They moved a few nano-seconds shy of the speed of light in doing so, which of course was the RIGHT thing to do. Now, there are distant calls from within the Republican Party for Craig to resign.

Now that I am thinking about it, Craig is not a man of reasonable intelligence, if he were he would have first not engaged in the behaviour, second he would have hired an attorney immediately, and third he would have already resigned.

Two hats off for the Republican Leadership and a pair of dirty trousers for the Senator.

-------

I find it amusing that when a Democratic fundraiser is accused of malfeasance, there is one excuse after another from the left (as has been the case with Norman Hsu - a fundraiser for the Clinton campaign) yet let even a moderate Republican be caught up in a mess like this and the Democrats pull out the rope and call for a 1880's hanging.

I am a Republican through and through, and make no apologies for that; but I also call 'em like I see 'em and when a Republican engages in behaviour that I believe is detrimental to the party or country I call for them to go; likewise when someone accepts contributions from a thief who is on the run, I call on them to return every dime immediately.

So, Senator Craig - I call upon you to resign your seat immediately and Hillary I call upon you to return every dime you have received from Hsu.

I will not bet the mortgage that either will listen to me.

Governor goes to Court

This almost feels like a nightmare. The Gov really does think he is G-d and has the right to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants and for whatever purpose he wants. Instead of actually sitting down and working with the House and Senate to craft a budget that all could agree to, he throws temper tantrums, calls people names, and basically acts like a three year old.

Hot Rod is hot under the collar, and for what? Because Mike Madigan ran the House as he saw fit, which by the way - as Speaker of the House he has the right to do, and without consulting the Governor on each step.

It is a well defined matter of law that the Speaker of the House sets the agenda and the time it is in session, not the Governor; however, that matters little to the Gov, he wants total control.

We are in for a fun summer as these two square off in court over who has the authority to actually set the times of the House sessions and whether or not the Governor has the authority to redistribute budgetary money for purposes not included in the budget.

Watch closely, the punches and body blocks are just beginning.

Correction on Gonzales

Apparently my facts were a bit off in the post about Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. He has officially resigned as Attorney General but will not be stepping down until September 17th.

I am not suprised by the news, Gonzales was being dogged by the Democrats at every turn, despite the fact that they have not uncovered any illegal activity on the part of the AG; what I am suprised with, is that he held out this long.

Congress has become like a part of my family, Packer fans who on Monday morning talk and act as though they could always do a better job than the current staff. Unfortunately we will have to endure another year and a half of partisan investigations that in the end will produce nothing; Gonzales though, will be able to sit back and smile knowing that he will no longer have to put up with the moronic diabtribes of 535 wannabes.

Gonzales said to have resigned

The word out of Washington this morning is that Attorney General Gonzales has officially resigned as Attorney General.

His resignation is said to be effectively immediately.

More to follow I am sure.......

Davlin a "MINI" Thompson?

Anne with an "E"'s father compared Springfield Mayor Tim Davlin to former Governor Jim Thompson this morning; going to far as to compare him to Jim Thompson.

I just about fell off my chair. Davlin may be charismatic, he may even be likeable, but this comparison borders on the insane.

I kow Jim Thompson, Jim Thompson is a friend of mine, and Tim, you are NO JIM THOMPSON.

Thompson knew how to work with the legislature, you have not been able to work with a single Republican on the city council.

Thompson knew how to get things done, you have not had a single one of your own initiatives pass.

Anne with an "E"'s father needs to pay more attention to the details before making such a laughable and completely ignorant comment.

A heartfelt thank you

To all of you that sent condolences to my family, I want to thank you very much....it was appreciated.

Thank you.....

D.W.

No Posts this week

Due to a death in the family, there will be no posts this week.

Anti-semitism is no trivial matter

I have refused to be dragged into this whole debate, and will only make this comment in response to a couple of emails I have received.

Anti-Semitism is no trivial matter, it is a serious issue and making jokes about it serves no useful purpose, and at worst is a disgrace to the entire debate.

I will not give the blog the satisfaction of mentioning their name, but their attempt to trivialize the issue is reason enough for any Jew or a supporter of Israel to boycott their site until such time as an apology is issued.

I can only suspect that since they have never been on the receiving end of this type of behaviour they have no clue how damaging it is.

"Consider the source" is appropriate in this case.