Archive for the 'Heading Right' category

Fox News & BlogTalkRadio Join Forces!

From BlogTalkRadio:

Way back in 2004, when John Kerry was challenging George W. Bush for the highest office in the land, few Americans had ever heard the word blog – let alone spent much of their free time devouring the most passionate and incisive among them.

What a difference an embattled admini- stration makes!

Today, blogging is not only the New Journalism, it’s a major force in shaping our nation’s political opinions.

So it should come as no surprise that FOX News Radio has selected eight of BlogTalkRadio’s most passionate and incisive hosts to voice their opinions about Election 2008 in the mainstream.

Beginning Monday, Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. ET, four hosts from our Heading Left Channel and four from Heading Right will square off during a weeklong, one-on-one tournament that will determine the best blog talker from each side of the political spectrum.

Election 2008: Battle of the Blog Talkers unfolds on FOX Across America, which is hosted by Spencer Hughes and carried on FOXNewsRadio.com and Sirius XM Radio. (To hear more about this special, click here now.)

Lynne

Lynne Lupien: Leading off for the Left.

In Round 1, Spencer will moderate a debate between two Heading Left hosts, who will each have five minutes of uninter- rupted time to respond to the same topic. Listeners then vote (via mobile-text message and online poll) for their favorite blog talker, who in turn moves onto Round 3. Meanwhile, two Heading Right hosts square off in Round 2, with the most popular moving onto Round 4. And in Round 5, the Heading Left and Heading Right victors go head to head.

After each round, the topics will be opened to discussion with Spencer, as well as with listeners calling into the show.

Then, throughout the week of Oct. 20, live from 8 to 9 a.m. EDT, the Heading Left and Heading Right victors will join Spencer in co-hosting a special FOX News Radio Election 2008 series.

Here are the BlogTalkRadio hosts who’ll be doing battle:

Chad

Chad Everson: Ready to rumble for the Right.

Heading Left

-Lynne Lupien of Lowell, MA: Left Ahead!.

-Julie Pippert of Houston, TX: MOMocrats.

-David McLaughlin of Rome, GA: The Kudzu Vine.

-Tom D’Antoni of Portland, OR: D’Antoni and Levine.

Heading Right

-Kevin Ross of Los Angeles, CA: The Kevin Ross Show.

-Chad Everson of Princeton, MN: Grizzly Groundswell.

-Elizabeth Blackney of Bend, OR: Media Lizzy.

-Andrea Shea King of Cape Canaveral, FL: Andrea Shea King Show.

Once the war of words gets under way, we’ll be keeping your apprised of all the action, so - in addition to tuning into this historic series - be sure to check in here daily.

Sarah Palin: America’s Iron Lady

Last night marked the beginning of a new era in Republican politics. Just 44 years old, Governor Sarah Palin took to the stage at the Xcel Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota to accept the nomination of the Republican Party. She is not your grandfather’s Republican. Heck, she’s not even your father’s Republican. She represents the Republican party that I know.

Until last night, the Generation X Republicans were mostly invisible to the American people. Our image - as created by the Main Stream Media - was one of almost elderly, and smarmy guys that sneak off with the people’s money. With Governor Sarah palin’s speech, that image has been shattered.

She is the face of the party I know. Palin, along with folks like Eric Cantor, has a command presence and a command focus that instills confidence. She doesn’t need the favor of a guy inside the beltway. Or a reporter with just the right connections. Sarah Palin is a woman in full. She inspires the folks around her.

Americans, of every generation, want someone new - more authentic - in power. To challenge the “Permanent Political Establishment.” Women want someone who understands that the word ‘choice’ is about more than an after-the-fact convenience. Choice is also about having sex, unprotected or otherwise. As beings with free will, for many Republicans - including pro-choice ones - the choice is about the act itself. Being a good parent is about a lot more than the caricature painted by Kate Michelman and her puppet, Democrat presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Americans want an energy policy that makes sense. We know that American Energy means American Jobs. We are complex enough to understand that would improve the economy. We don’t need some Harvard professor’s condescending tone to explain how the economy works. We know that when President George W. Bush lifted the presidential moratorium on oil drilling that the price of gas dropped about 60 cents a gallon, and that the price of oil per barrel dropped $25, and continues to fall.

When Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi tell us that the McCain-Palin & House GOP’s plans for Drill here, Drill Now, Pay Less will lead to only a 2 cent drop in 10 years — we know that is a LIE. Because we watched the prices drop. Even with Hurricanes. And the Russians threatening the pipeline in Georgia. And ongoing difficulties with Iran in the Straits of Hormuz.

Governor Sarah Palin is America’s Iron Lady. She is real. She knows where Americans live. She “gets it” in a way that average Americans have dreamed of for a long, long time. Here are a few of the best moments from last night:

“I’m not a member of the permanent political establishment. And I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion - I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country.”

“Here’s how I look at the choice Americans face in this election. In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.”

This is a time for hometown heroes. Not apologies to Europe for being ourselves. Americans are tired of the Washington elite feeling ashamed of the 300 million of us that aren’t impressed with their fancy homes, the trappings of power that we gave them, and their disrespect of those who actually provide freedom. The men and women in the uniform of the United States Armed Forces.

Sarah Palin proved, with that amazing speech last night, that America’s best days are before us.

—Media Lizzy

Sarah Palin Under Attack - Moms 4 McCain on Political Pistachio!

Vicious Attacks Against Sarah Palin - Moms 4 McCain On The Radio!


The attacks from the mainstream media against the Palin family have been vicious and uncalled for. The members of the press, in their attempt to discredit Sarah Palin, are grasping for straws that aren’t there. Some on the liberal left, specifically liberal bloggers, will try to compare this as being tactics no different to Conservative articles regarding Obama’s eligibility for the presidency, and questions raised regarding the connections he entertains with unscrupulous characters like Frank Marshall Davis, Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko, and Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

The difference is that the questions raised by critics of Obama were raised based on things Obama said, his stance on issues based on what he has said, and on the evidence provided by the Obama Campaign regarding the questions asked regarding his political connections and eligibility. The attacks against Palin are based on rumor and unproven hearsay, and upon family matters that does not concern politics. None of the issues raised regarding Palin should have been politicized.

Palin’s husband has not said he is not proud of his country, Sarah Palin’s minister is not a radical, anti-American individual teaching an ideology rooted in divisive attitudes, and her family history has been laid out for all to see rather than shrouded in secrecy and uncertainty. Also, the mainstream media has given Obama a pass on every question raised, including his inexperience (which is crucial since he is at the top of the ticket) - yet within the first days of Palin’s involvement in the GOP ticket she has been viciously attacked, and her experience has been ruthlessly questioned.

Notice that under the questions raised, by the way, the Obama Campaign responded accusing the Right of being racist, bigoted, and smear merchants for simply raising these questions. Sarah Palin has responded honestly, and graciously - showing her true strength of character - an image of character Barack Obama has failed to unveil.

And in the end, I ask you this: Who do you prefer for your next President and Vice President?

Would you prefer John McCain who is a man who in the face of the horror of being a prisoner of war, when given the chance to be released early, refused because his men and country were more important than himself? A man that has questioned Washington while serving as a politician in D.C., who has vowed to eliminate wasteful government spending? And would you prefer this candidate who is paired with a woman, Sarah Palin, that has worked her way up from the grass roots of real America to become the most popular governor in the country and is known for stamping out corruption and wasteful spending in her state, while being heavily involved in attempting to solve our energy crisis?

Or would you like a President with no foreign policy experience, 143 days of Senate experience before forming a presidential exploratory committee, his main accomplishment is giving a great speech once or twice (which wasn’t even written by him, and he needed a teleprompter to deliver it in order to keep from filling the speech with hundreds of “uh”s), who calls a child a punishment rather than a blessing and would snuff out the life of that child should his daughter make the poor decision to allow herself to get pregnant outside of wedlock, whose wife has never been proud of America until her husband got a political promotion in that country, would rather put his hands over his genitals than over his heart when the National Anthem is played, and attended church led by a radical Black Theology teaching pastor claiming that everyone disagrees with his pastor every once in a while rather than recognizing the hate and leaving the church? And do you wish to vote for this man named Barack Obama who fails to answer questions directly, fails to give specifics in his position on issues, and when he does provide any evidence of his positions they contradict his position given the last time he muttered his position? And do you want this inexperienced man known for delivering a great speech he didn’t write that he read on a teleprompter, joined by a running mate that, despite the message of “change” by Obama, is hardly anything remotely resembling change, and is instead a 36-year career politician in the U.S. Senate, and is best known for being an attack dog?

——————–

Moms For McCain says they’d rather vote for the McCain/Palin Ticket. Join Political Pistachio Radio tonight for an interview with the founder of Moms For McCain at 10 pm Eastern Time.

The Mastermind Behind the Sarah Palin for VP Campaign is on Political Pistachio Radio Tonight!

Adam Brickley was one of the forces behind Sarah Palin being chosen by McCain for V.P.


Adam Brickley received a phone call from Todd and Sarah Palin thanking him for being an integral part of Sarah Palin being chosen as McCain’s VP.

And Adam did not do it all alone. My good friend and daily e-mail bud Steve Maloney (the longest standing supporter of the Palin for VP campaign), Kristopher Lorelli of PalinForVP.com (who put in TONS of leg work), PalinforAmerica.com, Students of America on MySpace, the original “Ted” (easily the most vocal advocate according to Adam Brickley), Paul Volosen, Eric Dondero, Trish Houser of Palintology.com, all of the media who were willing to interview Adam Brickley before interviewing him was cool, and everyone in the comments section who kept the faith was thanked by Adam Brickley on his site when Sarah Palin was announced as the V.P. choice of McCain.

Adam Brickley of Palin For VP has had a busy schedule of late, since Sarah Palin was John McCain’s Vice Presidential Pick. In fact, he has been on the radio (Larry Elder Show, KABC Los Angeles. 7:20 PM Eastern/4:20 Pacific), and television: FoxNews: 5 PM Eastern/2 PM Pacific yesterday, Fox & Friends: 8:00 AM Eastern this morning on FoxNews, NBC 4 (Washington) Interviewed for last night’s evening news (nbc4.com), and today will also be on NBC 5/30 (Colorado Springs - koaa.com).

Adam was first on Political Pistachio Radio to discuss Palin as a viable V.P. candidate last year, and tonight he returns to talk about the excitement of success.

Join us tonight after Founding Truth at 10 pm Eastern on Political Pistachio Radio as we welcome Adam Brickley of Palin For VP triumphantly back to the program.

Sarah Palin VP Pick by John McCain

Sarah Palin, John McCain’s pick for Vice President, a Masterful Stroke That Is No Surprise To Political Pistachio

The choice of Sarah Palin by John McCain to be his running mate shocked and stunned the mainstream media. They are calling her a relative unknown, and have been saying she may not be the best pick because of her inexperience.

Barack Obama, in response to the McCain VP pick, said, “Inexperience is now off the table.”

Thanks, Obama, for finally admitting that you are too inexperienced. Second, she has much more experience than you, is in an executive governmental position of the likes you have never held, and you can’t compare her experience to yours anyway because unlike you she is not the leader of the ticket.

What Palin brings to the race, however, is more than shock and awe. She is strong on energy, understanding the issue better than any of the four candidates. Palin is the most popular of all of the nation’s state governors, maintaining the highest approval rating throughout her term of office. She understands the military mission we have engaged in as a nation, and her oldest son is currently enlisted in the Army and will soon be in Iraq to serve his nation. There are some questions regarding her position on abortion. Many have her listed as pro-choice, but I ask you this: If she is so staunchly pro-choice, then why didn’t she abort her newest child well knowing while she was pregnant that he has down-syndrome?

The most important part of this choice, however, is that she is one of us. She came to politics after serving on the PTA for her children. She slowly moved up doing the things that you and I do - maintaining the household, and taking care of our families. Her husband is a working man. He is a commercial fisherman and oil pipeline worker. She isn’t a career politician with lobbyists in her pocket, and corruption in her head from a life-long commitment to Washington. She does, however, have a lot of experience as a leader. She has been the mayor of her small town, and the governor of the great state of Alaska. That is executive leadership that both Biden and Obama lacks.

Some argue that Biden will tear her up in a debate because he is this rabid bulldog, and she is a quiet woman. Will he tear her up? Does she have a chance in a debate with Biden? Those that question her ability to stand tough on the issues and handle the Bidens of the world don’t know Palin like I do. The fireworks will be fascinating indeed, and she will handle herself just fine in such a debate.

And the fact that she is a woman adds a lot to the ticket as well. Hillary supporters that are dissatisfied with Obama will now have another reason to consider a McCain Presidency.

When Sarah Palin stood before the American people in Ohio accepting the opportunity to join McCain, her speech was about America. It was about our men and women serving in the military, the importance of drilling for oil domestically (basic economics of supply and demand that the left seems not to understand), about ending corruption and excess spending in Washington, and about pride in the great nation of the United States of America.

When Obama spoke last night, standing there on his Greek palace in Denver, he talked about himself and about how terrible the United States is. He made no mention of the dangerous world we are facing (terrorism, Russia, China. . .). He preferred to continue the “Everything is Bush’s Fault” tactic of the Democratic Party (even though Bush is not running for office and most of what they claim is wrong is a straight out lie). One thing he used was saying that all of the jobs are being shipped off to China. Most people forget that NAFTA and other programs that began long before “W” took office was the result of the Democrats ruling Washington for over 40 years, and it wasn’t until 1994 when that changed - for a little while - It was the Democrats that created the failed policies, free trade agreements, and entitlement programs that are now falling apart before our eyes.

As an added note, I am not surprised that Sarah Palin was the choice. I indicated a year ago (September 20, 2007) that she would be a fine Vice President of the United States. My first mention of Palin on Political Pistachio was on July 28, 2007.

July 28, 2007 one of the supporters of Sarah Palin, Steve Maloney, came on Political Pistachio Radio to discuss his hopes Palin would become the next President of the United States, or at least Vice President. On October 17th of last year, Adam Brickley of the Palin For V.P. movement joined me to discuss why Sarah Palin should be the Vice President of the United States of America. Both of these gentlemen have been on my show a number of times since to discuss the possibility of Sarah Palin becoming the running mate of the Repubican Presidential Candidate (November 24 of last year, and in 2008 on February 25.

After these interviews I enthusiastically embraced the possibility of Sarah Palin as Vice President.

After a wonderful interview on Fox News today, Adam Brickley of Palin For VP will join me tomorrow on Political Pistachio Radio.

Tonight: I am guest on the John Barnhart show at from 5-7 pm Pacific. Political Pistachio Radio will follow later in the evening at 9 pm Pacific.

Lt. Col. William Russell, Major General Jerry R. Curry

William Russell is an Iraq veteran running for the United States House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. The Russell Campaign has outraised Murtha almost 6 to 1 in the second quarter reporting period, and has raised another $600,000 since early July. This money has come from over 20,000 donors, 75% of whom gave $50 or less. Among the most notable donors are Fred Thompson and Donald Rumsfeld.  Lt. Col. Russell, USA (Retired) joined Political Pistachio Radio on Wednesday Night for his fifth visit to Political Pistachio.

On Thursday, Major General Jerry R. Curry will join Political Pistachio Radio to discuss the Russian invasion of Georgia, and how that conflict is connected to Ahmadinejad’s Iran.

Heading Right Convention Speech Transcript: America’s Moral Compass

Heading Right Convention - Transcript of my speech on America’s Moral Compass

The Heading Right Convention aired tonight and I was one of the speakers on the floor. The convention aired in two parts. Visit The Heading Right Convention for the proper links. And while you are on that site, visit the voting area on the right side bar and vote for Political Pistachio and me, Douglas V. Gibbs. There is about two days of voting left for the Heading Right Awards. At last look I was 13 votes out of first place for best show, and a few more votes back for best host.

Now, the following is the transcript of my speech at the Heading Right Convention:

I am sitting here with a United States Navy hat upon my head, and a God Bless America shirt on my body. I served this nation with pride, and a patriotic love in my heart. I created Political Pistachio to spread the good news of Conservative values - To share with the world what America’s moral compass is really all about.

While the Democratic Party is whipping up into a near-frenzy about dividing America in Denver with more hatred and anti-Bush rage, we are here on Blog Talk Radio at this Heading Right Convention celebrating the greatness of America.

The leftist Democrats constantly try to overcompensate their claimed beliefs in heartland American values, portraying themselves as a party of the people, proclaiming their humble origins, blue-collar beginnings, and religious convictions. Such hypocrisy.

Their positions continuously oppose American values, despite how much they try to convince us otherwise.

It is the conservatives that stand for the traditional family and the defense of marriage, less cultural pollution, educational choice, freedom of religion, fiscal restraint, pro-life, the right to bear arms, lower taxes, an end to junk lawsuits, and a general patriotic support of our fine men and women of the United States Military.

It is Conservatives fighting for a strong American Moral Compass while the liberal left is putting condoms on cucumbers, telling 8th graders that they’re really gay and they need their own high school, shutting down the Boy Scouts because they support a straight and patriotic life, suing businesses on false pretenses, and jack hammering the Ten Commandments from all public displays while trying to remove God from the public square and our lives.

America’s greatness is a direct result of America’s strong moral compass. Our moral values as a people demands high standards of right and good conduct. The direction of societal behavior is in direct relation to our moral belief system. Our moral beliefs, in turn, directly affects our overall culture, and political system.

In the Old Testament it says that you reap what you sow. An old secular saying supports that, saying what comes around goes around. The United States has prospered for that very reason. Right is right and wrong is wrong, and this nation has always tried to do what’s right. But we must remember it was the people of this nation, not the politicians in government, that made this nation prosper.

A strong central government is not capable of doing what is right because a strong moral compass is not its reason for existing. Big government exists to protect itself, and to spawn more big government. Its enslavement of the people then becomes an addiction to power, a never ending need for more and more.

The party of change desires to convince you that big government is what you need. The Democrats wish to reprogram our moral compass. The liberals support the genocidal murder of innocent, unborn lives, calling it “choice” to justify the horrific murderous practice. They support the destruction of the traditional family and the silencing of those of faith that would speak out against the radical homosexual agenda - and they call it a civil rights movement, rather than an attempt to justify a behavior that has long been considered an abnormality. The liberals have used the courts to override the moral compass of the American people. They have used the schools to indoctrinate our children to teach them to reject America’s moral compass. They have assaulted us with a pop-culture of sex that is plagued with promiscuity, disease, and is pushed by the biased media and entertainment industry. And they do this in the name of change and hope. . . but what they are really doing is destroying morality in America.

Abortion on demand, a radical homosexual agenda, attacks on religion, and disarming America is not the kind of change I desire.

I believe Americans are smarter than that. This great nation is prosperous because the people refuse to succumb to such bondage. We are patriots that love our country and realize that our political tendencies rely on our moral convictions as a people. We reject the cheapening of life, and destroying the traditional family. We refuse to allow the state to take our children from us and indoctrinate them. And we reject laying down our arms so that an enemy can incrementally invade and alter our society.
This nation was founded on strong moral values, and America prospered because we always used our moral compass as our guide. And tonight, here at the Heading Right Convention, we have joined together to tell the nation that we will fight to protect it, and we will defend it against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

And the trueness of the direction of our moral compass is most apparent in the actions of our heroes, those soldiers and sailors that serve to protect us.

Greater love than this hath no man than that he lay down his life for his friends.

Our fine members of the U.S. Military faces evil daily, and they fight that evil to defend our liberty.

But the battle rages here as well. You and I are the warriors on the homefront. The enemies of America have realized that to bring down our civilization all they must do is confuse the standards of moral behavior.

The moral compass of America is crucial to defend, for if it falls, so does America.

My Friends, defend her, fight for her. United We Stand, Combined We Kick Butt.

God Bless America, and God Bless You.

Is Jerome Corsi an Embarrassing Liar? Or Is His Book, The Obama Nation, A Well Documented Piece of Political Literature?

Obama Nation Book by Jerome Corsi Draws Criticism - Corsi is my guest tonight on BTR


Tonight on Political Pistachio Radio Dr. Jerome Corsi must meet controversy head on!

Dr. Jerome Corsi, staff writer for World Net Daily, has suddenly found himself in the midst of a violent storm of controversy. The WND writer, this week alone, has been the object of numerous television and radio shows as the media tries to wade through the information contained in the book, and determine if the book is truly filled with falsehoods, or is a well researched piece of literature that takes a close and hard look at the Democratic Presidential front-runner, Barack Obama.

The book at the center of the controversy is, The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality. The Huffington Post calls the book, “…one of the worst political books ever written. Corsi piles distortion upon innuendo to create a gigantic heap of right-wing garbage, with a seemingly endless parade of basic factual errors running through the text like rats. Corsi’s book is an embarrassment to the craft of journalism, and any of the conservatives who have praised and promoted it should feel humiliated at how bad it truly is.” Media Matters writes that The Obama Nation “contains numerous falsehoods about Sen. Barack Obama.” Even Conservative talk show host and Townhall writer Hugh Hewitt exclaims about the book, “Corsi’s from the fringe. . . the book contains errors.”

Hugh Hewitt, however, also points out that the Obama Campaign has given us an “absurd set of non-responsive responses,” and that, “Now they botch a gimmie — defining Corsi as a nut while not putting attention on the charges he leveled.”

Sean Hannity has stated that The Obama Nation “may have made his [Obama’s] campaign a bit nervous.”

Joseph Farah, founder of World Net Daily, says about the controversy surrounding the book, and Jerome Corsi, “Unlike most of the critics of The Obama Nation, I have actually read the book from cover to cover. It is a thoroughly well-documented piece of first-rate journalism. Are there mistakes in it? Show me a first edition that doesn’t have some – other than the Bible. But is it truthful? Does it add considerably to the public’s knowledge of the front-running candidate for the presidency? Do we know much more about Obama than we would had we relied exclusively for our information from the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Associated Press? I offer a resounding ‘yes’ to all three of those questions. I am privileged to call him my friend, colleague and co-worker. I stand with Jerry Corsi today as he is viciously maligned by an attack media that would prefer to aim its potent artillery at a man who dared to do their job when they refused, when they laid down, when they sucked up, when they failed to ask the tough questions, when they took sides.”

In response, Barack Obama’s advisers have been tracking Corsi’s media appearances, quickly telephoning producers to react to the book’s charges, and last night, the Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign issued a 40-page response to the book.

The Democratic National Committee has its own rapid response team to take aim at Corsi’s book, saying, “One of the most vile smear peddlers of the 2004 election has found a new target. We cannot afford to let Corsi get away with the same dirty tricks that fooled so many people in 2004. We can’t rely on the media to hold him accountable – in fact, the sheer brazenness of the lies is attracting even more coverage. The media have shown that they aren’t going to stop him. It’s up to you to spread the truth.”

So, what is the truth? Is this book a classic smear job? Or is Corsi’s book simply caught up in the crosshairs of the leftists because it hits a chord? Is Dr. Jerome Corsi a discredited liar peddling garbage in order to help continue Bush-Cheney politics? Or is he a simply being lynched by the mainstream media and Democratic Party for daring to write the truth? Be the judge yourself. Read the book, and listen to what Dr. Jerome Corsi has to say tonight on Political Pistachio Radio.
The show airs live at 10:00 pm Eastern Time, but will be archived for later listening for those unable to listen live. Access the program HERE.

www.blogtalkradio.com/politicalpistachio

SADDLEBACK SHOWDOWN - TONIGHT WE DISCUSS


What do evangelical voters want in their president?

That’s what Fox News has been asking all day in the cable news channel’s promos for tomorrow night’s McCain/Obama face off at Pastor Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church in California.


This ought to be interesting. Christians are solidly anti abortion, first and foremost. Barack Obama voted three times while a state senator to allow late term abortions, including partial birth. You know, the kind that wrap a gurgling infant in paper and stick it in a broom closet to die if the poor thing survives the abortion procedure. Another word for it is infanticide or fetal homicide. (Obama has received an A+ rating from the National Abortion Rights Action League and Planned Parenthood.)

Religious conservatives believe marriage is a sacred pledge between a man and a woman, thus are vehemently against same-sex marriage.

So… in anticipation of tomorrow night’s “Saddleback Showdown”, we’ve invited Deal Hudson, director of Inside Catholic, an online journal for Catholics, to join us tonight to talk about the candidates, their records and actions on behalf of Christianity.

Deal Hudson was with us last March to report on the Pope’s activities during his visit to the United States. We enjoyed Deal’s observations then, and expect he’ll be just as interesting and informative tonight.

Join us — we get started at 9 p.m. ET — and get prepped for the big showdown.

It all happens when you CLICK here.

*****

Know Your Power: Pelosi v. House GOP and #dontgo

On August 1st, Speaker Nancy Pelosi displayed just how in tune with her book, Know Your Power, she truly is. She decided there would be none of the customary five-minute ‘Special Orders’ speeches made at the end of the session - thus squelching the voices of House Republicans eager to leave some typical parting shots, for the Congressional Record, before the commencement of the five week August recess.

House Republicans, just a dozen or so to begin with, began speaking aloud in the near-empty Chamber. Tourists, a few press in the gallery, were all listening. But Speaker Pelosi turned off the lights, turned off the cameras, and shut off the microphones. The Old Dominion’s own, Rep. Eric Cantor (and potential McCain Veep) was speaking when Speaker Pelosi’s edict “No more debate” came down. She denied direct communication between our elected Representatives with the American people.

The question begs asking: What is she afraid of?

Speaker Pelosi failed to realize something. The House Republicans - finally - were going to take a stand for the American People. For the folks in flyover country. For the long-haul truck drivers and the entry-level commuters. For the single moms and the working dads, whose paychecks barely cover child care and gas, let alone the mortgage and utilities and food. A few enterprising Members of Congress decided they would take the opportunity at hand - and bring Americans onto the Floor of Their House. Boy Scouts, German tourists, Americans on vacation in the Nation’s Capitol, all were escorted onto the Floor to hear passionate and inspiring speeches - not because the words were pretty - but because the Ideas were real.

House Republicans were not debating a controversial social or religious issue. All they wanted… a simple up or down vote on The American Energy Act.

Key provisions:

To increase the supply American-made energy in environmentally sound ways, the legislation will:

  • Open our deep water ocean resources, which will provide an additional three million barrels of oil per day, as well as 76 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, as proposed in H.R. 6108 by Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC). Rep. John Peterson (R-PA) has also worked tirelessly on this issue.
  • Open the Arctic coastal plain, which will provide an additional one million barrels of oil per day, as proposed in H.R. 6107 by Rep. Don Young (R-AK);
  • Allow development of our nation’s shale oil resources, which could provide an additional 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, as proposed in H.R. 6138 by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI); and
  • Increase the supply of gas at the pump by cutting bureaucratic red tape that essentially blocks construction of new refineries, as proposed in H.R. 6139 by Reps. Heather Wilson (R-NM) and Joe Pitts (R-PA).

To improve energy conservation and efficiency, the legislation will:

  • Provide tax incentives for businesses and families that purchase more fuel efficient vehicles, as proposed in H.R. 1618 and H.R. 765 by Reps. Dave Camp (R-MI) and Jerry Weller (R-IL);
  • Provide a monetary prize for developing the first economically feasible, super-fuel-efficient vehicle reaching 100 miles-per-gallon, as proposed in H.R. 6384 by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT); and
  • Provide tax incentives for businesses and homeowners who improve their energy efficiency, as proposed in H.R. 5984 by Reps. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Phil English (R-PA), and Zach Wamp (R-TN), and in H.R. 778 by Rep. Jerry Weller (R-IL).

To promote renewable and alternative energy technologies, the legislation will:

  • Spur the development of alternative fuels through government contracting by repealing the “Section 526” prohibition on government purchasing of alternative energy and promoting coal-to-liquids technology, as proposed in H.R. 5656 by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), in H.R. 6384 by Rob Bishop (R-UT), and in H.R. 2208 by Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL);
  • Establish a renewable energy trust fund using revenues generated by exploration in the deep ocean and on the Arctic coastal plain, as proposed by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA);
  • Permanently extend the tax credit for alternative energy production, including wind, solar and hydrogen, as proposed in H.R. 2652 by Rep. Phil English (R-PA) and in H.R. 5984 by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD); and
  • Eliminate barriers to the expansion of emission-free nuclear power production, as proposed in H.R. 6384 by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT).

The American Energy is an All of the Above approach. More American energy = More American jobs. It’s not complicated - its real. Since President George W. Bush listed the presidential moratorium on domestic drilling, the price of oil - and gas - has been on a steep decline. Speaker Pelosi likes to use the word ‘hoax’ in relation to expanded oil drilling - but the truth is right in front of us. Lifting the presidential ban had a critical, and postive, effect on the pocketbooks of average Americans.

The American Energy Act represents the ‘compromise.’ It is more an ‘all of the above’ — it’s the Kitchen Sink strategy. Speaker Pelosi continues to play chicken with the American people. And We the People have had enough.

We the People have told the House GOP (and Democrats honestly concerned about a comprehensive energy plan) “#dontgo.” And they have answered back. So far, 100 Members have gone to the House Floor and defended the best interests on the American People. This is our nation.

—Media Lizzy

Friday Night of Freedom on Political Pistachio!!!

This is my hill

By J.J. Jackson

Eventually, if you want to enact positive change you have to fight for that change. If you don’t, you’ll just get more of the same. Right now America is in full retreat, being chased from each hilltop by anti-American forces touting their weapons of class warfare, rights descendant from bureaucrats and mob rule where the minority is not protected.

I firmly believe that one of the problems we have in our society today is that we are compromised by compromise. At some point people began believing that compromise, much like change, is carte blanche good and never to be questioned. Others though seem to believe that compromise should be questioned, but only as a formality to look like they were seriously considering the consequences. But if you keep compromising with people that don’t agree with you on core issues all you are doing is moving towards their position and away from yours.

And if your position is a core belief what happens when you are no longer upholding it because you have compromised to the point where your opposition has basically gotten their way? It doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to figure it out.

We see where compromise has gotten us on a variety of issues from abortion, where a child isn’t a child if it is only so many weeks old in the womb but magically becomes a child one nanosecond after that, to the second amendment where it is now only ok to keep certain types of government approved arms despite the clear and unambiguous term “shall not be infringed” staring us in the face. We have been led to a place where arbitrary and capricious standards that make absolutely no sense reign. And it has all been in the name of the vaunted goal of compromise.

America has, over the years been a victim of an extreme leftward lean in our policy. Those that have pioneered this policy have played on the desire of Americans to simply want to get along with everyone. They exploited that desire with perfection.

This became blatantly apparent in the years after FDR’s social programs to the point where today the continually modified and expanded FDR plan for socialism is favored by the majority of Republicans where as in the early twentieth century it was favored by the Democrats. Today, after decades of compromise on the Constitution and with the Republicans as a whole filling the position of the Democrats of old, the Democrats have marched solidly even further to the left.

They then cry out for even more compromise with their new and more intrusive government programs such as Hillary Clinton’s plan for socialized medicine. Every election cycle they propose even grander socialist wealth redistribution policies. And why shouldn’t they? They’ve eventually won nearly every battle they have fought when it comes to such ideas by drawing enough people into compromise for compromise sake and promising them a piece of the pie they offer.

Everything has shifted. Because once our decision was made to compromise on the core principles which founded this great nation we have been in a constant state of retreat from the fight for individual liberty, equality and unalienable rights. Americans are in retreat and those that want to turn America into some form of socialist nanny state with themselves at the controls are on the attack.

As we retreat we keep passing up hills and giving them to the enemy.

The hill named “Right to property”? Gone. Overrun by the forces of FDR charging forward with his plans for confiscating the wealth of one American to pay retirement benefits to other Americans.

The hill named “Right to Privacy” with regards to our personal affects and records? Gone with the invention of the income tax because each and every year you are required to lay your personal records bear for the government to scrutinize.

The hill named “Second Amendment”? The daisies on that hilltop were trampled into the ground long ago with laws that infringed on the rights of the people to freely keep and bear arms.

The hill named “First Amendment”? Blown right past when McCain-Feingold became law.

And we just keep retreating and giving ground like it doesn’t matter. I’ve been yelling for years but the generals leading this charge backwards have ignored me. But now my legs are getting tired. In my arms there is a loaded rifle that has been rarely fired under official orders. Although I have fired it many times on my own and with other Americans also fed up with the situations that arise much to the chagrin of those who claim to be our “leaders” of course. And all about me I am watching my fellow Americans retreat as the orders are given time and again.

We are told to rally around our anointed leader, whoever it may be, come election time. We have the specter of a Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama presidency thrown in our faces to scare us into voting against them and not for something. We are told not to question. We are told to sit down and shut up. We are told, as conservatives, to vote for whomever the GOP nominee is, even if it is someone like John McCain who is basically using the John Kerry strategy of running on the fact that he served in Vietnam and how dare you question him. Don’t you know he is a war hero?

If you point out that he has a penchant for violating the Constitution and joining arm in arm with some of the most liberal members of Congress you are branded a troublemaker, a racist or whatever nonsensical term he and those that support him think they can get away with.

But there is one problem. The problem is that I am not actually enlisted in this army and I don’t really mind being labeled a troublemaker. I have sworn no deep allegiance to the Republican Party aside from simply registering with the party so that I can vote in their primaries and have a say in who their nominee is. But I am not a good little soldier and I do not recognize their authority to order me to vote for their candidate if I disagree with the ultimate choice. I’ve merely been here as someone that has sought to lend my rifle to defeating bigger foes of America.

But now I am not certain that the Republican Party is my kindred spirit in the quest for restoring this Republic. So I’m stopping; right here. No more running. This hill on which I now come to rest will be my hill. This is where I will make my stand.

And I know we as Americans can do it. We can make this stand. Remember when we were told to accept comprehensive immigration reform and amnesty for illegals? Remember how we were told that stopping that atrocious piece of legislation was impossible? That it was a done deal? Remember what happened when the foot soldiers revolted against McCain and others who did not have America’s best interests in mind?

That’s my point.

I was there for that battle. I fought on the front lines. And I saw what happens first hand when Americans rally even as their leaders cower and retreat. Mere foot soldiers rose to the status of general through battlefield promotions and led the counter attack. So my legs will not run another mile. They don’t have another mile left in them to run.

I will not be blown off this hill. I’m setting myself here, preparing my powder and cleaning my rifle. I am confident in my shot. And make no mistake, I will fire every last bullet at those that are about to come over the rise and try to take this hill from me.

This is my hill; one of the last vestiges of our once great country slowly being ripped from us. And I know that there are many who will stand firm if only they see others willing to stand their ground and know they are not alone.

Sure, others will blindly follow the calls for retreat. I will not.

I am tired of being told to suck it up and grow up and accept the compromise placed before me by those that are worried they will lose if I do not follow. Yet at the same time they are unwilling to compromise with me and my fellow Americans and reveal their own hypocrisy. They don’t want compromise. They don’t want what is best for this country. They want their power. And I will not be party to that folly.

It will not be easy. There will be suffering. There will be pain. There will be blood spilled this day and probably for many days, months and years to come. We may even enter into terrible darkness and the deepest of winters and fear that all is lost. But to make things better I am willing to suffer. If I am not, then the enemy has already won and defeated me.

This is my hill and I claim it for Lady Liberty. This is where I make my stand for what is right. And John McCain? He will never have my vote. Promises today and deathbed conversions cannot undo the history he has.

To Hell with worrying if anyone else has the courage to stand by my side and fight. The only way you are taking this hill is over my dead body. Today is a good day to die, but since I don’t plan on dying on this hill, that means there is only one question to ask of those about to charge over this hill and try to take it. Are you willing to die on this hill trying to take it from not just me but all the other Americans you are about to come face to face with?

Well? Are you?

**********

J.J. Jackson is a conservative/libertarian author writing about events in the United States and around the world. He is the owner of Conservative News & Opinion – The Land of the Free and also The Right Things – Conservative T-shirts & Gifts. His weekly articles can be found at Liberty Reborn

The author of this piece is my guest tonight on Political Pistachio Radio.

Atlas Shrugs on Political Pistachio

Pamela Geller of Atlas Shrugs joins Political Pistachio Radio Tonight!

Atlas joins us at 10:00 pm Eastern Time/7:00 pm Pacific to discuss her post regarding Obama’s forged Certificate of Live Birth.

Join us tonight on Political Pistachio Radio.

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HOLLYWOOD CONSERVATIVE ACTOR ED AMES with ANDREA, TONIGHT AT 9 ET

TONIGHT — ED AMES joins us on my internet radio program. We’re on at 9 p.m. ET and you can listen LIVE by clicking here. (The link will stay alive in archive if you miss the show and want to listen to it later).

You remember Ed. He played “Mingo” in the Daniel Boone series.

He’s also well known for his singing carer with his brothers, a group appropriately named “The Ames Brothers”.

Ed Ames is one of the rare Hollywood Conservatives you don’t often hear about.

Coincidentally, Scott Johnson at Powerline yesterday posted about the toxic anti-conservative environment in today’s Hollywood:

“Andrew Breitbart helps hold down the fort at the Drudge Report while running Breitbart.com. He observes the entertainment industry from his home in the Los Angeles area. In a terrific Washington Times column, Andrew decries the existence of the new Hollywood blacklist. Comparing the old Hollywood blacklist with the new, Andrew has previously observed:

“My father-in-law, Orson Bean, an author, comedian and actor, was once blacklisted as a Communist back in the ’50s. Ed Sullivan called him to say he could no longer book him on the show. Fifty years later, and after a sharp ideological metamorphosis, Orson says it’s harder now to be an open conservative on a Hollywood set than it was back then to be a Communist.”

Ed Ames knows all about it.

We discussed it over drinks when we met in November 2006 at David Horowitz’ Restoration Weekend in Palm Beach, FL. Former radio show co-host and actor Mark Vance (pictured at left in the Circle Room at the Palm Beach Breakers Hotel with Ames) did a couple of episodes of Daniel Boone with Ed.

Tonight we’ll get Hollywood actor Ed Ames’ perspective and observations on the Hollywood Left and its politics. Join us for a fascinating chat with the man who gave Johnny Carson his funniest bit — The Tomahawk. Watch it at The Radio Patriot now. And join us tonight!

*****

Today at 10AM Eastern: Second Draft’s Dr Richard Landes and Yaacov Ben Moshe

Today at 10AM Eastern (special time) we continue our series on Israel, the Middle East, and media propaganda with Dr Richard Landes and Yaacov Ben Moshe of Second Draft.

Chat’s open at 9:45AM and the call-in number is 646 652-2539. Join us!

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Please note that http://faustasblog.com is moving to a new server and can be found temporarily at http://wfaustasblog.blogspot.com/ for the time being. Thank you for your patience.

Bad Actors? Pelosi and McGovern

UPDATE: Rep. Jim McGovern’s Press Secretary Michael Mershon responded to my requests for additional information.  View his statement in its entirety HERE.

Are Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) bad actors in a tragedy about the Separation of Powers?

In Spring 2007, Speaker Pelosi visited Syria, where she met with President Bashar Assad in a highly publicized, and much criticized trip.  She was the poster child for Obama-esque ‘without pre-condition’ foreign policy. But this year, the Speaker chose to avoid the limelight, allegedly preferring to task loyal foot soldier Rep. Jim McGovern with chatting up leftist guerillas closely affiliated with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) - a group identified by the US State Department as terrorists.  Not to mention the talks with Columbian Senator Piedad Cordoba, who remainsunder investigation by the Columbian Attorney General - and who is closely aligned with Venezuelan dictator/President Hugo Chavez.

Much of the main stream media seems content to ignore the Pelosi-McGovern-FARC story.  Too much of a political hot potato.  Brings to mind Pelosi’s own language regarding Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s repeated attempts to impeach President Bush.  Remember?  She told us all that was ‘off the table.’  Until yesterday, when Pelosi indicated that Kucinich’s latest attempt might get hearings.

Insert the uncomfortable pause here.  All is fair in love and politricks.

So I placed a few calls.  Speaker Pelosi’s press staff: delightful but refused to provide on-the-record comments each of the several times we spoke.  I’m still waiting to hear back from McGovern’s office.  Somehow, I am unsurprised by the lack of candor.

In multiple conversations with sources close to Speaker Pelosi, I was told the assertions made in the Wall Street Journal reports are “categorically false” and “without merit.”  (This wins the prize for least original evasive answer)

Gee, I suppose if a Republican stood accused of colluding with a terrorist to undermine the democratically elected government of a US ally that it would be a non-story.  Oh wait… the entire country would be enraged.  And demanding answers.  Hearings. Accountability.

This is where the average American should step in.  Call Speaker Pelosi.  202.225.0100.  The role of Speaker of the House is supposed to transcend partisan politics.  She is a public servant.  Our tax dollars may have funded these misadventures.

Never ask permission to engage in our national dialogue.  Your tax dollars matter.  And Speaker Pelosi should address this Obama-esque policy directly.  Was she engaging with an agent of a foreign government to undermine our ally, the democratically elected government in Columbia?  Did Speaker Pelosi direct Rep. McGovern to tell FARC that all military aid from the US to Columbia would be suspended under an Obama presidency?

If Speaker Pelosi was a pawn in McGovern’s game, where he invoked her name to play-up his own street-cred and power - then Pelosi should promptly throw him from the Democratic train.  Give him a little partisan spanking.   Go public.  Offer a little straight-talk to the American people.

—Media Lizzy


April 2007:

From the Wall Street Journal… House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may well have committed a felony in traveling to Damascus this week, against the wishes of the president, to communicate on foreign-policy issues with Syrian President Bashar Assad. The administration isn’t going to want to touch this political hot potato, nor should it become a partisan issue. Maybe special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald, whose aggressive prosecution of Lewis Libby establishes his independence from White House influence, should be called back.

The Logan Act makes it a felony and provides for a prison sentence of up to three years for any American, “without authority of the United States,” to communicate with a foreign government in an effort to influence that government’s behavior on any “disputes or controversies with the United States.”

 

March 2008:

A hard drive recovered from the computer of a killed Colombian guerrilla has offered more insights into the opposition of House Democrats to the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

A military strike three weeks ago killed Raúl Reyes, No. 2 in command of the FARC, Colombia’s most notorious terrorist group. The Reyes hard drive reveals an ardent effort to do business directly with the FARC by Congressman James McGovern (D., Mass.), a leading opponent of the free-trade deal. Mr. McGovern has been working with an American go-between, who has been offering the rebels help in undermining Colombia’s elected and popular government.

Mr. McGovern’s press office says the Congressman is merely working at the behest of families whose relatives are held as FARC kidnap hostages. However, his go-between’s letters reveal more than routine intervention. The intervenor with the FARC is James C. Jones, who the Congressman’s office says is a “development expert and a former consultant to the United Nations.” Accounts of Mr. Jones’s exchanges with the FARC appeared in Colombia’s Semana magazine on March 15. This Mr. Jones should not be confused with the former Congressman and ambassador to Mexico of the same name from Oklahoma.

“Receive my warm greetings, as always, from Washington,” Mr. Jones began in a letter to the rebels last fall. “The big news is that I spoke for several hours with the Democratic Congressman James McGovern. In the meeting we had the opportunity to exchange some ideas that will be, I believe, of interest to the FARC-EP [popular army].”

July 2008:

Last fall, Mr. Chávez and the FARC hatched an audacious plan whereby the Venezuelan would take “proof of life” of Ms. Betancourt to French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, where the plight of Ms. Betancourt was a cause célèbre. The rebels wrote that Mr. Chávez was sure French pressure for negotiations would cause President Bush to “order Uribe to allow the meeting” between Mr. Chávez and the rebels on Colombian soil, something Mr. Uribe had refused to do. The rebels reported that Mr. Chávez was “super-motivated,” because he viewed the rendezvous as a public-relations coup that would give him and the FARC “continental and world renown.”

That plan flopped, but Mr. Chavez had other cards up his sleeve. One involved Ms. Cordoba, who is currently under investigation by the Colombian attorney general for ties to the FARC. She figures prominently in the captured rebel documents, and is notoriously close to Mr. Chávez.

She met at the Venezuelan presidential palace with FARC leaders last fall. From that meeting the rebels reported that “Piedad says that Chávez has Uribe going crazy. He doesn’t know what to do. That Nancy Pelosi helps and is ready to help in the swap [hostages in exchange for captured guerrillas]. That she has designated [U.S. Congressman Jim] McGovern for this.”

If the speaker of the House was working with Ms. Cordoba in this scheme, her judgment was more than a little misguided. The rebels write that on a trip to Argentina Ms. Cordoba told them, “It doesn’t matter to me the proposal that Sarkozy has made to free Ingrid. Above all, do not liberate Ingrid.” In short, why give up such a useful pawn?

Here is the text of the Logan Act:

Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply himself, or his agent, to any foreign government, or the agents thereof, for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.

STATEMENT FROM REP. JIM MCGOVERN’S PRESS SECRETARY MICHAEL MERSHON:

It’s important to remember that what INTERPOL determined is that there was no evidence of any tampering of the FARC computers by the Colombian military once the military took possession of those computers. Which is very good news. What INTERPOL did NOT determine, of course, was whether any of the statements in those computers were somehow empirically true. Which, of course, they could not, as we made very clear in our letter to the Wall Street Journal.

As to the Journal column in question which attacked Colombian-based human rights groups for their alleged ties to the FARC (therefore suggesting that the FARC would easily be convinced to turn the hostages over to these groups), we were disappointed to see that one of the Colombian military members involved in the hostage rescue was wearing the insignia of the International Committee of the Red Cross during the mission, in apparent violation of the Geneva Conventions. We were pleased to see that President Uribe has apologized for that error.

As to the specific questions you have asked:

Rep. McGovern met with Sen. Cordoba during the time she was the official mediator (appointed by President Uribe) for a potential humanitarian exchange of the hostages. She also met with high-level U.S. State Department officials during this period.

Rep. McGovern never said that Sen. Obama would win the election. At the time, he was a strong supporter of Sen. Clinton.

Rep. McGovern never ‘ensured’ the end of military aid to Colombia. He doesn’t believe that would be a proper policy position to take. He has argued, and will continue to argue, that a higher percentage of our aid should be used for the building of civilian and judicial institutions in Colombia; for economic redevelopment; and for assistance to the hundreds of thousands of Colombians who have been internally displaced by the conflict.

I have attached a copy of Rep. McGovern’s floor statement from yesterday’s debate on an amendment offered by House Republican Whip Roy Blunt to the intelligence authorization bill. It lays out a lot of his thinking about the way forward, and I hope you find it useful.

I’d be happy to respond by e-mail to any other specific questions you may have.

Regards,

Michael Mershon, Press Secretary
U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA)