Right News and Views

President Bush received a warm welcome from Albanians near the end of his eight day trip abroad. Formerly a communist country, Albania suffered under the four-decade tyrannical rule of Enver Hoxha. So its people, unlike the liberals in our own country, know that defending democracy and freedom are worth any price. Why? Because the cost of the alternative to freedom and liberty is always higher and more terrible.

An extremely poor country, Albania nevertheless has 140 troops in Afghanistan and about 120 in Iraq. President Alfred Moisiu said that as long as the United States remains, so will Albanian troops.

“Albanians know the horror of tyranny,” Bush said. “And so they’re working to bring the hope of freedom to people who haven’t known it. And that’s a noble effort and a sacrifice.”

Indeed it is. And it ought to tell us something when a mostly Muslim country enthusiastically greets our president but so many hate him at home.

As the article notes:

“Throngs of people grasped Bush’s hands, arms and fingers on the streets of Fushe Kruje, a small town near the airport where he stopped to chat in a cafe with business owners. Unused to such adoring crowds in America, Bush reveled in the attention. He kissed women on the cheek, posed for pictures and signed autographs. Someone reached out and rubbed his gray hair.”

And what does it tell us when people who were truly oppressed appreciate Bush and many Americans do not? That we take for granted our freedoms and are too decadent, lazy, and self-satisfied to lift a finger to help others obtain the same blessings we enjoy.

God bless Albania and God help America.

According to the Washington Times, Senator Joe Lieberman says that the US should be prepared to take “aggressive military action” against Iran in response to its purported killings of U.S. troops inside Iraq.

Iran is training men to come into Iraq and kill American soldiers. They are also holding Iranian-Americas for what they claim is spying.

The Senator supports air strikes. But New Mexico Gov. and Democratic presidential nominee hopeful Bill Richardson, thinks sanctions should be used.

“I would talk to them, but I would build an international coalition that would promote and push economic sanctions on them,” he said. “Sanctions would work on Iran. They are susceptible to disinvestment policy. They are susceptible to cuts, economic sanctions in commodities.”

Sure they are- now if we can get the rest of the UN to go along with us that plan might have some effect. We know how effective they were against Saddam, after all.

But I’ll stick with Lieberman’s idea so long as the UN remains an anti-American bastion of corruption and ineffectiveness.

As Lieberman correctly points out, “we cannot let them get away with it.” “If we do, they’ll take that as a sign of weakness on our part, and we will pay for it in Iraq and throughout the region and ultimately right here at home.”

I rarely take joy in the suffering of others. But I am elated that the irrelevant Paris Hilton had reality rammed down her throat today.

Ordered back to jail, Hilton sobbed openly, cried out to her mother seated in the audience, and displayed to the world how pathetic she really is. I only hope other judges will take note and begin demanding that all criminals suffer their full punishment. This is, indeed, the kind of society we need- one that demands accountability for ones actions.

Though surely lost to her “fans,” Hilton’s pitiful tirade is the action of a child which, in truth, she remains. I think of the stark contrast between her and Nathan Hale who, when captured by British troops during the Revolution while on an intelligence gathering mission, purportedly said before he was to be hanged “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Whether he actually uttered these specific words or not, his captors nevertheless noted his dignity, composure, and courage.

As Paris proves, money clearly cannot buy such qualities.

I’ve always believed Walter Williams to be brilliant and his latest column, Compassion vs. Reality reinforces that impression. Explaining in his clear, concise style with irrefutable logic he exposes the truth of government enforced redistribution of wealth. He says:

“The government can say, “Williams, you don’t have to serve your fellow man; through our tax code, we’ll take what he produces and give it to you.” Of course, if I were to privately take what my fellow man produced, we’d call it theft. The only difference is when the government does it, that theft is legal but nonetheless theft — the taking of one person’s rightful property to give to another.”

How true. He continues by noting that “liberals often denounce free markets as immoral. The reality is exactly the opposite. Free markets, characterized by peaceable, voluntary exchange, with respect for property rights and the rule of law, are more moral than any other system of resource allocation.”

Sadly, liberals have no respect for the voluntary exchange of resources, property rights, or the capitalistic system itself which has lifted millions of people out of poverty. Essentially, they are thieves willing to steal to gratify their immediate need of self-congratulation or to indulge their need to feel guilt for something. These needs are met by spending other people’s money to help those who have not worked to rightfully obtain goods and services on their own.

Liberals are, therefore, essentially thieves. Oh, they mean well but theft by any other name is still theft.

I’ve personally always felt that Moore was just your typical delusional liberal, albeit a bit more radical and more dangerous than the garden variety type. But perhaps he’s actually a sociopath. This piece in the Canada Free Press is a powerful denunciation of Moore and his so-called “documentaries.”

My latest column focuses of the dangerous ideas of Bill Clinton’s wife. The truly frightening thing is I’m not sure she is the worst choice the Democrats are offering for consideration in the upcoming presidential election. If any of them win, and if the liberals keep control of Congress, a new dark age of ever expanding government and shrinking liberties could ensue.

When I reflect upon the victory in 2004 I truly believed America had turned a corner and that liberalism was slowly beginning its death throws. I thought their remaining activity was merely like a snake that writhes after its head has been chopped off. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party is alive and strong (alive and well cannot be claimed because the word “well” suggests “good”). And that is something that cannot be said about the majority of Democrats.

Carefully consider what Clinton is truly proposing. Do you want to live in a communist country? If so, Hillary is your woman.

Ralph Alter explains in Idiot Compassion how liberals confuse the real thing with what Ken Wilber refers to as “idiot compassion.”

I particularly enjoyed the example he included from one of the legends surrounding Buddha. In one of his early incarnations, the Buddha supposedly met a mass-murderer who had killed thousands of men. “Acting correctly and with compassion for all sentient beings, the Buddha’s incarnation killed the murderer to prevent additional suffering.” As Alter explains, “That is true compassion!”

A real must read…

This is the third in a series of posts in cooperation with fellow blogger politicalfrenzy.com that examines the candidates seeking their party’s nomination for president. Rightnewsandviews.com will cover the Republicans and politicalfrenzy.com will cover the Democrats. Our third profile features Representative Ron Paul. And be sure to check out Joe Biden over at politicalfrenzy.com!

Name: Ronald Ernest Paul

Age: 71 (born August 20, 1935)

Home Town: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Political Positions Held: 10th Term US Representative

Military History: Paul interrupted his medical training to serve as a flight surgeon in the Air Force from 1963 to 1965. He served in the Air National Guard from 1965 to 1968 while completing his medical residency.

Accomplishments: In an effort to block the possibility of a U.N. tax, Paul successfully added an amendment to an appropriation bill that prohibited any appropriation from being used to impose any UN tax or fee on Americans.

Controversies: Alleged racial remarks made in Paul’s newsletter. Paul claimed the words were not his own nor did they represent his point of view (they were written, he alleged, by a ghost writer).

Fundamental Platform (culled from On The Issues):

On Abortion: Voted yes on banning partial-birth abortion but voted no on making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime. Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record.

On Stem cell research: Opposed

On the economy: Supports a balanced budget

On gay marriage: Voted no on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage but yes on banning gay adoptions in DC.

On Education: Voted no on- $84 million grants for black and Hispanic colleges, allowing school prayer during the War on Terror, requiring states to test students. Voted yes on vouchers for private and parochial schools.

On Energy & Oil: Voted yes for permitting new oil refineries and voted no on both prohibiting oil drilling in ANWR and on the Kyoto Protocol. Voted to repeal the gas tax.

On Free Trade: Voted no on CAFTA, Free Trade Agreements with Australia, Singapore, and Chile. Voted yes on withdrawing from the WTO and to end economic protectionism.

On Government Reform: Voted no on campaign finance reform, restricting independent grassroots political committees, and prohibiting lawsuits about obesity against food providers. Voted yes to limiting attorney fees in class action lawsuits and on restricting frivolous lawsuits.

On Gun Control: Pro-gun rights

On Health Care: Supports abolishing the federal Medicare entitlement in favor of leaving it to the states.

On Terrorism: Voted against the Patriot Act and the Iraq war but voted yes to continue intelligence gathering without civil oversight. Voted yes to continue military recruitment on college campuses. Voted yes on SDI.

On Immigration: Rated 100% by FAIR, a voting record strongly in favor of restricting immigration.

On Tax Reform: Rated 89% by NTU, indicating a “Taxpayer’s Friend” on tax votes.

On Social Security: Rated 30% by the ARA, indicating what they term an “anti-senior voting record.” It is really a 70% pro-individual responsibility voting record.

On Welfare: Abolish federal welfare; leave it all to states.

For more info, visit Paul’s website or visit On The Issues.

Nomination Pros: There is a lot good to say about Paul and his principles. He refuses to sign up for his Congressional pension, did not allow his children to accept subsidized student loans for college, and has never voted to raise taxes or congressional pay. He has earned the nickname of “Dr. No” in that he has proven uncooperative to colleagues because he will not vote for bills that he views as spending taxpayers’ money in a wasteful manner or for bills that he feels violate the Constitution.

Nomination Cons: Though this may prove an actual pro for the upcoming election, Paul has consistently voted against the PATRIOT Act and the Iraq War.

Head to head with:
Vs. Clinton- Unknown- Paul (reasonable, unobtrusive government) is so radically opposite Clinton (gigantic, nanny government) it would prove an interesting race.
Vs. Edwards – Clobbers Edwards.
Vs. Obama – Close, but Paul wins.

Major Gerd Schroeder, United States Army, explains in this American Thinker piece why the surge is showing success and why US casualties are increasing.

He notes “it is incumbent on us as Americans to understand, as much as possible, the determinant of successes and failures that come with the war we are fighting. The raw data of news reports and heart-rending images minus the necessary analysis to place things into perspective cause many to lose heart. But true impact of what is happening in this war is positive, despite what most media report and what most people seem to believe.”

He further points out that it is a mistake to solely focus on the numbers of deaths, tragic though they may be, without consideration of the other relevant factors. “If one focuses only on the numbers,” he says, “it will invariably lead to an emotional response and so to an irrational response.”

And in war, irrational responses can lead to the disaster of genocide such as our abandonment of Vietnam led to. Those who in their time unwittingly led us down that path bear a significant burden of guilt for their lack of foresight. We cannot allow the equally naïve in our time to preside over yet another genocide.

Support the troops, support their mission. And, as Schroeder concludes, “we will win this war.”

In James Lewis’ “Su Casa es Mi Casa,” Lewis outlines the threat immigration poses to keeping the US from plunging over the edge into a liberal nightmare. “A few percentage points shift in the voting population toward the Left and it becomes increasingly impossible to change the trend,” Lewis said, referring to the impact immigration will have on elections and for liberal politicians who promise goodies bought with other people’s money. “You just sink in deeper and deeper.”

As Lewis concludes, “there’s a lot at stake.” Indeed.

According to this article, Vermont wants to leave the Union.

Since they have sent a Democrat to the House, a Democrat to the Senate, and a very liberal Independent also to the Senate, I say let them go. This is the state, after all, that supports “civil unions.” But after all those social programs they love dry up without the granddaddy of all redistributive monetary pipelines (Washington, DC) funding them, what will poor little leftist Vermont do? Answer- who cares? There will be three less liberals in the Capitol and that’s good enough for me.

This is the second in a series of posts in cooperation with fellow blogger politicalfrenzy.com that examines the candidates seeking their party’s nomination for president. Rightnewsandviews.com will cover the Republicans and politicalfrenzy.com will cover the Democrats. Our second profile features Senator John McCain. And be sure to check out Mike Gravel over at politicalfrenzy.com!

Name: John McCain

Age: 70 (born August 29, 1936)

Home Town: Born in Coco Solo in the then American-controlled Panama Canal Zone.

Political Positions Held: US Representative, currently US Senator

Military History: McCain served in Vietnam and was taken as a prisoner of war. Badly wounded when his A-4 Skyhawk was shot down, McCain was beaten and then taken prisoner. He suffered through interrogation but refused to provide his captors information. He was beaten until he lost consciousness. According to wikipedia.org, the North Vietnamese eventually learned that McCain’s father was the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command, commander of all U.S. forces in Vietnam. The offered him a chance to return home but he refused due to his belief in the principle of “first in, first out.” In other words, he would only leave if every man taken prisoner before him was also released.

Accomplishments: McCain-Feingold Act (regulates the financing of political campaigns).

Controversies: According to wikipedia.org, McCain has been the subject of many controversies, including the Keating Five Scandal (concerning the Savings and Loan collapse in the late 1980’s), made an off-color joke about Chelsea Clinton, had extramarital affairs, openly used the term gook to describe Vietnamese (claiming he uses the term only in reference to his captors), overstated the security of Iraq during a recent visit, sang a Beach Boys’ parody (Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran) when asked about possible military action against Iran, joked about bringing back an IED (bomb) for his friend, Jon Stewart, to wear, and cursed at a fellow Senator in a heated argument over immigration.

Fundamental Platform (culled from On The Issues):

On Abortion: Pro-Life (rape and incest are exceptions)
On Stem cell research: Expand funding
On the economy: Wants to reduce government spending, supports balanced budget
On gay marriage: Voted no on ban, believes it is a state issue
On Affirmative Action: OK for specific programs, but no quotas.
On Education: Against nationally imposed standards and funding strings, teachers should get merit pay and take competency tests.
On Energy & Oil: Refuse to support drilling in ANWR, opposes Kyoto
On Free Trade: Against foreign sales corporations (offshore tax breaks), supports free trade with any country except security risks.
On Gun Control: Voted against Brady Bill & assult weapon ban (though supports ban on certain assault weapons), supports tougher laws against those who abuse 2nd Amendment.
On Health Care: Higher taxes on cigarettes, expand to uninsured children.
On Terrorism: Iran is sponsor of terrorism; US strike if they get nukes, CIA needs more focus on counterterrorism, Voted no on restricting business with entities linked to terrorism.
On the Patriot Act: Supported reauthorization
On Osama Bin Laden: Follow “to the gates of hell.”
On Immigration: Give everyone in the world an opportunity to come to America, immigrants should learn English
On Tax Reform: Opposed Bush tax cuts but claims we must extend them now, taxes should be flatter, lower, and simpler.
On Iraq: Willing to be last man standing for US involvement in Iraq.
On a timetable for retreat: Timetable would be catastrophe, even if Iraq wants it.
On Welfare: Anti-poverty shared by gov’t & faith-based orgs, voted yes on welfare block grants

For more info, visit McCain’s website or visit On The Issues.

Nomination Pros: McCain’s military service is a plus and his personal courage of refusing to leave ahead other POW’s thanks to his fathers rank is commendable.

Nomination Cons: As a Republican, it will be difficult for McCain to obtain the nomination because of his reputation as a maverick. He is just a little too left-leaning on certain issues to effectively

Head to head with:

Vs. Clinton- would loose to Clinton
Vs. Edwards – defeats Edwards handily
Vs. Obama – barely defeats Obama

This is the first in a series of posts in cooperation with fellow blogger politicalfrenzy.com that examines the candidates seeking their parties nomination for president. Rightnewsandviews.com will cover the Republicans and politicalfrenzy.com will cover the Democrats. We begin with America’s Mayor, Rudy Giuliani. And be sure to check out Chris Dodd over at politicalfrenzy.com!

Name: Rudy Giuliani

Age: 64 (born May 28, 1944)

Home Town: Brooklyn, New York

Political Positions Held: Mayor of New York City, US Attorney

Military History: According to wikipedia.org, Giuliani did not serve in the military. During the Vietnam War he received a student deferment. After graduating in 1968, he was classified as “1-A”, available for military service but applied for a deferment which was rejected. In 1969 his employer wrote a letter to Giuliani’s draft board asking that he be reclassified as 2-A (a civilian occupation deferment) because the employer considered Giuliani an essential employee. The deferment was granted. In 1970, Giuliani received a high draft lottery number; he was not called up for service although by then he had been reclassified 1-A.

Accomplishments: Prosecutor, businessman, mayor of New York City. As mayor, Giuliani improved the city’s quality of life and reduced the crime rate. He gained national attention and praise for his leadership during and after the 9/11 attacks. Because of this, Giuliani was named Time’s 2001 Person of the Year and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

Controversies: Giuliani has been criticized as divisive and authoritarian. He also has been criticizedfor his annulment of his first marriage, his association with Bernard Kerik, some of his business deals, for receiving gifts from the New York Yankees, and a conflict of interest over the Republican debates hosted by Fox News (the parent company of Fox News, News Corporation, is a client of Giuliani. Further, and perhaps most damaging of all, is the fact conservatives are uncomfortable with his stance on abortion, especially so because he once supported public funding of abortion.

Fundamental Platform (culled from On The Issues):
On Abortion: Pro-Choice
On Stem cell research: OK if limited properly
On the economy: Economic development requires maintenance
On gay marriage: Pro gay rights and opposed Bush’s ban on gay marriage
On Affirmative Action: Supports it
On Education: Supports vouchers, opposes prayer in school
On Energy & Oil: Opposed Kyoto, seek alternative energy supplies
On Free Trade: Take advantage of globalization
On Gun Control: Believes gun owners should pass a written test.
On Health Care: Opposes socialized medicine- opts to give vouchers to the poor
On Terrorism: Terrorists can’t be accommodated, appeased, and compromised
On interrogating terrorists: Use every method you can think of
On the Patriot Act: Strongly supported reauthorization
On Osama Bin Laden: Would personally execute the terrorists
On Immigration: Supports Senate guest worker plan
On Tax Reform: Strong record of lowering taxes
On Iraq: Withdrawal from Iraq encourages future terror attacks
On a timetable for retreat: “Fundamentally irresponsible.”
On Welfare: Turn welfare offices into job centers

For more info, visit Giuliani’s website or visit On The Issues.

Nomination Pros: Giuliani is popular, likable, and projects an air of confidence and leadership; the kind of man that can and will get things done. The national fame he garnered after 9/11 is also a plus to his obtaining the Republican nomination.

Nomination Cons: As a Republican, it will be difficult for Giuliani to obtain the nomination because of his views on abortion. James Dobson perhaps echoes many conservatives – especially Christians – when he stated he would likely not vote for president at all if Giuliani is the Republican nominee.

Head to head with:
Vs. Clinton- Close call, could go either way
Vs. Edwards – defeats Edwards handily
Vs. Obama – defeats Obama, but only because of the young Senators lack of experience

Russia doesn’t like our plans for a missile shield and we learn of their empty boasts against it in this myway.com article.

We beat them once and we can do it again. Indeed, an arms race is just what we need to focus the US back to its priority of defense spending and to hopefully cut back on social programs.

You’ve heard the old joke about politics- that “Poli” is Latin for “many” and “tics” is Latin for blood-sucking creatures. Well, Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., learned what it was like to be on the receiving end of the bloodsuckers for a change. Bitten by a tick while touring dams in upstate New York, the Senator is undergoing treatment with antibiotics to prevent the infection from becoming Lyme disease.

Though I sincerely wish the Senator a rapid and complete recovery I can’t help but hope he sees the parallel between the bloodsucker that bit him and both himself and his fellow politicians.