Christians in Nigeria face terror this Christmas Day, as reported by CNN:

The Christmas Eve attacks in the volatile Nigerian city of Jos have claimed at least 31 lives, a bloody aftermath in a region long torn by Christian and Muslim hostility.

Choji Gyang, a special adviser to the governor of the west African country’s Plateau state, confirmed the death toll on Saturday, and said 74 others were wounded.

Most of the injured have serious wounds, and some of them suffered leg amputations.

Please keep in your prayers Christians worldwide who facing such persecution. The government in Nigeria ignored signs of potential terror, and told everyone to go about their business:

Gyang, who is special adviser on religious affairs to the governor, said it was unclear who set off the blasts or whether they were related. But the bombs detonated in the “same manner,” Gyang said, and they “all went to where people were concentrated.”

In recent weeks, the governor’s office had received letters purported to be from some Muslim organizations threatening attacks against Christians, Gyang said.

“The security officials didn’t take the threat letters seriously. They were thought of as gimmicks, and at the end of the day, they became reality.”

A special task force sent to Plateau state by the federal government in the preceding two days had gone on radio telling residents to go about their business and not to worry about the security situation in the area, Gyang said.

And pray that strong people in governments will take Muslim terrorism against Christians seriously. And that the UN decides to do something strong in the Congo, where Muslims have killed other Muslims at a toll of six million in the last dozen years.

From the diaries by Erick

A prime example of the power of the unelected bureaucracy was shown last week. The Chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Inez Tenenbaum, has decided that baby cribs used by most folks in the last 20 years kill babies, and no only should no longer be made, but should not even be re-sold privately.

Read More →

Well, the two new Democratic Senators are seated. Mark Kirk won both the election for the full term starting in 2011, and the remaining amount of Obama’s seat (which Burris had held), in what were actually two separate elections in Illinois on Nov. 2. Where is the Republican from Illinois? Not in DC yet.  I see this from Fox News:

Another newcomer, Mark Kirk, of Illinois, is scheduled to be sworn in Nov. 29 after that state’s election officials certify the results in the special election for the seat once held by President Obama.

Daniel Webster is trying to send Alan Grayson, another Harvard lawyer, a message: Liberalism’s reign is over. Latest poll from Sunshine State News shows Webster’s lead to still 7 points over Alan Grayson, but now it’s 48-41, compared to the 43-36 in September 25 poll.

Holding a steady 7-point lead over a controversial and increasingly malodorous incumbent, Republican Daniel Webster is poised to knock out U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, a new Sunshine State News Poll shows.

“Webster has to be the favorite here. Grayson has failed to turn his negative image around, and is still viewed in a negative light by a 55-38 margin,” said Jim Lee, president of Voter Survey Service, which conducted both polls. “This means Grayson has very little if any room to grow.”

…

“The key difference in the poll when compared to last time is that Webster is surging with independents, now leading them by a 48-33 margin over Grayson, which is a reversal from a 42-33 Grayson lead in the last poll (a net swing of 24 points),” Lee reported.

And it seems more and more Floridians have had enough of the Harvard lawyer Grayson’s nasty ads against Webster.

And the congressman’s rising unfavorable rating — now worse than Obama’s — appears to be downright lethal.

“Grayson’s favorable-unfavorable image is now a staggering negative ratio of 55-30, compared to a negative 47-36 ratio in September, so it’s apparent his TV campaign has completely backfired,” Lee said.

The Democrat’s bombastic, shoot-from-the-lip style caught the attention this week of conservative columnist George Will, who called Grayson “the worst politician in America.”

Citing highly negative and inaccurate ads that alternately labeled Webster “Taliban Dan” and a “draft dodger,” Will suggested that Grayson’s “vulgarity” and non-stop anger have caught up with the freshman lawmaker.

Noting that Grayson has even mocked Webster’s name as “18th century,” Will aptly quoted Massachusetts Sen. Daniel Webster (1782-1852): “Anger is not an argument.”

As someone who is supporting Daniel Webster financially but is not a resident of FL-08, please consider helping put Allan Grayson in the unemployment line. Sunshine State News points out

The Oct. 13 filings with the Federal Election Commission show Grayson has raised $5,120,846, with $814,741 cash on hand and $1,080,966 in debt. Webster reported raising $1,317,108, with $340,119 cash on hand and no debt.

Let’s force Obama to pay that million dollars in debt, and let Daniel Webster be the next Congressman from FL-08.

Yes, that’s right. Here in the Sunshine State, WCTV in Tallahassee reports that the Department of Corrections has received a grant from, you guessed it, the federal government, to provide training to prisoners having less than three years left on their sentences.

Florida’s prison system has received a $740,000 federal grant to train inmates in solar energy panel installation.

Department of Corrections officials said Friday that the training program will be established at Sago Palm Work Camp in Palm Beach County.

The camp is one of three that provides inmates, who have three years or less remaining on their sentences, with education, training and treatment to better prepare them for finding jobs when they are released.

The state will partner with an accredited technical center that will conduct photovoltaic system training leading to energy practitioner certificates.

The program will include a mobile demonstration module for hands-on training.

So, if you are having troubles getting training, and want to enter the fast-paced green job mill, Florida’s Department of Corrections may just be your answer.

Now, I realize that it is important that convicts have some way of re-joining society in a productive way following their release, so that they can stay out of the prison system. But at a time when everyone else has to pay their own way, something just does not seem right about this gift from the Obama bureaucracy. Or is solar panel installation another of those jobs that free Americans just won’t do. I have not checked into whether illegal alien convicts were eligible for the program.

Controlling the language and semantics is important in politics. It is obvious that calling the 2001 and 2003 Tax Cut bills the “Bush Tax Cuts” is really a non-starter in getting the tax rates created by them made permanent. So, after some research (if you consider google and then a little reading to be “research”) I hereby propose a few alternatives. First, for the HB 1836: Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001:</a>

1. Feinstein-Nelson Tax Cuts:  In honor of the Yea votes of Sens. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Ben Nelson (D-NE).
2. The Democratic Presents of 2001: In honor of the five Democratic Senators who voted “Present”, or as is now called, “pulled an Obama”. (Kerry (MA), Murray (WA), Boxer (CA), Harkin (IA), Leahy (VT), and a special Democratic Congressman who was also “Present”: Kendrick Meek (FL).
3. My favorite: The Bi-Partisan Tax Relief Act of 2001.

Now, for the 2003 cuts, the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, which reduced the third through top rates, we have:

1. The  Another Tax Cut McCain Voted Against Act. Yes, reaching across the aisle to vote against tax relief again, just as in 2001.
2. The Bi-Partisan Tax Relief Act of 2003, with seven Democrats in the House and two in the Senate voting yes.
   
3. The Cheney Liberty Act, in honor of the man casting the deciding vote in the Senate.
   

Any more good ideas out there?

The Obama Administration tried to hide the results of their blue-ribbon task force Gitmo study by releasing the results a week ago Friday, just prior to the Memorial Day Weekend. Fortunately, Marc Thiessen was listening.

For years the left has spun the myth that hundreds of Guantanamo detainees are really innocent goatherds and dirt farmers wrongly swept up in the war on terror. In an interview last year, Admiral A.T. Church III — the former Navy inspector general who investigated detainee treatment Guantanamo — told me this charge was “bull crap.” As Church put it, “There may have been a couple of those, but most of these guys would slit your throat in a second. Most of them are very dangerous guys.”

Now an official investigation conducted by the Obama administration — and unanimously approved by departments of Defense, State, Justice and Homeland Security, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence — has concluded that Church was right.

The task force study shows that 95 percent of detainees belong at Gitmo. Furthermore, Thiessen notes that:

The task force’s report was finished in January, but the White House knew that releasing it as the president’s deadline to close Guantanamo came and went would have been a public relations disaster. Now the White House has turned it into a public relations trifecta: It kept the findings secret for nearly four months; placed them in the Saturday papers over Memorial Day weekend; and spun the story as a vindication of its position on Guantanamo.

So much for the transparent and honest nature of an executive branch that Obama promised. So, the next time the motive of some Obama decision is in question (like, why is Gitmo still open?), look back at Friday press releases over previous month or two. There, missed by those experts in the MSM, pearls may be found.

Please visit 1000patriots.com and help Col. Allen West’s campaign for US Congress, FL-22.

Col. West appeared on Hannity tonight. His website has been up reliably, but during his interview with Hannity, this was the response

While web admins may hate that, as a West Patriot, I liked that. Let’s send this American patriot and retired colonel to DC. The FL-22 district includes the Palm Beaches (yes, I think he’d be Rush’s Congressman) so you know the battle is a tough one.

In case you are not in the 2 million people who have not seen this Col. West video, enjoy this:

You can also see Redstate.com pose a question to a panel at the Reclaim American Liberty conference in New York, and watch as everyone ducks the question, except one. That man, my friends, is a leader.

Sure, Col. West has a past. The left no doubt will bring up the events in 2003 that brought upon the closure of his distinguished military career.

An American officer has been stripped of his command after pleading guilty to assaulting an Iraqi detainee during interrogation, the military announced yesterday.

A disciplinary proceeding found that the actions by Lieutenant Colonel Allen West were serious enough to “merit a court-martial.” But the military said in a statement that mitigating circumstances — specifically, the “stressful environment” of combat — and West’s distinguished service record prompted the Army to instead relieve West of his command, fine him $5,000, and order him back to the United States, where he will be allowed to retire.

“Frustration and anger overcame his professional ethics and personal values, and he performed what he knew to be illegal and immoral acts,” said the statement issued by the Army’s Fourth Infantry Division.

During a closed-door tribunal Friday in the town of Tikrit, West was found guilty of three counts of aggravated assault and a single count of communicating a threat. The ruling was issued after West pleaded guilty to misconduct.

He is the most senior officer to receive disciplinary action since the start of the war. West served as a battalion commander with the Fourth Infantry Division and was in charge of about 800 soldiers operating in one of the most dangerous regions in Iraq. For the past few months, he has been confined to the division’s base in Tikrit.

But I have to believe that his actions were very understandable, and his concern for the men under his command, the sons and fathers of America, “about 800 soldiers operating in one of the most dangerous regions in Iraq”, was admirable and correct. Good leaders make decisions and take the consequences; bad leaders blame others (like their predecessor). Good leaders know where the buck stops, and who can make the best informed decision.

I want good leaders in my Congress and the White House. Please support Allen West for Congress (R-FL-22).

There are regulations that prevent Social Security numbers from being used for identification. It took a while for my employer to get its administrator, United Healthcare, to change from using the employee’s SSN to use a unique employee number. Well, those days are now gone. With Obamacare, health insurance companies will be reporting which people have insurance coverage. And now, since they are part of the tax system, health insurers will now be required to know the SSNs of all of its customers.

This significant expansion of the community of individuals and computer systems that have knowledge of people’s SSNs, will significantly increase the opportunity of the theft of such information. So, please beware.

I’ve been getting reacquainted with some old friends from my childhood days on American Life Network recently.The times have changed, but the theme of saving a nation from power-hungry politicians never goes out of style. This is the start of an episode I’d like to see some evening.

A tourist walks into the National Museum in Warsaw, a vibrant city in a nation that has recovered quickly recovered from recent global economic woes. In a quiet corner in the Gallery of Medieval Art, he presses a button under a kiosk and listens as he watches pictures seen around the world flash on the display. A voice is heard from the speakers on the kiosk:

Good afternoon, Mr. Phelps.

In the past several months, significant change occurred in politics in the former bastion of democracy, the USA. Freedom-loving people, who clearly made their opinions known in numerous peaceful marches and demonstrations in capitals across the country, saw their government take complete control of the healthcare system against popular wishes. This healthcare law, combined with previous private industry takeovers and pwoer grabs, will give the central government total control of their lives, from what they eat to what they drive to how they soend their free time.

This November, it will be possible for the people of the USA to replace their representatives with like-minded individuals who believe the federal government has no constitutional right to such a power grab over the people. However, the current regime, led by President Barack Hussein Obama, will remain in power until the 2012 elections. This man has veto power over any new laws, and has made this healthcare takeover the crown jewel of his presidency, so he would want to veto any changes passed by the new 2011 Congress.

Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to get President Obama to sign all changes to his healthcare bill, including repeal. Creating a situation in which Obama will want to cooperate with the new conservative majority in Congress will not be easy. However, your work in the late 1990’s, which saved the USA then, the makes your team the best choice to do it again. As in previous missions, using kidnapping or any other criminal activities is not an option. You need to convince Obama that it is his own best interest to repeal the healthcare bill. He is a political animal, as you well know, and self-interest is his prime motivator.

Like last time, If you or any member of your team is caught or killed during this mission, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.

This message will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.

Mr. Phelps returns back to his room at the Polonia Palace Hotel. Sipping a glass of fine vodka, Phelps picks his team and gets to work devising a strategy to accomplish his mission.

Your mission, readers, is to suggest ways that Phelps can accomplish his mission, who plays your Mr. Phelps, and what team he could assemble to carry it out.

moveon.org has put out a commercial in favor of Obamacare. In it, they (again) claim that thousands die from a lack of healthcare insurance. (Funny, but I doubt I’d find “lack of healthcare insurance” on any death certificate.) I am sure you can find it if you’d like, but I won’t give them any hits from this diary. One thing I would like to remind people of:

Thousands more die with Medicare, Tricare, and Medicaid every day.

Enough said; kill the bill today.

Good morning. Today is a special day. Are you celebrating yet? That’s right. Today is United Nations Day.

The power grab by the United Nations over the USA has been incessant since the Democrats won a majority in both houses in 2007. In the past two years, the UN has been pressuring the US to accept the Law of the Sea Treaty, which would severely restrict the US Navy’s ability to navigate open waters. We are currently getting pressured to sign on to UN Treaty on the Rights of the Child. This encroachment on parental rights must be rejected by the US. (You can help by donating to the Eagle Forum at above link.) The December Climate Change/Global Warming/Mass Hysteria meeting in Copenhagen is repeatedly being called a last chance to succeed in getting the US onboard the highway to energy poverty.

The next chapter of UN US-bashing has begun. The UN Is investigating human rights abuses in the USA. At first thought, one would have to laugh. The mere presence of Sudan and Libya on this board speaks volumes. Well, now is not the time to laugh. From David Horowitz’ Newsreal Blog, we learn this:

For those of you who have never even heard of a “Special Rapporteur,” you may be surprised to find out that one has been appointed by the United Nations (UN), under a special mandate from the UN Human Rights Council (the successor to the corrupt and anti-Israel UN Commission on Human Rights), to open a probe—for the first time ever— into human rights violations by the United States because of a perception that there isn’t enough affordable public housing in urban areas.
…
The UN Human Rights Council believes that housing is a human right, and, because housing (especially “affordable housing”) is so tough to come by in places like New York City, there is a strong likelihood that the United States Government is guilty of gross human rights violations.

Not enough affordable public housing? My first reaction was this: If we put up huts like Obama’s brother has in Kenya, would that make them happy?

This is fully supported by the Obama Administration.

The report will be bad. That is a foregone conclusion. How will the UN punish the United States? That remains to be seen. Who gave the UN the right to send a Special Rapporteur on this tour of American cities in the first place, since UN Special Rapporteurs can only visit countries that have agreed to invite them?

After listening to Rush yesterday, the picture is becoming more clear to me every day on what the ultimate ambitions are of the Obama family. Rush stated that he believed that a possible goal of Barack Obama is to be the Secretary-General of the UN. Given his international apology tours, and his eagerness to submit to the UN in matters of Energy policy, naval navigation and parental rights, Rush’s theory really makes sense. After all, Obama will leave the White House a relatively young politician, without a definite career path. I don’t think he would follow Jimmy Carter’s path. His path will be one of power, and to get promoted to the highest governing position in the (or at least his) world. And then he will have all the power that he is handing over to the UN. Given how scary this scenario is, it is appropriate that Halloween is next week.

So, have a wonderful United Nations Day! it really should be on October 31st or April 1st instead.

A story broke on September 25th about a soiree hosted by the Obamas for visiting VIPs during the UN meetings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is another goof in the White House office of protocol. As with most parties, pictures were taken by the White House photographers. However, unlike past Presidents, POTUS Obama’s White House has a flickr website page. And they seem to enjoy building upon the persona of “The One”. So the pictures were placed on the website with no approvals requested of the people in the pictures. Well, that’s where problems arise:

Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was in for a rude shock if he thought the same privacy conventions that shield the children of public figures in his home country would extend to the United States. Zapatero brought his wife and two daughters along on his trip to New York for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly, and on Wednesday he and his family posed for a photograph with President Obama at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The photo caused a huge stir in Spain because the public had never before seen an image of its leader’s children, ages 13 and 16, who appeared in the photograph sporting slightly gothic attire.

Oops. Another White House Protocol blunder. Between the DVDs to the British PM, the ipod to the Queen of England, returning the bust of Churchill to England, and bowing to Saudi king, this White House is an embarrassment to the citizens of the USA when dealing with the leaders of foreign countries. (Next thing you know, we’ll give Iran a Twitter account for negotiating a nuclear arms agreement.)

A week later, members of the IOC are voting for the Olympics site for 2016. Spain, along with Japan and Brazil, is competing with the US. Unlike the White House, these people are sensitive to matters of protocol and respect for the privacy of others. So, when choosing between the US and Spain, US came in last. One must question whether this protocol goof by Obama had any impact on the voting. I submit it very well could have.

People have debated the definition of a “green job” for a while. I have been skeptical about what really is a “green job,” but my eyes have been opened. According to the New York Apollo Alliance, a green job is one that is created in order to manufacture and install goods that are mandated by the government. Green jobs are created when a government enacts laws that require the private sector to spend money on “green” projects. Here is what I received in an email from the Apollo Alliance last week:

Dear friend:

Thursday, the New York State Senate is expected to vote on S.5888, the Green Jobs/Green NY bill.  This historic bill will result in 1 million new residential retrofits and thousands of new jobs.

Please contact your State Senator today and ask them to vote yes and that we look forward to working with them to implement the bill to ensure that the jobs that are created are good, green collar jobs.

So, by forcing the private sector to spend money on projects it does not deem to be profitable, green jobs are created. You might as well start breaking windows at all the storefronts to generate jobs.  But no, that would be too obvious. The New York Senate would rather disguise another government jobs program by labeling it “green”. It is really just another New York tax-and-welfare, smash-and-grab program that drives business and people from the Empire State. (As an aside, maybe the state nickname is appropriate.)
Check out what the NY State Senate website says about this bill.

Last night the Senate passed the grounbreaking (sic) Green Jobs/Green NY bill, a measure that will create thousands of jobs across the state and help hundreds of thousands of families and businesses from Montauk to Buffalo save up to a billion dollars annually in energy costs. The bill, which passed the Senate 52-8 and passed the Assembly unanimously, is a major step toward rebuilding New York’s crippled economy and rescuing the state’s energy consumers.

Senator Darrel J. Aubertine (D-Cape Vincent), chair of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee and lead sponsor of the bill said: “This program will create jobs, save consumers on their energy bills and help get our economy back on track. By passing the Green Jobs/Green New York Act today with bipartisan support we have taken an important step toward improving our economy and helping our environment. This bill encourages conservation, helps consumers with the cost of capital improvements to their homes and businesses, and creates jobs in the new economy. It’s a win-win for New York State, especially Upstate New York where a well-trained workforce will be in demand to keep the heat in and energy bills down every winter.”

So, you can rebuild an economy by forcefully taking property from private individuals and using it to pay for pet projects for the public good. Sounds very much like Atlas Shrugged to me. Who will stand up in New York and fight this stuff? Or will they all just leave? If no one, you can look forward to this coming to a state (and country) near you. And if it comes to the country in such large portions, where will the people go?

With a hat tip to Dr. Walter Williams,

“When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.”
– French economist, statesman and author Frederic Bastiat (1801-1850)

Parade.com had an article in this past Sunday’s magazine discussing exclusivity agreements between cell phone manufacturers  and cell network providers.

Some lawmakers and industry experts say such arrangements limit consumer choice, stifle competition, and keep rates artificially high. “Consumers should be allowed to access any network with whatever device they choose, just as they do with their televisions and computers,” says Rob Frieden, a law professor at Penn State University.

It is ridiculous to compare cellphone networks, which are built and maintained by the network provider, to over-the-air television signals and the internet. Companies use the exclusivity agreements to provide better service at a lower price to consumers. For example, Apple gets some payment from AT&T for each iPhone customer they get, and AT&T gets a good set of customers and a better economy of scale. Consumers get an iPhone and plan at a lower rate than they otherwise could get. And if they are not happy, sonsumers get get another cellphone from a different provider. It even quotes Sen. Kerry (who served in Viet Nam, as Rush says):

The Federal Communications Commission is investigating whether exclusivity agreements “restrict consumer choice or harm the development of innovative devices.” Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.) is considering legislation to ban such agreements.

The poll on the page was at 87-13 against the free markets, and for government regulation. Please go to the Parade article and tell them your opinion. Ignore the comments; they are quite predictable in content.

Thinking about this further, perhaps John Kerry would support getting rid of all exclusivity agreements. Erick spoke about one such agreement yesterday. Unions restrict the choice for consumers of labor, those, of course, being businesses who hire people to do things. These restrictions cause increased costs, and thus must also be on Sen. Kerry’s hit list.

July 4th (Korean time), the North Koreans launch their missile out towards the Pacific in direction of Hawaii.

Something goes wrong, and missile curves to the west.

The missile finds its way back down to earth’s surface and strikes,

destroying their ship carrying the nuclear materials, as it sits in a Yemen harbor.

I know, smacks of some James Bond movie plot, but hey, I would enjoy this.

My Senator, Bill Nelson (D-FL), states on his website that he is against increasing the national debt.  Nelson voted against the TARP bill, a vote that was cancelled by Sen. Martinez’ (rino-FL) YES vote. I had hopes that he might also vote against the Obama stimulus bill.  So I wrote him this optimistic letter of appreciation.

Thanks for being AGAINST STIMULUS!

I agree with your stance on the Economy as it is stated on your website. It is obvious from your views that you will vote NO on the Obama stimulus bill. Thanks for representing us.  Your stance against increasing the national debt is very welcome, and your opposition to Obama’s plan is very much appreciated!
From your website, Senator:
Since 2000, our national debt has grown by more than $3 trillion, placing a great burden on future generations. As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, I have worked to decrease our national debt by ensuring the federal government doesn’t spend beyond its means. With responsible spending cuts and limited tax cuts that will provide the greatest stimulus to the economy, we can keep our national debt under control and increase job creation.

Over the past five years, we have experienced the worst level of job creation since the Great Depression. Although 28,000 jobs have been created each month since 2001, we need 150,000 new jobs a month to keep up with population growth.

As a Floridian, I used the web pages to contact Maine’s US Senators. If their decisions affect me, then dad-gum they are gonna here from me. They claim to belong to the GOP, like me, so I should be able to contact these people who profess to believe in the GOP philosophy of limited government. Here is my message:

Please vote NO on the non-Stimulus bill! Do not give in to bribes. The American people will survive if the government lets us! Release the American people, through tax cuts, to recover. Weare ready if government will get out of the way.

Gorbachev (remember him?) asked British PM  Margaret Thatcher (remember her?) how she made sure the stores had bread to sell. She said “I don’t do anything.” Gorbachev, the Socialist Communist, could not understand how bread existed for everyone in England if the government did nothing.  There’s a good lesson, here, Senator.

There’s another lesson here. You pulldown for topics does not have an option for “Economy”. You know why? Because it is not the US Government’s role to provide the Economy, unless you are in China, Venezuela, and Cuba.

For now, I won’t comment on how the replacement of Senators goes: white woman for white woman (D-NY), white man for white man (D-DE), and black man for black man (D-IL). You know those stories. Even the “cannot-have-a-white-man-as-secretary-of-state” philosophy. These stories, while embarrassing to some, are true and the facts cannot be argued. But I am now told by my US Senator Mel Martinez, that we actually have specific positions in government for minorities.

I emailed my Sen. Mel Martinez (RINO-FL) about his recent statements that Eric Holder was a qualified candidate for AG and that he would support his nomination. In my letter, I told him that
Andrew McCarthy was a member of the Department of Justice under Eric Holder. Andy had prosecuted the 1993 World Trade Center Bombings. He knows what happened during the Clinton Admin under Holder. (He wrote an excellent book on Jihad too: Willful Blindness, a must-read.) And I referred the senator to Andy’s recent column about his knowledge of the pardon processing for Rich at the end of the Clinton years with Deputy AG Holder. Plus, we all know how Holder admitted he screwed up, and learned a lesson and will be a better person because of his past actions. (now, this sounds more like a defendant’s plea to a judge than an applicant for the top law prosecutor in the USA.)

Sen.  Martinez’s response had the usual drivel about a president getting the cabinet he wants (which applies to Dems only, but Mel missed that). He also said how Mr. Holder would  be “the first African-American Attorney General of the United States.” Strange way to put it. I just had to respond to Mel: “Holder will simply be THE US Attorney General. We don’t have separate slots for blacks and whites in the government, unless you’ve forgotten.” I could also say that isn’t it great that we now have the first five-figure tax cheat running the IRS. Is that a good thing too? Does that say how far we’ve come for meting out mercy for criminals’ rights in our country?

Now, maybe I should have asked to get into the safety tree before I started this diary (having learned the phrase from Glenn Beck).  But I am really started to get miffed with all this first-this and first-that stuff. We are all equal here, and we do not judge others by the color of their skin. I think I remember some words being re-played on January 19th along those lines. I think it was Rush or Glenn who said the other day that Barack Obama is simply the POTUS, not the African-American POTUS. He is simply the POTUS. That’s it. It is the division of the American people into all these special groups that brings us down, and the liberals have used this division masterfully to achieve power. We conservatives need to continue to avoid this whole mess. By the way, Gonzalez was the first Hispanic AG, and don’t remember anyone saying how great that was.

From the diaries by Erick

Case in point: Tom Daschle, former US Senator from SD, and Senate Majority/Minority leader in late 90s and early 2000s. Daschle, tapped by Mr. Obama to be Secretary of Health and Human Services next year, wrote a book that he likely now wishes no one would read. In fact, amazon.com and buy.com have no copies in stock, so he has hope.

Now why would he want to keep this book a secret? Well, do football coaches publish their playbooks? Of course not. You can read an insightful and not-so-favorable review by Tony Blankley at townhall.com here.

Now, you might say: “Well, Daschle wrote a book. So what? It does not mean he means it, or expects it to work.” Yeah, well, Hitler wrote a book too, and folks likely thought around 1942 it might have been a good idea to read it. Same for that guy behind the podium that has a “Office of the President-Elect” emblem on it (I know, the real election is next week at some college, but who cares.) He wrote a couple books too that not enough people must have read before November 4th of this year.

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