In Honor Of William F. Buckley Jr.

November 24, 1925 –
February 27, 2008

William F. Buckley Jr. departs this world as an icon of political thought and informed, civilized discourse. Mr. Buckley's analysis of important political issues in the National Revue, his syndicated column and on Firing Line, encouraged us to be students of history, think "deeper" and never underestimate the power of wit as a tool to disarm ones opponents.

As a writer, Mr. Buckley's syndicated contributions to conservative thought would fill more than 45 average-sized books. He died as he lived, challenging us to shun political expedience in favor of intellectual integrity.

Mr. Buckley, it is my fond hope that you are now in a place that can only be described by someone with your eloquence. You will be sorely missed.

Push Polling Is A Blight On The Political Landscape

Push Polling is a blight on the political landscape. It's ridiculous to think that a candidate has no influence on the use of push polls by their supporters, despite the prohibition against coordination.

Want an example of disingenuous political double speak in action? This is how Common Sense Issues Executive Director Patrick Davis describes their activities:

"The type of calls that Common Sense Issues, Inc. is making into Iowa and New Hampshire are personalized educational conversations enabled by artificial intelligence. While some have suggested that these personalized conversations are "push polls," they are not as each one is unique based on the individual. Push calls are designed to be a one-way communication. During a personalized educational call enabled by our voice recognition artificial intelligence technology a participant has a two-way dialogue."

Give me a break! Do you really want to vote for someone who tolerates/tacitly endorses this kind of B.S.!? I sure as heck don't!

If you're a candidate running for public office, have the courage and integrity to voice any criticisms about opponent(s) yourself. Better yet, present people with the integrity, commitment, ideas, problem-solving, and leadership, that make people want to vote for you, without any need for negative campaign tactics!

French President Sarkozy Is A Great Leader

President Sarkozy's speech to a Joint Session of Congress on Nov 7th was inspiring! It is perhaps one of the best political speeches I have ever heard. Certainly the best thing I've heard broadcast by C-Span from the halls of congress, since Reagan.

The speech was obviously passionate and heart-felt. President Sarkozy was unabashedly thankful for the role the United States has played in protecting and preserving France during WWI and WWII. After thanking the United States for her protection and being a beacon of liberty throughout the world, he challenged the US to continue to be the best example of democracy and freedom possible. He specifically addressed the negatives of a "speculative" economy and encouraged the US to promote the historic goals of entrepreneurship and free enterprise.

I was left wishing we had a candidate for President in 2008 who was as eloquent and had an equal vision for the Unites States!

Is "Terrorism" ever "Politically Correct?"

Terrorism is one of those "ugly" words in today's vocabulary. Since 9/11, the words terrorist and terrorism have held special meaning for Americans and others, who had previously been indifferent to them.

Today, if you are in the United States and hear the words terrorist or terrorism used, it will likely be as part of a discussion about some fanatical islamo-facist suicide bomber or a shadowy web of terrorist cells, bent on our destruction. However, on the eve of Guy Fawkes day I thought it worth reminding ourselves that governments have often branded those who oppose them as "terrorists." Sidebar: V For Vendetta is one of my personal favorite movies.

Since the eighteenth century, it has become increasingly common for states to label dissidents as ‘terrorists’, even when they have not committed any acts of violence. The Nazis called their opponents terrorists; Gandhi and his Indian Independence Movement were labeled terrorists by the British, those who fought for equality in South Africa were also called terrorists.

The United States itself was conceived by men who the British considered to be "terrorists" and the Revolutionary War was won by a vastly outgunned Colonial army, that frequently employed terrorist/guerrilla tactics.

So the question that begs to be answered by our generation is; is terrorism ever politically correct? Do we ever have a moral mandate to engage in activities that some would consider to be "terrorism?"

For my answer to that question I will defer to a quote by one of our former presidents, who is also one of the political figures I admire most.

"We, the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution."

Abraham Lincoln