Haven't been writing much lately. Of course, my evenings are more busy now since I'm glued to the TV. Not for the new season, but for the second season - it's playoff time! This means instead of reading my stuff and writing about it, I'm sitting slack-jawed watching Fox all night.
So I have a few things I wanted to touch on tonight since I have an opportunity. Kind of a catch-all if you will. Tomorrow I may get a chance to catch up on a couple days' worth of GOPUSA commentaries and stories.
First and foremost, I'm glad the Iraqi election seems to be going well. Actually, because I'm watching the Fox channel out of DC (that's the only one we have on our cable) I'm getting to see a little bit on the Virginia election as well. The polls have that one as really close, and it looks like the Republican Jerry Kilgore can't get off that mid-40's number while the Democrat Tim Kaine has pushed his way into the mid-40's. So the undecideds might be shifting blue. The two commercials I've sort of seen have been negative ads by Kilgore.
Obviously, if Kaine wins that one, you can bet your bottom dollar the partisan media will be all over that story as a "sign that the GOP majority is endangered for 2006." Hey, if they can spin a 4-point loss in Ohio into a win for the Democrats, imagine what they'll do with an actual victory, even if by 1% or less.
Another election story I was alerted to when I got my latest copy of Liberty & Law from the Institute for Justice originates from the state of Washington, home of "found" Democrat votes. The story goes this way:
Recently the state of Washington instituted a 9.5 cent per gallon tax increase on gasoline. It was quickly denounced by various citizens, including local Seattle talk radio hosts John Carlson and Kirby Wilbur. Their opposition led to the formation of a PAC that was set up to bring the matter to a statewide vote. As the petitions came in, it became obvious that there was enough sentiment to get this measure on the ballot, where the gas tax was likely to be repealed.
Enter a group called "Keep Washington Rolling." Rather than simply make their points on the merits of increasing the gas tax, they also decided to make an attempt to silence their opposition. That strategy was to hamstring the anti-taxers by claiming that the talk radio campaign was an "in-kind" political contribution and should be reported under Washington state election laws. Believe it or not, a judge agreed - so the anti-tax group now has to spend time and money documenting and valuing the discussions on the issue. Further, there's a conflict of interest between the members of the KWR group and the prosecutors of various counties who stand to benefit by getting highway projects completed.
The Institute for Justice has come in on the side of the radio hosts, which is the correct side. When the powers that be can use campaign finance laws (that are arguably unconstitutional in and of themselves) to hinder the voice of the voting public when they don't see things the way big government does, it thwarts the idea of a government both by and for the people.
And something VERY interesting. I was looking at the KWR website, and at the bottom is a small credit that says: "Powered by Blue Utopia." Well, Blue Utopia "provides technology and online expertise to Democratic political organizations." Just the name alone conjured that much. So what else is new? The Democrats are for higher taxes, in the name of more highway construction. Wonder what the moonbat environmentalist wackos out that way think of that?
Closer to home, another moonbat made it into the Daily Times yesterday. This is part of a letter to the editor from Joan B. Seiler that made it in Friday's edition:
Nestled in the No Child Left Behind Act is a quiet paragraph stating high schools must provide 16-, 17- and 18-year-olds' home addresses, phone numbers and Social Security numbers to military recruiters. If a school declines, it will be denied federal funding. The only exceptions are through notes from a parent forbidding the school to release any information on their child to any military recruiter. This note must be received by Oct. 15.
For those interested, there are many places to obtain information about enlisting. If you don't want your teenager subjected to pressure to "join up" or don't want your child's name, address, phone number and SSN handed out, write to your school stating this and send a copy to the school board. If possible, mail it certified, return receipt requested, or hand deliver it and request a signed receipt. That way, no one can say they didn't know.
Teens in high school are aggressively targeted, more so now that recruitment has plummeted.
The military needs its "cannon fodder" and promises college, job training, health care and the ability to "be all you can be." Of course, that's if you don't get blown away in Iraq or Afghanistan or, worse, survive minus a few limbs.
Among the most vocal fans of the ill-advised war are Bush supporters who know that without a draft, their child has no chance of being placed in harm's way. With a draft, you would see the same campus rebellions that took place during Vietnam. Then, everyone was at risk. That's the way it should be now, too.
The government claims girls 16, 17 and 18 aren't mature enough to go to Planned Parenthood without parental permission --but they can enlist to carry a gun and be shot without anyone's permission. How about that for a "culture of life?"
The military has been selective about the schools it visits, preferring those in areas with a heavy dose of minorities and lower economic base. That's because military does offer a way out with a chance for education and job training. But the military is not a prep school, it's the military. Its job is to fight and, if necessary, to die. The first thing they give you after a haircut is a gun.
Way to blow through all those talking points, Mrs. Seiler. I especially liked the part about the Bush supporters and the draft. Something tells me that, if you asked the parents of the soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan who they voted for in the last election, the name "Kerry" wouldn't come up a lot.
Then, to top it off, the Daily Times writes an editorial agreeing with her! In the editorial they cite a website called Leave My Child Alone. Among the co-sponsors of this website are serious moonbats like Code Pink and True Majority, along with ACORN.
Of course, what's not noted is that once these kids turn 18, they have to send in a card to Selective Service anyway. So the database that LMCA is worried about will be there regardless.
To me, if the military wants to have their shot at recruiting a child in high school, more power to them. It's like the volume of college info that many students receive, but with benefits like job training and lifetime medical care from the VA. Granted, there's a risk of death or disability in Iraq or Afghanistan, but I honestly think kids are smart enough to realize this - if not, the parents will likely remind them. Especially with all the partisan media gleefully covering every last American death in Iraq, it's obvious to any 16 to 18 year old that joining the military has risks.
One final thing. I never served in the military, simply because I didn't have to. There was no draft during my youth, most of which was spent on the campus of Miami University trying to figure out how to get through classes while finding time to hang with the "buds" and drinking plenty of beer. In the Reagan era, it was "peace through strength" and the worst military death toll occurred in Lebanon. But the military recruited then as well. Then, as now, the military was a volunteer organization, and some elected to serve - but most didn't.
Today, though, I have two of the little magnetic "ribbons" on my front door, one that says, "Support Our Troops" and the other, "Freedom Isn't Free." And this afternoon I took a moment to thank a veteran for his service (he had a Korean War veteran hat on.)
One can call me a "chicken hawk" because I have this attitude now that I can't be drafted. But I've come to realize that it's a good thing that our nation remains proud enough and keeps a number of young folks who care enough to sign up to defend it, knowing they risk life and limb in the process.
Parents, you may beseech your children all you want about not joining the military. But with freedom comes responsibility, and the Daily Times opinion piece is a shirking of theirs.
