Monday, April 7, 2008

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Goldwater Institute: Breaking the Link Between Poverty and Low Achievement

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Now isn't this a radical concept, a conservative Republican coming up with a good, sound, workable idea. Just too too radical

The Goldwater Institute Daily
April 7, 2008

Breaking the Link Between Poverty and Low Achievement
Why Jeb Bush should be on Mount Rushmore

by Matthew Ladner, Ph.D.

Imagine if we carved a Mount Rushmore for successful progressive governors. Since the root word of "progressive" is "progress," I nominate former Florida governor Jeb Bush to make the cut.

Mount RushmoreProgressives are concerned with the welfare of the poor. But a better definition, one might argue, would be someone who actually makes progress toward solving the problems of the poor. Like Jeb Bush.

The Florida governor is a right-winger, to be sure, but he sure looks progressive. A look at the graph below shows the progress Florida has made on breaking the link between poverty and low educational achievement.

Figure 1 compares progress on the National Assessment of Educational Progress 4th Grade (NEAP) Reading exam for low-income students (Free or Reduced Lunch Eligible) in Florida, compared to all students in Arizona, with scores on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal.
Testing Data

To qualify for the lunch program, a family of four must have an income of no more than $26,845. The median family income for the Arizona families whose student scores are shown here was $55,709. The chart makes it clear that Florida is breaking the link between poverty and achievement, in that its disadvantaged students are outscoring the average Arizonan. A similar result is evident in math, but the graph is not included here.

I have said in the past that there's a difference between a condition and a problem. A condition is something we've given up on and have grown to accept. A problem is something we aim to solve. A condition says that the poor are always with us. A progressive problem solver like Jeb Bush is equipping the poor to lead productive and rewarding lives.

Ironically, time is running out on our own Governor Napolitano to leave an education legacy not dominated by flat achievement scores and a mountain of debt. Not every governor can be Jeb Bush. But, by pursuing reforms that work, the Governor still has time to put the "progress" back into "progressive."

Dr. Matthew Ladner is vice president of research at the Goldwater Institute.
Learn More

Goldwater Institute: I'll Have What Florida's Having

TC Palm: Florida trailblazing success in K-12 reform

Arizona Republic: Noble legacy in education is on table for Napolitano
Contact

Matt Ladner
Goldwater Institute
mladner@goldwaterinstitute.org
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NEW YORK TIMES BIAS

The NY Times Strikes Again

It has been shown time and time again that the mainstream media are dominated by liberals and left-leaning reporters. Despite claims that they can put this bias aside, we all know that is not the case. Now that the left has embraced Barack Obama as their savior, the bias is only getting worse. A new survey by pollster Scott Rasmussen shows an increase in the number of people who believe the media are trying to help Barack Obama win the presidential election.

What are those people going to think now? It's not like we have a shortage of examples of media bias against conservative positions and Republicans, but the New York Times has provided us with a fresh dose of their lack of journalistic ethics. They gladly ran an op-ed from Obama regarding his plans for Iraq, but when John McCain submitted an op-ed on the same topic, the NY Times said, "No thanks."

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QUICK HITS 1

New Forum Threads

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Cars On Lawns, Unkempt Homes Fuel Loudoun Immigration Debate

'What Is Our Government Hiding In The Prosecution of Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean?'

"Those who don't want to convert will be able to live in peace under the authority of Islam. Then we have to fight -- just like our brothers on Sept. 11"

PA: State Police Round Up 6 More Illegal Aliens on I-80

NY Times Strikes Again

Wachovia loses $8.9B, cuts 6,350 workers, dividend

Radio voice for migrants in the Valley is going silent

McCAIN TO ANNOUNCE VEEP CHOICE THIS WEEK

Lou Barletta, the mayor of Hazleton, Pa., who gained nationwide attention for his 2006 crackdown on illegal immigration, has been named the state’s Mayor of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Mayors Association.
According to Speaking about Sen. Barack Obama’s promise to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by 2010, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen told Fox News: “I think the consequences could be very dangerous.”
After The New Yorker published a cartoon on its cover that Obama found offensive, the Democrat’s campaign has barred New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza from traveling with Obama on his foreign trip this week.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi again promised she would not allow the House to even vote on whether or not to allow increased domestic oil exploration.
The FDIC made more than $500 million in subprime loans, some with initial interest rates higher than 12%.

American Thinker Blog

Foreign Policy: Is Obama a Puppet? (Updated)
July 18, 2008
After reading the article on Barack Obama's foreign policy team in the New York Times this morning, I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. 300 foreign policy advisors? More

Judge Rejects Gitmo Trial Delay
July 18, 2008
It appears that Osama Bin Laden's driver and bodyguard, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, will go on trial as scheduled on Monday. More

A recipe for starvation
July 18, 2008
Foolish foodies want to politicize food production. Their efforts include a program to boycott food not grown locally. More

Leader of the 9 Percenters calls Bush 'A total failure'
July 18, 2008
Say WHAT? More

Some German venue suggestions for Obama
July 18, 2008
While it seems that his preposterously narcissistic notion of a speech before the Brandenburg Gate has been scotched by German authorities, no alternate venue has been named. More

The inconvenient truth about Gore
July 18, 2008
And now let's take an inconvenient truth tour of the home Al Gore returns to after a long, hard day on the do as I say not what I do lecture/media circuit More

Congressional Democrats bullying lobbyists and businesses
July 18, 2008
In a series of recent stories that has gotten virtually no mainstream media coverage, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his fellow Democrats in both the Senate and the House discuss pressuring lobbyists who donate to the GOP. More

'Who Does he think he is?'
July 18, 2008
Charles Krauthammer has an excellent column on Barack Obama today in which he exposes the candidate's extraordinary narcissism. More

Lebanese terrorist praises Zionists
July 18, 2008
If even he notices, why doesn't the entire world? More

'Obama' girl at the 'Netroots Nation'
July 18, 2008
Amber Lee Ettinger, better known as the Obama girl, attended the left wing convention Netroots Nation meeting in Austin, TX. More

If a Network Anchor falls in the forest and no one hears him, is he still biased?
July 18, 2008
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Barack's Disgraceful Global Phony-Ops
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Barack Obama has never been President, but he plays one on TV. More

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO FREEDOM????

LAPD sued over alleged religious discrimination

July 6, 2008
Christian Post

An LAPD sergeant says that he was punished with disciplinary action and denied numerous pay raises and promotions because of his religious objections to homosexuality, according to a lawsuit recently filed against the city of Los Angeles.

Sgt. Eric Holyfield, who is a pastor during his off-duty hours, was quoted as saying that homosexuality was a "sin" and an "abomination" while presiding over a 2006 eulogy for a friend and fellow police officer . . . [Click for more]

HEROES

173rd Soldier receives Silver Star

Written by Pfc. Christina Sinders CJTF-101 Public Affairs

Sunday, 13 July 2008

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (July 12, 2008) — A 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Soldier earned a Silver Star for combat operations and was presented the medal in a ceremony here, today.

Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, Combined Joint Task Force 101 commander, presented Capt. William G. Cromie with a Silver Star, the third highest military decoration and praised him for his valor.

Cromie was recognized for his actions during an ambush on Nov. 16, 2007, while acting as platoon leader for 3rd Platoon, Alpha Company during a route-clearance operation along the Korengal Road in Konar province.

The Platoon was called out to perform route clearance on a portion of the Korengal Road after receiving a tip that an IED may have been placed there.

“While travelling down the road, our first vehicle struck an IED,” said Cromie. “Immediately, we were ambushed on three sides by heavily-armed militants.”

Two Soldiers managed to advance to an over-watch position to help cover the platoon, but were soon pinned down and running low on ammunition. Cromie personally moved more ammunition to the two Soldiers while running through the small-arms cross fire.

Finally, after receiving close-air support, the platoon was able to mount a counter-attack and pushed the militants back to a house. The platoon then cleared the house, killing the militants.

“I really would like to thank the squad leaders, they really acted professionally even under a stressful situation like that, and the guys in 3rd Platoon for their bravery,” said Cromie.

DAILY LECTIONARY

Daily Lectionary Readings for Sunday 20 July 2008

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 150:1-6
Joshua 6:15-27
Acts 22:30-23:11
Mark 2:1-12
Evening: Psalm 113:1-9

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME LECTIONARY:

Daily Lectionary Readings for Monday 14 July 2008

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 145:1-21
Joshua 2:1-14
Romans 11:1-12
Matthew 25:1-13
Evening: Psalm 29:1-11

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Daily Lectionary Readings for Tuesday 1 July 2008

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 146:1-10
Numbers 22:21-38
Romans 7:1-12
Matthew 21:23-32
Evening: Psalm 99:1-9

Daily Lectionary Readings for Monday 30 June 2008

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 145:1-21
Numbers 22:1-21
Romans 6:12-23
Matthew 21:12-22
Evening: Psalm 47:1-9

Daily Lectionary Readings for Sunday 29 June 2008

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 150:1-6
Numbers 21:4-9, 21-35
Acts 17:(12-21) 23-24
Luke 13:10-17
Evening: Psalm 93:1-5

2ND AMENDMENT UPHELD -- FOR NOW

Wake up America

Supreme Court Rules On Second

Amendment 'Protects An Individual Right'

Posted: 26 Jun 2008 10:02 AM CDT

Adding a picture on top here because Charlton Heston fought hard for this type of ruling before he passed away....so for Heston:

Final Update on top because it gets to the heart of the lawsuit itself:

On page 67 they deal with the issue of Heller himself and state categorically, "In sum, we hold that the District’s ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense. Assuming that Heller is not disqualified from the exercise of Second Amendment rights, the District must permit him to register his handgun and must issue him a license to carry it in the home."

As the opinion reads, they separate each individual argument, they also address the dissenting opinions in the main opinion, explaining why they take issue with those dissents and why they ruled as they did.

Original post below:

In a 157 page ruling the Supreme Court has issued on the highly controversial District of Columbia v. Heller, the court in a 5 to 4 ruling says the Second Amendment protects an individual right to have a gun in their home.

The PDF file of the 157 page ruling can be found here.

The Supreme Court's ruling strikes down the ban that District of Columbia has had imposed since 1976, which banned the people from owning a gun in their home and had the requirement of any gun owned, except businesses, had to kept unloaded and disassembled or have a trigger lock.

Guns still must be licensed and the Court left the bans on carrying a concealed weapon and the laws preventing felons or the mentally retarded from owning a gun. They also left in place existing laws which bar guns from schools and Government buildings.

I will be updating this as I go through the 157 page ruling.

[Update] Here is one specific quote from the Supreme Court opinion:

“Putting all of these textual elements together, we find that they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation.”

This is the first time the Supreme Court has conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since it was ratified in 1791.

Justice Antonin Scalia wrote the majority in which he stated that the that an individual right to bear arms is affirmed by the historical narrative before and after the Second Amendment was adopted.

He continues to say that the Constitution does not permit "the absolute prohibition of handguns held and used for self-defense in the home".

[Update #2] You can read more about Dick Anthony Heller, who is at the center of this case, here.

He was the man that sued the District of Columbia because they wouldn't allow him to keep a handgun in his home.

[Update #3] Another clear quote from Justice Scalia, where he makes the point that, "Undoubtedly some think that the Second Amendment is outmoded in a society where our standing army is the pride of our nation, where well-trained police forces provide personal security and where gun violence is a serious problem. That is perhaps debatable, but what is not debatable is that it is not the role of this court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct."

The four Justices that joined Scalia to make it a majority opinion are, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Anthony Kennedy.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

That quote which is the Second Amendment is the whole basis that the Court was charged with deciding the actual meaning of. Whether it allowed individuals to bear arms or whether it meant only a regulated militia, or Army as a group.

That question has now been answered without ambiguity.

[Update #4] McCain issued a statement on the Supreme Court ruling:

Today’s decision is a landmark victory for Second Amendment freedom in the United States. For this first time in the history of our Republic, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms was and is an individual right as intended by our Founding Fathers. I applaud this decision as well as the overturning of the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns and limitations on the ability to use firearms for self-defense.

“Unlike Senator Obama, who refused to join me in signing a bipartisan amicus brief, I was pleased to express my support and call for the ruling issued today. Today’s ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller makes clear that other municipalities like Chicago that have banned handguns have infringed on the constitutional rights of Americans. Unlike the elitist view that believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness, today’s ruling recognizes that gun ownership is a fundamental right -- sacred, just as the right to free speech and assembly.

This ruling does not mark the end of our struggle against those who seek to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens. We must always remain vigilant in defense of our freedoms. But today, the Supreme Court ended forever the specious argument that the Second Amendment did not confer an individual right to keep and bear arms.

[Update #5] Page 60 to 61, the court specifically addresses handguns by stating:

It is enough to note, as we have observed, that the American people have considered the handgun to be the quintessential self-defense weapon. There are many reasons that a citizen may prefer a handgun for home defense: It is easier to store in a location that is readily accessible in an emergency; It cannot easily be redirected or wrestled away by an attacker; it is easier to use for those without the upperbody strength to lift and aim a long gun; it can be pointed at a burglar with one hand while the other hand dials the police. Whatever the reason, handguns are the most popular weapon chosen by Americans for self-defense in the home, and a complete prohibition of their use is invalid.

They go on to address Washington DC's law to keep handguns rendered inoperable.

DIDDLY SQUAT DEMOCRATS

Inside Cover

RSS

Reid Wants Democratic K Street

Thursday, June 26, 2008 4:21 PM

By: Rick Pedraza

Article Font Size

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., along with several prominent Democrats, met with a number of key lobbyists Wednesday in an attempt to change the political culture on K Street, Washington, D.C.�s major thoroughfare known for its numerous think tanks and advocacy groups that exercise influence in the nation�s capital.

According to a report in the Capitol Hill newspaper �Roll Call,� Reid, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., are pushing K Street to abandon its allegiance to the GOP and are pressing major lobbying organizations and trade groups to accept the new majority.

Reid and his Senate and House colleagues have spent the last year-and-a-half reaching out to lobbyists and the business community on K Street in a push to get more Democrats hired in top positions.

They claim the bulk of Democratic new-hire positions with lobbying firms, trade associations and individual companies in recent months are mostly low- and mid-level, leaving Republicans entrenched at the top of most prominent firms.

Reid and the other members of his party say that even with the hiring of a few token Democrats, much of the business community continues to take its lobbying, advertising spending, and policy research cues from the GOP.

In an effort to assuage the adversity on Capitol Hill created by a Democratic-controlled House and Republican dominance on K Street, Reid and his party�s leadership are throwing their weight behind a new bill designed to offer a package of tax extenders that would favor many business and manufacturing interests.

Reid and other members of the majority party expect companies and trade associations with an interest in the bill to make a concerted push for it similar to one they made for Republican initiatives during the GOP�s reign.

�I think they haven�t come to terms with what happened two Novembers ago,� says Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who says that while Democrats are willing to meet with Republican lobbyists, the lack of a common philosophical and policy background makes it hard to communicate and build consensus.

�There still has not been much of a sea change,� one Democratic lobbyist agrees, noting that Republicans continue to hold the leading spots at the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and major industries that include banking, telecommunications, health care, aviation and automotive.

Menendez and others warn the business community on K Street to proactively work with Democrats to move legislation. He says businesses that don�t move quickly to alter the political composition of their lobbying shops will find an increasingly inhospitable environment on Capitol Hill.

�Sometimes old habits are hard to change,� says Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D. �Some organizations are so accustomed to being an adjunct of the Republican majority agenda, it�s hard [for them] to break those habits.�

Dorgan says, �To me, it�s not about how many Democrats are hired. It�s about how they [the lobbyists and business community on K Street] weigh in on issues that are important for the country. The fact is control of the country has changed, and I hope they would start to work with us.�

THE BATTLE FOR WHITECLAY

THE BATTLE FOR WHITECLAY
Directed, Produced & Edited by Mark Vasina

Film Premiere
Wednesday June 25
6:30 pm

Orpheum Theatre
528 Pierce Street
Sioux City, Iowa

Panel discussion with Frank LaMere and others to follow at 8:30

Sponsors:
Lew Weinberg
Four Directions Center
Iowa Department of Human Services
Nebraskans for Peace

Please visit the Nebraskans for Peace web site for news and updates on the situation in Whiteclay, Nebraska. Mark Vasina was recently interviewed about the film.

A LITTLE HISTORY:

The State of Nebraska's refusal to halt alcohol sales to the dry Pine Ridge Indian Reservation from its border town of Whiteclay gets an in-depth look in this new documentary about a century-old problem. Four off-sale beer stores in this 14-person hamlet sell over 11,000 cans of beer a day to an Indian clientele with virtually no legal place to drink it. Struggling with crippling poverty and epidemic alcohol abuse that afflicts 4 out of 5 families, the Oglala Sioux Tribe has for decades banned the sale and possession of alcohol on their reservation.

The Battle for Whiteclay follows Indian activists Frank LaMere, Duane Martin Sr. and Russell Means through the streets of Whiteclay to the halls of Nebraska's State Capitol in their efforts to end alcohol sales in the place many have dubbed "skid row on the prairie." Here is an inside look at an important contemporary conflict pitting American Indian rights against state and local governments in the United States.

FULL SITE COMING SOON

REAL AMERICAN HEROES

Brave Amid Rockets' Red Glare

By CHRISTOPHER CAILLAVET | Posted Tuesday, February 20, 2007 4:30 PM PT

War on Terror: Heroes

American servicemen are fighting for our freedom every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some have gone beyond the call of duty. IBD highlights their courage in this recurring series.

The skies glowed red over the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

For weeks in the fall of 2004, coalition airstrikes had bombarded targets in the Sunni stronghold, and now the bombing showered the desert air with sparks.

Mitchell, who retired from the Marines as a sergeant, was a corporal when his unit felt the heat of Iraq's Hell House in action that led to his Navy Cross.

"It was the best fireworks display I've ever seen," said Robert Mitchell Jr., at the time a 24-year-old Marine corporal.

His Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, was part of an invasion force sent to recapture Fallujah, which had become a symbol of Iraqi resistance after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime.

For Mitchell, the risky mission bore little resemblance to his first tour in Iraq. That's when the Nebraska native and his unit crossed over from Kuwait in March 2003.

In June 2004, with the situation on the ground deteriorating, Cpl. Mitchell went to Iraq for a second tour. From their station in the restive Anbar province west of Baghdad, the Marines of Kilo Company provided security for Iraqi soldiers and did humanitarian work.

The situation was tense from the start. Enemy fire hit the coalition outpost on Mitchell's first day, and a month later he was hit by a mortar round. The injury would earn him the first of four Purple Hearts for his service in Iraq.

Wounded Marines were constantly being evacuated from the camp. Mitchell sensed a change in the mood of the Iraqis this time around; they were less open and more hostile to U.S. troops than before.

Sunni Heat

Nowhere was this resentment as thick on the ground than in Fallujah — a seething Sunni city of 350,000 on the Euphrates River, 40 miles west of Baghdad.

In his book "Night Draws Near: Iraq's People in the Shadow of America's War," Washington Post reporter Anthony Shadid called Fallujah "a fiercely conservative, traditional place," whose residents zealously guarded its Islamic character.

Nicknamed "the City of Mosques" by locals, Fallujah and other Sunni Triangle sites had formed the power base of Saddam's fallen regime. Now their inhabitants led the intensifying insurgency.

Coalition troops who had first captured Fallujah were scarcely tolerated and made to leave town in April 2004. In March, four U.S. contractors had been killed by a mob of angry Fallujans, their burned bodies left hanging from the Euphrates River bridge. Foreign jihadists were infiltrating the city.

Fallujah had become a disaster, and it was for Cpl. Robert Mitchell and his comrades to solve.

On Nov. 8, 2004, the ground invasion — code-named Operation Phantom Fury — began in earnest. Mitchell's 12-man squad entered Fallujah and began clearing neighborhoods block by block, house by house.

The enemy fought back with ferocity, and the first day's fighting claimed the life of a Mitchell friend, shot between his body armor plates.

As the days wore on, casualties mounted. Enemy fighters employed the tactics of classic guerrilla warfare, firing on the Marines from positions on rooftops, popping out of closets without warning. Despite taking a bullet wound to the arm, Mitchell pressed on with his squad.

The performance of the enemy combatants — especially the terrorists from other countries — was shocking, and Mitchell admits to a grudging admiration for their brand of warfare.

"They were very proficient with weapons like RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), hand grenades and mines," he told IBD. "The foreign fighters were more fierce by tenfold than the Iraqi insurgents."

By Mitchell's reckoning, Fallujah and other battle zones have been used to train terrorists — in real-world, live-fire exercises.

Rumors swirled of ominous discoveries: caches of cocaine, vials of pure adrenaline and syringes. Mitchell personally attests to an injured terrorist bounding over an 8-foot wall to escape.

On Nov. 12, the fifth day of the operation, Mitchell found himself in a desperate situation. His squad charged a terrorist-filled residence that came to be known as the Hell House, and a bloodbath ensued.

Two fellow Marines, 1st Sgt. Brad Kasal and Pfc. Alex Nicoll, took rifle fire and shrapnel from a grenade. Bleeding profusely, they holed up in a bathroom in the house.

Mitchell, with shrapnel tearing into his own legs, ran through the house under heavy fire, reaching the bathroom. He applied tourniquets to stanch the bleeding of his two friends and administered first aid until backup arrived.

Running back into the living area to aid other wounded, Mitchell killed one of the enemy with his knife, according to his citation.

Terrorists took positions on the roof and fired down on the Marines from the top of a staircase. Mitchell and others helped carry the rest of the wounded out of the house.

Once outside, they detonated the structure with C4 explosive, killing the remaining terrorists.

Because of his injuries, Mitchell had to leave the combat zone before the mission was completed. He retired from the Marine Corps in March 2005 as a sergeant.

For his actions during Operation Phantom Fury, Mitchell was awarded the Navy Cross, one of the nation's highest honors for battlefield heroism.

Presenting Mitchell's award at a Camp Pendleton, Calif., ceremony in 2006, Marine Lt. Gen. John Sattler said: "He did not go forward in a crazed moment or on an impulse. He thought things through, and he did what needed to be done."

That can-do spirit was instilled in Mitchell from a young age. He grew up in what he calls a patriotic and pro-military family. His parents set him on the right path, and the Marine Corps was his finishing school.

Mitchell credits the example set by his leaders in the enlisted ranks, particularly his pal Brad Kasal, who survived his Hell House wounds. "After boot camp and infantry training, he was the first Marine I met," Mitchell said of Kasal. "He was a Marine in every sense of the word."

That meant the occasional dose of tough love for Mitchell and his mates. He remembers a training hike that finished with Kasal inspecting his Marines' packs — and discovering some were cheating on their load.

So Kasal, as punishment, made the men turn around and make the hike again. He joined them on their run.

That was the example Kasal set, Mitchell said: "He wouldn't have asked us to do it if he couldn't do it. He did it right there with us."

Taking On Terror

That sense of loyalty and duty shaped Mitchell's thoughts on 9/11.

Upon learning of the terrorist attacks, "I was excited," he recalled. "It was a tragedy, but we all knew we'd be going to do our job real shortly. We were young Marines. We were pumped up."

Today, Mitchell lives in the Phoenix area with his wife, Sara, and 13-month-old son, R.J. He works as a motorcycle mechanic for Harley-Davidson and remains close with Alex Nicoll, who took seven rounds below his knee in the Hell House and later had his leg amputated.

Nicoll speaks fondly of Mitchell and their bond forged in the heat of combat. "He's everything," Nicoll told the Marine Corps Times in 2006. "I mean, he's the only reason I'm here; I know that."

Matt Cousins Flashed His Mettle While Shielding Soldiers In Iraq

By ALAN R. ELLIOTT | Posted Wednesday, January 31, 2007

War on Terror: Heroes

American servicemen are fighting for our freedom every day in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some have gone beyond the call of duty. IBD highlights their courage in this recurring series.

When Matthew Cousins crossed the northern border into the Iraqi desert in March 2003, he was clearly a long way from placid, squeaky-clean Eagle Mountain, Utah.

The U.S. military invasion was two weeks old. Iraq's army was surrendering en masse. People in the streets were, Cousins says, essentially in shock: Saddam Hussein's prophecies had failed, and U.S. soldiers, at least for the time being, controlled their land.

Army 1st Lt. Cousins poses near a mosque in Baghdad amid his deployment of 2003-04 during which the since-promoted captain earned the Bronze Star.

Cousins, an Army National Guard soldier since 1990, is the son of a naval officer. His older brother served six years, also in the Navy. Service to country came naturally; leaving his wife of 13 years and three children in Eagle Mountain to fend for themselves did not. Still, the father and officer — a 36-year-old first lieutenant when he was in Iraq and now a captain — was ready to roll.

"You always fear the unknown," Cousins told IBD. "But as far as confidence in myself and willingness to serve, I was ready for it."

By 2004, Cousins had discovered mass graves, shooed playing children off a rocket embedded in the desert sand, and by dumb luck sidestepped a buried improvised explosive device, or IED.

Award Winner

For his heroic dedication to duty, Cousins earned a Bronze Star, one of the military's highest meritorious service awards.

Cousins' success did not stem from the usual horror of war. He never fired his weapon during his tour of duty, other than at the firing range. He earned his medal for his skill at avoiding hostilities. His story is, in fact, one of managing to return home without any shrapnel-strewn war stories to tell.

Cousins worked as part of a tactical team organizing missions for the Iraq Survey Group, the multinational, multiagency task force charged with searching for chemical and biological weapons.

He designed, managed and escorted 70 such missions. He conducted the forays across much of the Iraqi desert, successfully guiding nonmilitary specialists to inspection sites without a single incident or injury.

The challenge was deceptively complex. Each convoy faced the threat of IEDs, ground attacks, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire. Early on, the threat of attack was comparatively small, Cousins says, but the tension grew as the months dragged on.

"We were taking mortar rounds inside the compound after a couple months," said Army Reserve Col. George Waldroup, who oversaw the Iraq Survey Group tactical team.

Cousins planned in great detail in order to choose the most secure routes. The process included poring over maps and nightly briefings on areas prone to hostile fire. The soldiers would continually vary the times of their missions to remain as unpredictable as possible.

Cousins and his team would even visit a site first to assure they were properly prepared. The first lieutenant also delegated, relying heavily on his staff of noncommissioned officers to research the details.

"As a leader, he kept the stupid stuff — like guard duty — off our backs and let us do the job," said 1st Sgt. David Fillmore, also a Utah National Guard soldier, who worked closely with Cousins in 2003.

Cousins' knack for keeping his troops and charges out of harm's way left some of the younger recruits itching for a workout.

"In a way, you wanted a little bit of action — that's what you had trained for," Fillmore said.

Fillmore recounts the time a soldier asked Cousins why the group never saw action. Cousins, a devout Mormon, patiently said it was because he prayed morning and night that he could deliver his troops back to their mothers unharmed.

"Do you want me to stop praying?" the officer asked.

The young GI simply said, "No."

Iraq didn't represent the first time Cousins had stepped into the unknown. Just out of high school, he spent two years as a Mormon missionary in Hermosillo, Mexico. He learned Spanish, laying the groundwork for his career as a linguist for the National Guard. He also learned to tread foreign turf, knock on doors and deal fairly and patiently with those he met. "It builds confidence in yourself and your ability to interact with people of all kinds," he said.

One of those he met, Veronica, would eventually move to the U.S. and become his wife. Cousins, the fourth of six children, had graduated from high school in Concord, Calif. After his Mexico experience he moved to Utah in 1988 and entered Brigham Young University.

There, a professor who also was a National Guard chaplain got Cousins excited about jumping out of airplanes. The student had assumed he would join the military; the professor's pitch — a combination of duty, adrenaline and religion — clinched Cousins' desire to serve.

"He was a chaplain, so he was able to lead through a spiritual sense, which I enjoyed," Cousins said.

Matt and Veronica were married after his first semester at BYU. Soon after, he joined the National Guard with the 19th Special Forces group. He first worked in medical support, then in military intelligence.

Although Cousins spent 12 years in the National Guard before his tour in Iraq, he attributes most of his leadership ability to his father. Jack Cousins, 70, served two tours in Vietnam, primarily on aircraft carriers.

He raised his children to be responsible for their actions, Matt Cousins says. The father's work ethic was demanding: Stick with it until the job's done. "When I committed to something, that's what I would do — I wouldn't let people down," Cousins said. "That's how my father was."

Lifesaving Crash

Cousins' closest call in Iraq hinged on a crashed computer. Riding shotgun as navigator leading a survey team convoy, his Global Positioning System equipment broke down.

After a missed turn, the convoy circled back, then stopped to get its bearings. During that pause, an Iraqi told the soldiers an IED was planted in the road just where they were slated to make their turn.

"So it was a good thing that my computer went out, or we would have run right over it," Cousins said.

Today, Capt. Cousins, 39, is a team chief in charge of 17 linguists who primarily translate classified documents. He says few members of the Utah National Guard have served more than one tour in Iraq, unless they volunteered.

Col. Waldroup says the Utah National Guard played a big part in the ISG's secure mission. That effort led him to recommend six Bronze Stars for 2003. Those soldiers, said Waldroup, "were nothing less than outstanding. . . . In over a year I (oversaw) hundreds of missions and only lost two people. That will tell you the level and excellence of planning that took place."

WATCHING/QUOTING THE LIBERAL MEDIA

2008

THE LAST WORD

“Sometimes, I swear, when I see what our tax dollars get us in Congress, I feel like asking for my money back. But, other times, I find myself thinking that the laughs those clowns provide us nearly, but not quite, make up for their incompetence, hypocrisy and mendacity... Recently, I got my year’s quota of laughs when Congress decided to grill oil company executives because, I guess, the price of gas was higher than it had been in 1958. There’s nothing that rich, pampered politicians like better than putting rich, pampered business executives on the hot seat... at least until they have to go, hat in hand, to grovel for campaign contributions. I actually found myself sympathizing with the executives because they pretty much had to sit there and take it. God forbid they opened their yaps and pointed out that we’d not only have cheaper gas, but not have to toady to the Arabs, the Russians and Hugo Chavez, if these same politicians would quit caving in to the environmental fascists and allowed American oil companies to drill in Anwar, in the Dakotas and in the deep blue sea. It would also be a good idea if we finally began using nuclear power in a big way. Heck, if France can do it without turning Paris into Chernobyl, it can’t be that hard. In the meantime, thanks to these buffoons, I’m stuck paying $4.15-a-gallon for regular.” —Burt Prelutsky

CULTURE

“When I was a boy, the purpose of American history textbooks was to teach American history. Today, the purpose of most American history texts is to make minorities and females feel good about themselves. As a result, American kids today are deprived of the opportunity to feel good about being American (not to mention deprived of historical truth). They are encouraged to feel pride about all identities—African-American, Hispanic, Asian, female, gay—other than American... Can we return to the America of my youth? No. Can we return to the best values of that time? Yes. But not if both houses of Congress, the presidency and the Supreme Court move the country even further leftward. If that happens... [m]ore laws restricting ‘offensive’ speech will be enacted; litigation will increase and trial lawyers will gain more power; the American military will be less valued; trees will gradually replace the flag as our most venerated symbol; schools will teach even less as they concentrate even more on diversity, sexuality and the environment; teenage sex will be increasingly accepted; American identity will continue to be replaced by ethnic, racial, gender or ‘world citizen’ identity; and the power of the state will expand further as the power of the individual inevitably contracts. It’s hard to believe most Americans really want that.”

IF YOU ARE ABLE

If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go.

Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always. Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own.

And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.

Major Michael Davis O'Donnell
1 January 1970
Dak To, Vietnam
Listed as KIA February 7, 1978

QUOTE OF NOTE

Quote of the week

“The problem on the Left is, now that Karl Marx has forsaken them, they have no philosophy. Thank goodness. Think what evil creeps liberals would be if their plans to enfeeble the individual, exhaust the economy, impede the rule of law, and cripple national defense were guided by a coherent ideology instead of smug ignorance. As for our side, conservatism is a gut reaction for most of us, and a done deal for the rest. The moral philosophy of American politics can be explained briefly and clearly, and, the Constitution being written, it has been. Where is there a philosopher in Washington?” —P.J. O’Rourke

“The truth about black poverty today, as Kay Hymowitz of the Manhattan Institute has aptly put it, is that it is ‘intricately intertwined with the collapse of the nuclear family in the inner city.’ Consider that black households that are headed by married couples have median incomes almost 90 percent that of white households headed by married couples. The problem in the black community is that far too few black households are headed by married couples... It is not simply a moral claim, but a well-documented empirical one, that family and education are the keys to success in our free country. Black children don’t need politicians of any color who claim to hold the keys to their future. They need parents who know their names. Two of them.” —Star Parker

I am really not sure who Star Parker but I heartily agree. My white immigrant great-grandparents never relied on anyone outside of their immediate family and friends. Stop waiting for a paternalistic government to bail things out for you. Get up and start doing it yourselfs

THE HOLLOW MEN

    The Hollow Men 

              A penny for the Old Guy

                               I

         We are the hollow men
         We are the stuffed men
         Leaning together
         Headpiece filled with straw.  Alas!
         Our dried voices, when
         We whisper together
         Are quiet and meaningless
         As wind in dry grass
         Or rats' feet over broken glass
         In our dry cellar

            Shape without form, shade without colour,
         Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

            Those who have crossed
         With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom
         Remember us--if at all--not as lost
         Violent souls, but only
         As the hollow men
         The stuffed men.


                          II

         Eyes I dare not meet in dreams
         In death's dream kingdom
         These do not appear:
         There, the eyes are
         Sunlight on a broken column
         There, is a tree swinging
         And voices are
         In the wind's singing
         More distant and more solemn
         Than a fading star.

            Let me be no nearer
         In death's dream kingdom
         Let me also wear
         Such deliberate disguises
         Rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves
         In a field
         Behaving as the wind behaves
         No nearer--

            Not that final meeting
         In the twilight kingdom


                          III

         This is the dead land
         This is cactus land
         Here the stone images
         Are raised, here they receive
         The supplication of a dead man's hand
         Under the twinkle of a fading star.
            Is it like this
         In death's other kingdom
         Waking alone
         At the hour when we are
         Trembling with tenderness
         Lips that would kiss
         Form prayers to broken stone.


                          IV

         The eyes are not here
         There are no eyes here
         In this valley of dying stars
         In this hollow valley
         This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms

            In this last of meeting places
         We grope together
         And avoid speech
         Gathered on this beach of the tumid river

            Sightless, unless
         The eyes reappear
         As the perpetual star
         Multifoliate rose
         Of death's twilight kingdom
         The hope only
         Of empty men.


                          V

         Here we go round the prickly pear
         Prickly pear prickly pear
         Here we go round the prickly pear
         At five o'clock in the morning.

            Between the idea
         And the reality
         Between the motion
         And the act
         Falls the Shadow
	                                  For Thine is the Kingdom

            Between the conception
         And the creation
         Between the emotion
         And the response
         Falls the Shadow
                                                Life is very long

            Between the desire
         And the spasm
         Between the potency
         And the existence
         Between the essence
         And the descent
         Falls the Shadow
                                          For Thine is the Kingdom

            For Thine is
         Life is
         For Thine is the

            This is the way the world ends
         This is the way the world ends
         This is the way the world ends
         Not with a bang but a whimper.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

This will go to the following congressional recipients:
Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin

On April 15, the House of Representatives debated a motion to recommit H.R. 5719 (Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act) to committee with instructions to add language that would deny tax subsidies to states and localities that declare themselves sanctuary cities for illegal aliens. The motion failed due to a tie vote.

Had the motion passed, states and cities that practice "sanctuary" policies to protect illegal aliens would have faced pressure to start enforcing the law.

Your representative was the deciding vote. By voting "Nay," he/she doomed the motion to failure.

Click here to learn more about sanctuary policies.

Please remember to personalize your fax by using our edit feature or adding a P.S. at the end.

More Background:

Wally Herger (R-Calif.) issued the Motion to Recommit (to committee) with instructions to prohibit tax subsidies to states and localities that declare themselves sanctuary cities for illegal aliens. Here is his floor speech:

Madam Speaker, Federal law requires local governments to cooperate with the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Local law enforcement authorities may turn over individuals who have been apprehended if the police believe they are not legally present in the United States.

Unfortunately, many local governments flaunt this requirement and openly boast that they refuse to cooperate with the Federal Government in helping to enforce our immigration laws establishing an irresponsible precedent and frustrating our shared goal of having safe and secure borders.

As you know, taxpayers all across the country subsidize local governments through a provision of Federal law that permits States and localities to issue debt that is exempt from Federal taxes. The motion presents the Members of Congress with a simple question: Is it reasonable to put some strings on this subsidy?

If adopted, the motion would clarify that the Federal tax subsidy does not apply to new debt issued by States or localities that declare themselves by statute or other manner to be a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants. In other words, having self-helped themselves out of helping the Federal Government address the growing burden of illegal immigrants, then they should not expect American taxpayers to subsidize their debt.

Madam Speaker, on April 15, we are reminded again about the many Americans who are playing by the rules, yet still feel the squeeze on their family budgets, particularly at tax time. Isn't it only fair that we ask our city mayors and county boards to do the same?

....Madam Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote for this motion to recommit. While I am greatly concerned about the message sent by the underlying bill that somehow we are going to take away an effective tool to ensure we all pay our fair share of taxes, this motion helps correct that wrong-headed tilt by trying to prevent tax benefits from going to illegal aliens and cities and States who shelter them from our immigration laws.

Top 15 Playbooks

»	Cindy on Newsweek cover -- Obama’s presidential seal, plus his 15-point lead over McCain … Playbook weddings
»	GOP outsiders go limp... It's FISA Day... Scottie on the Hill... 'Phoenix' has a flood faux pas...Obama trolls for lobbyist cash... It's Jonas Brothers night.
»	Obama might keep Defense Secretary Gates … Rove scolds McCain for pandering… Rahm advises POTUS … Postcard from Hickory Hill .. Michelle writes to Laura
»	A winner in the Madden primary as Glover Park Group goes bipartisan … Michelle Obama on 'The View' ... Bush may reverse dad's drilling order
»	McCain whacks Bush - Hillary off veep list - Bush trip is most leisurely ever - 10 highest-paid CEOs - Cutter to Chicago - Forti baby - Luke Russert transcript
»	Where’s Obama’s bounce? - Bush calls himself 'a man who did not compromise' - Obama maps plan to win without Ohio or Florida
»	Tim Russert’s most important quote — An empty chair on 'Meet' — Obama to deliver major fatherhood speech — McCain to address oil execs
»	Tim Russert to Pope John Paul II: 'I am YOUR GUY. Don’t forget this face'
»	Obama's dollar dilemma … A tour of 'Straight Talk' … Biden for Obama veep?
»	Obama adopting the 'tax families' Bush made famous - Obama opens FightTheSmears.com - Worst Mississippi flooding in 15 years
»	Raise your hand if you’re dead to the Clintons
»	The 50-state Obama juggernaut … Maria Bartiromo says Obama taxes would bite the 'not rich' … Dan Senor, Paul Begala writing books … Will Trek bike sales soar?
»	$5 gas by July 4? – Candidates square off on economy as partisan wars return – Blogs in tizzy over Obama bikewear
»	HRC -- 'The stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been'
»	Rick Davis posts his victory plan -- McCain campaign expects Obama to lead in polls most of the summer – Obama beefs up messaging

POLITICALLY INCORRECT VIEW POINTS???

Monday, April 7, 2008

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	> Conservative Must Reads Encouraging the Armies of Compassion (BreakPoint Online) The Knowable Yet Inscrutable God (BreakPoint Online) Cut Off Federal Funds to Sanctuary Cities Like San Francisco (Family Security Matters) Civil Military Operations Center Opens in Gamsir (Family Security Matters) A Marginal (At Best) Cause of High Energy Prices (Heritage Foundation) Indonesia Holds Up ASEAN Charter Ratification (Heritage Foundation) Addicted to Nicotine Taxes (Campus Report) The Disinformation Age: OPEC Lies, the SUV Dies (Foundation for the Defense of Democracies) Media Ignore Pro-Family Protest of McDonald's 'Hate' Smear (Culture and Media Institute) 'Bi-Curious' Summer (Culture and Media Institute)


	> On the Blogs Carol Platt Liebau: Getting the Timing Right Michele Bachmann: First Stop - NREL Carol Platt Liebau: More Impeccable Timing From the "Goracle" Matt Lewis: New McCain Ad: "Troop Funding" Amanda Carpenter: Media Notes Matt Lewis: Max Cleland Disinvited by Obama ... Michael Medved: Lessons From A Monster Matt Lewis: Friday Afternoon Moment of Zen Carol Platt Liebau: A Blistering Critique Matt Lewis: McCain Still Hearts Gramm Townhall.com Staff: What's Hot Friday Michele Bachmann: Off to ANWR