Sunday, August 22, 2010

Candidate Profile: Dr. Donna Campbell


Running for: House of Representatives, Texas District 25

Primary: March 2, won with 69.9%

Notable Endorsements: Texas Alliance for Life, Central Texas Republican Assembly, Team America PAC, John Cornyn, Jerry Patterson (Texas Land Commissioner), Dick Morris

Background: Born to hardworking parents in San Diego, California, Donna Campbell worked her way through high school and college before becoming an emergency room medical director and ophthalmologist.

Issue Breakdown:
  • Abortion: Pro-life
  • The Economy: Stop uncontrolled government spending, reduce deficit
  • Education: Wants greater parental choice, less bureaucratic interference, control back to families and away from the government
  • Energy: Supports domestic drilling and diversification, opposes cap and trade
  • Healthcare: Opposes ObamaCare
  • Immigration: Border security a priority, opposes amnesty
  • National Defense: Supports strong, fully-funded military, opposes civilian trials for terrorists & enemy combatants
  • Taxes: Supports tax code simplification, lower taxes, fair tax, taxation on consumption rather than income
My Assessment: Where Lloyd Doggett promotes Washington liberals’ progressive agendas, Donna Campbell promises fiscal responsibility. Where Doggett literally runs away from unhappy voters, Campbell promises accountability. Where Doggett is a career politician with agendas and strings to pull, Campbell is an ordinary citizen who is concerned with the direction in which our government is going.

Donna Campbell will keep the government answering to the Constitution. She brings real-world experience to politics; her medical background gives her an especially unique perspective on the Obama administration’s healthcare plan.

Future redistricting may weaken Lloyd Doggett’s hold on this area of Texas, but until that happens, we need to “dump Doggett.” His progressive ideals are both destructive to and ignorant of his constituents. Donna Campbell promises real leadership and accountability – she is the kind of congresswoman we need in District 25.

In Her Words:







On the Web: Website / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Flickr

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Hands Off Texas!

Last night I attended the Hands Off Texas rally at the capitol... "Nice to be among like-minded company for a change," as one woman put it.

I've posted pictures of some of the best signs at my Flickr page. Here are a few samples:




Monday, August 2, 2010

Pro-Choice Hypocrisy

Widely heralded as an intensely philosophical, very "real" analysis of humanity and its problems, Battlestar Galactica is one of the only science fiction television shows that ever drew mainstream attention. And to some extent, I agree with the critics that heap praise upon the series. Battlestar is generally very satisfying to watch, with compelling characters and a plot so intricate that you never quite know who's on which side. And, admittedly, the show does an excellent job of addressing social issues without smacking its viewers in the face with an agenda.

That is, until the abortion episode.

Here's the long story short: Sharon is a cylon, a bad-guy robot. She and Helo, a human, conceive a child (before he knows that she's a cylon). Since the cylons are hell-bent on destroying the human race, a hybrid baby would undoubtedly pose a serious security threat. When the powers that be discover Sharon is pregnant, they decide to terminate the pregnancy in order to protect the fleet.

The only character who shows any reservations regarding the abortion is Sarah Porter, a representative from Gemenon, a religious faction equivalent to Christian creationists. Porter is unsympathetically portrayed as an uneducated, totally irrational religious fanatic. It is considered preposterous that anyone would object to abortion, so she is written off as unreasonable.

With the Bible-thumping (or "sacred scroll-thumping," as the case might be) lunatic out of the way, the consensus is quite clear: abort.

In the end, the baby is allowed to live, but only because of a blanket abortion ban intended to keep the dwindling human race, now short of 50,000 souls, afloat. The President announces this new law to the press with tears in her eyes, selflessly defying her own beliefs to protect the greater good. The orchestral music swells, the camera pans out dramatically, and we are clearly supposed to be filled with pride and respect for the fleet's fearless leader.

In the very next episode when the child is born, security concerns must again be addressed. And everyone is horrified that one might even consider killing the child.

In its quest to analyze and call judgment on social issues, Battlestar inadvertently revealed the hypocrisy of pro-choice philosophy.

The concept that a child is not really a "child" until birth is totally unfounded. Is the word "baby" defined as a young human, with the condition that it has been born? No. Does morality suddenly kick in the moment a baby's head pops through the birth canal? No. Does a pregnant woman say that a cluster of cells are multiplying in her belly? No, she is "with child." She is "having a baby."

Doctor Zero wrote that abortion supporters, particularly young men, "find it easy to dismiss the entire issue by talking about 'a woman’s right to choose,' which simultaneously allows them to sound enlightened… and lets them off the hook for doing any serious thinking, or defending a morally serious but difficult position."

The Declaration of Independence defines a human being's natural rights, rights which are inherent just for being a human: "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."  

LIFE.

Never mind the "right to privacy" or the "right to choose" or the "right of a woman to control her body." A child is a child, whether it has been born yet or not. To kill an unborn child, or to condone such a procedure, is a shameless act of disrespect for human life. By committing an abortion, you are destroying a human soul and denying an innocent child the right to live.

This country cannot and will not live up to its professed assurance of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" until abortion is made expressly illegal. There is no excuse for killing a child.

No moral system can survive under the weight of pro-choice hypocrisy.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Seven Reasons I'm Looking Forward to November

1. Nancy Pelosi



2. Harry Reid



3. Charlie Crist



4. Lloyd Doggett



5. Ciro Rodriguez



6. Barbara Boxer



7. Thanksgiving

Excited yet?

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Feeling stimulated?

Remember that picture I tweeted a few days ago? The stimulus sign that popped up near where I live? Well, at least we know the $787 billion stimulus package has created at least one job - someone to take off the Obama-is-a-Socialist-Joker stickers that reappear out of nowhere every few days.

Here it was then:


And this is it now:


'Nuff said.

UPDATE 7/21: Sticker's gone again.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

"Ford, I lift your name on high..."

One of my favorite comedians on what happens when churches sell out to corporations:


Check out Tim Hawkins' YouTube channel for more hysterical videos!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Palin for President?

Speculation is rampant as to whether Sarah Palin will pop back into politics in 2012. Some say it's inevitable - what else could she be planning with the millions that SarahPAC is raising? Some say she can't win. Others say it's too soon. But it certainly seems that a 2012 ticket is looming on the horizon. And I say she should go for it.

photo courtesy of Sarah Palin's Facebook

Back before the 2008 elections, listening to Mike Huckabee got me interested in politics. I liked what he was saying, and for the first time politics was something more than some lofty, ill-defined concept that only my parents cared about. I started paying attention when we watched the news every night.

But it was Sarah who really got me into it. I still have her VP nomination speech on my iPod. I really felt (and still feel) a personal connection to her. It was through her charismatic interviews and speeches, "you betchas" and all, that I pursued and became fully aware of my political and personal values. The cheerful, unapologetic manner with which she conducts herself seemed so different than the stiff, stodgy old men I recognized as traditional politicians. To her, it's all right to be a country girl, to love America, and to be a strong, outspoken conservative woman. Sarah Palin was something new and exciting for me.

Granted, there are women like Michele Bachmann and Jan Brewer, and there are the newly crowned "mama grizzlies," but still there is no one else like Sarah Palin.

And her prospects are looking better and better. As President Obama's approval ratings are sinking, Palin's fan base is growing. A recent PPP poll shows Palin and Obama tied in a hypothetical 2012 race.

Former Bush and McCain media advisor Mark McKinnon wrote of Sarah Palin, "This one inspires deep loyalty, and deep fear." That fear is evident, as the Left still resorts to the same cheap tactics they used when Palin first entered the political scene: assaults against her intelligence, her experience, and her conservative beliefs. Precious few of their allegations stand up to scrutiny (remind me again what exactly a community organizer does that's better than having actual executive experience?), and yet the media continues to propagate them. I don't think they realize that with each petty dig, Palin's followers grow in both loyalty and numbers. She exerts a staggering command over the conservative sector of America.

McKinnon also said that it was impossible for Sarah Palin to win the general election if nominated. But just remember that Ronald Reagan unsuccessfully sought the nomination twice. But when he did win, it came at exactly the right time.

History has a funny habit of repeating itself. Maybe it’ll happen again with Sarah.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Candidate Profile: Sean Duffy

courtesy of Sean Duffy's flickr
Running for:
House of Representatives, Wisconsin District 7

Primary: September 7

Notable Endorsements: Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty, Erick Erickson, Wisconsin Right to Life PAC

Background: Raised in Wisconsin. Tenth of eleven siblings. Graduated from law school and practiced law for two years. Former county Special Prosecutor and District Attroney. Under his direction, Ashland County began investigating and prosecuting child Internet sex crimes before many other counties. Enjoys logrolling. Was once on a reality TV show. Married with six children.

Issue Breakdown:
  • Abortion: Pro-life
  • Cap and Trade: Opposes
  • Constitution: Strict constructionist
  • Defense: Supports full funding of military operations and intelligence agencies, best-quality care for veterans and military families, decisive action against global terrorism
  • Economy: Committed to stopping unsustainable spending and neutralizing the deficit, wants to reduce regulation and lower taxes
  • Energy: Wants independence
  • Education: Wants local school districts to have more control over education, to reform special interest influence, and to encourage university/technical college enrollment
  • Entitlements: Supports reform (without abandoning those already relying on Social Security, Medicaid, or Medicare)
  • Healthcare: Opposes ObamaCare, wants preexisting conditions to have no effect on insurance, supports competition across state lines, supports tort reform
  • Immigration: Wants borders secured
  • Marriage: Between a man and a woman
  • Second Amendment: Defender of individual gun ownership rights
  • Taxes: Supports flat tax, tax reduction for small businesses, tax cuts on overtime, and increase of child tax credits
My Assessment: Duffy is running for the seat held by David Obey, the author of the $787 billion stimulus package and a 40+ year representative who's about as incumbent as you can get. His Republican opponent Dan Mielke also ran against Obey in 2008. Duffy's campaign fundraisers have been quite successful, and he has an excellent record. To quote the National Review, "the Democratic strategy against Sean Duffy is to repeat 'reality star' a lot and hope everyone ignores that he's been a successful prosecutor." What little dirt his opponents have managed to dig up on him is hardly damning.

Duffy certainly looks promising. If everything keeps running smoothly, it's likely he will defeat Mielke. And from there... well, let's just say it's time for Wisconsin-7 to clean house.

Pun intended.

In His Words:







On the Web: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Flickr / YouTube

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Supreme Blandness

When listening to Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan speak, one can't help but be struck by the lack of... well, anything.

Kagan has no remarkable record, no conviction, no charisma. She can never bring herself to answer for her past actions without shirking and circumvention. She rarely seems to know exactly what the Senators grilling her are referencing. And she can't even decide whether she supports strict constructionism or a "living" Constitution. She is without a doubt the most bland, but still liberal, candidate to be found.

With Kagan's nomination, President Obama is just filling slots. He needs another liberal Democrat in the Court; Kagan fits the bill. Other than that, she's got almost nothing going for her. And it has become increasingly clear that the bar has been lowered to include her, as it similarly was for the "wise Latina" Sonia Sotomayor.

But where are the feminists? Shouldn't the self-appointed defenders of womankind be up in arms against the injustices their sex is suffering? Shouldn't they be outraged, and rightfully so, demanding to know why Washington couldn't find a woman of intellectual weight equal to that of the men serving on the Court? If feminists aren't going to stand up for Sarah Palin and Nikki Haley, shouldn't they at least stand up for the women who adhere to their liberal agendas?

Kagan may not be particularly decisive, eloquent, or seemingly intelligent, but she's a woman... with progressive tendencies. And for some, evidently that's enough.