Will the real Rick Perry stand up... Oh you are standing...

Just look at the headlines, what you are seeing is a governor who has forgotten that he is supposed to be a Republican, and a conservative. Yet we have over the past few weeks found out that he is more RINO, and even more likely has sold himself to special interests. And if not that then his staff is selling him out to the highest bidder. Here are some links and clips from the majority of the stories that I have found about this issue. You decide for your self. Did we (Texas Voters) elect a liberal Republican to office. It things like this that make me glad to say I was a Kinky Voter this past election. I think you will not be surprised by the time lines nor by the attitude Perry is taking with this, since he is getting pounded by both is family on one side and the ultraconservative voters that he is abandoning on the other.

Perry angrily defends vaccination decision

Gov. Rick Perry today angrily defended his embattled order to vaccinate all Texas school girls against the virus that causes cervical cancer, saying it would have been irresponsible to ignore Merck & Co.'s ideas for requiring the shots statewide.
Perry said critics are getting lost on the campaign contributions, which he said were just a small share of the $24 million he raised and had no effect on his decision.
"When a company comes to me and says we have a cure for cancer, for me not to say, 'Please come into my office and let's hear your story for the people of the state of Texas, for young ladies who are dying of cancer,' would be the height of irresponsibility," Perry said. "Whether or not they contributed to my campaign, I would suggest to you, are some of those weeds that we are trying to cut our way through."
Pressed on when he decided to issue the executive order requiring the vaccination, Perry snapped: "I wish you all would quit splitting hairs, frankly, and get focused on are we going to be working together to find the cure for cancers. No, I can't tell you when."

State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg, R-Rockwall, said Perry's staff failed him. "Whoever's setting up that meeting, they ought to be chewed out, you know, for not looking at everything and saying, 'Now wait a minute, could this cause any questions down the road?"
Merck has waged a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign to get state legislatures to require 11- and 12-year-old girls to get the three-dose vaccine as a requirement for school attendance. But it announced Tuesday it was suspending those efforts.
The drug company had mainly funneled money through Women in Government, a bipartisan group of female state lawmakers. Many of the group's members have sponsored legislation in other states that would require the vaccine for schoolgirls.
One member of Women in Government is Texas state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, Deirdre Delisi's mother-in-law. Despite her ties to the group, the elder Delisi has opposed Perry's order and voted for the bill aimed at overriding it.

Panel votes to block HPV vaccine requirement

Perry spokesman Robert Black said the committee's vote doesn't change the governor's position. "He believes the state should do everything it can to protect young women from getting cancer," Black said. "He has encouraged the Legislature to have a vigorous debate on this issue. They are." Perry has said that cancer has touched several members of his family and that he is determined to use his authority to try and reduce the deadly disease. He also wants to sell the Texas Lottery to help fund anti-cancer efforts.
But the governor has alienated many social conservatives who have been key to his political fortunes with the requirement that pre-teens be inoculated against the most common sexually transmitted virus. Parents would be able to opt out their daughter

Merck's reversal may mean setback for Perry

Pharmaceutical giant Merck abandoned its lobbying push to require girls to get vaccinations aimed at preventing cervical cancer, providing another possible setback to Gov. Rick Perry's plan to make Texas the first state to mandate the shots.
Saying the campaign was undermining its efforts to make the Gardasil vaccine accessible to as many women as possible, Merck officials announced they would no longer try to convince states that the vaccine should be made mandatory for preteen girls to attend school."Maybe we'll get even some more with Merck acknowledging that this isn't the right thing to be doing right now," said Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, who introduced HB 1098, which could be voted out of the Public Health Committee as early as today.
Bonnen said Merck had gotten ''extraordinary publicity for free" about its vaccine as lawmakers debated the issue.
''Maybe they felt they had hit the point of diminishing returns," Bonnen said.
Merck's stock closed Tuesday at $44.50 a share, slightly below its level before Perry's executive order.
Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, who has filed a bill to make the HPV shots a requirement, said that people opposed to requiring any vaccines for school admission and social conservatives "have hijacked the issues" surrounding Gardasil, which protects against four strains of HPV that can cause 70 percent of cervical cancers.
"Without any real evidence, they are trying to distort the science and cause confusion and distrust," Farrar said.
Merck officials said they remain convinced of Gardasil's effectiveness and the company will continue its efforts to make it widely available.
In the past month, there's been a definite "uptick" in the use of the vaccine, according to Merck spokesman Chris Loder.

Texas governor defends vaccine order

Critics have previously questioned Perry's ties to Merck. Mike Toomey, Perry's former chief of staff, now lobbies for the drug company. And the governor accepted a total of $6,000 from Merck during his re-election campaign.
Merck has waged a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign to get state legislatures to require girls to get the three-dose vaccine to enroll in school. But on Tuesday the pharmaceutical company announced it was suspending the effort because of pressure from parents and medical groups.
The Kentucky House on Thurday passed a bill that would require the vaccination for middle school girls unless their parents sign a form opposing it. The state has the nation's second-highest death rate from cervical cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the bill still needs Senate approval. Virginia lawmakers have also passed legislation requiring the vaccine, but the governor has not decided if he will sign it.

Time line of events involving the HPV vaccine in Texas

Aug. 15: Two Perry staffers meet with a Merck lobbyist for an "HPV Vaccine update," documents obtained by The Associated Press show. Deirdre Delisi, Perry's chief of staff, has lunch with another Merck lobbyist, Mike Toomey, her predecessor in the governor's office. Perry spokesman Robert Black said he didnot know what they discussed.

This is within 24 hours of Perry's campaign getting a large donation from Merck. Makes you wonder....

Nov. 7: Perry is re-elected with 39 percent of the vote.

I just could not pass this date up either, Mr. Plurality decides to act as if he is Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Vaccine meeting, Merck donation coincide

AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Rick Perry's chief of staff met with key aides about a new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer on the same day its manufacturer donated money to his campaign, documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
Texas became the first state to require the vaccine against human papillomavirus earlier this month when Perry issued an executive order requiring it for girls entering sixth grade. Lawmakers are considering overriding the measure.
A calendar for chief of staff Deirdre Delisi obtained under Texas' open records laws shows she met with the governor's budget director and three members of his office for an "HPV Vaccine for Children Briefing" on Oct. 16. That same day, Merck & Co.'s political action committee donated $5,000 to Perry and a total of $5,000 to eight state lawmakers.

I want to see who the 8 state lawmakers are as well and see how they vote on this issue.

HPV vaccine's cost turning into key issue

AUSTIN — The high cost of the vaccine that protects against a sexually transmitted virus linked to cervical cancer is becoming a key issue in opposition to Gov. Rick Perry's order that schoolgirls receive the shots.
The Texas Medical Association opposes the mandatory use of the human papillomavirus vaccine partly because of it's effect on doctors' finances. Perry's mandate has the potential to increase doctor's revenue — which will be taxed by the state for the first time next year — but not necessarily their profit, said TMA spokesman Brent Annear.

Vaccine plan puts Perry on new stage

AUSTIN — What has gotten into Gov. Rick Perry?
That question has been echoing around Austin since the governor, much to every one's surprise, "ordered" the vaccinations of schoolgirls against a sexually transmitted virus linked to cervical cancer.
This, after all, is the Rick Perry who has so closely courted religious and social conservatives that his pronouncements sometimes sounded more like those of a fundamentalist minister than the governor of a major state.
He is the Rick Perry who, according to popular speculation, wants to use that conservative support to become a player on the national political stage.
On track to become the longest-serving governor in Texas history, he surely wants to be remembered for more than building toll roads and raising college tuition, two of his more noteworthy accomplishments so far.
Maybe he would rather be remembered as the governor who launched an all-out attack on cancer.
But the governor also has personal motivations. His wife, Anita, a former nurse, is said to be strongly supportive of the vaccine order. His father-in-law is a retired doctor, and the Perrys, like most Texans, know people whose lives have been ravaged by cancer.
The governor may harbor dreams about being the vice presidential nominee on the 2008 Republican ticket, although his top political strategist denies it. Perry fanned the speculation with several references to international problems during his inaugural speech last month.

Former top Democrats back Perry's vaccination efforts

Actually the headlines say enough... but here is something for you to chew on.

AUSTIN - Gov. Rick Perry's effort to get young girls vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus linked to cervical cancer drew praise Thursday from two prominent Democrats, former Gov. Mark White and former Attorney General Jim
Mattox.
White, who was attorney general for four years before being elected governor in 1982, declined to comment on the legality of Perry's executive order, deferring to the current attorney general, Greg Abbott, who has been asked by two lawmakers to rule on the issue.
"I applaud him (Perry) for the courage he had in issuing the order," said White, who recently underwent surgery in Houston for removal of a cancerous kidney. "It's wise for our state officials to be mindful of medical advances."
"I happen to believe that the governor who sold the lottery plan to benefit education, Ann Richards, would look with pride upon us for what we are doing to find a cancer cure that's out there in the future," he said.
But Mattox said he thinks Perry was "usurping the Legislature's authority to make statutory and funding decisions. To that extent, he's probably stepped beyond his authority."
Buck Wood, an Austin lawyer and veteran litigator of Texas constitutional issues, agreed with Mattox that Perry had exceeded his authority.

Guv's girl vaccination a super idea

Gov. Rick Perry is right to push for all Texas girls to be vaccinated against a virus that causes cervical cancer.
Normally I'm suspicious of anything a politician does that will make billions of dollars for a company that hired his former aide as a lobbyist.
But I got over it after talking to the woman who sat next to me during the fourth quarter at a friend's house.
She's not a fan of Perry nor of the big drug companies. She is, however, a great fan of women with cervical cancer and has spent decades researching the disease and treating its victims at one of Houston's great hospitals.
In some developing countries, she said, cervical cancer is a leading killer of women, even more common than breast cancer. It is very common in Latin America, which is relevant to Texas because of immigration patterns.
She also agrees with Perry that vaccination should be universal, though his
executive order does provide for parents to opt out.
"The goal should be to eliminate the virus," she said. "And we only do that if everyone gets the vaccination."
In fact, she favors vaccinating boys as well, although she knows that the cost of the vaccine may be prohibitive.

Critics rip Perry's vaccine mandate

Perry refused to rescind the executive order he issued Friday requiring the vaccine for girls ages 11 and 12 who are entering sixth grade in September 2008. Parents will be able to opt out their daughters, as they can for other required vaccines.
In a statement, Perry addressed criticism that the vaccine could send a message that teenage sex is permissible.

"This needs closer examination. How much will it cost the state?" asked Sen. Jane Nelson, chairwoman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, at a press conference. "Most importantly, as a mother of four daughters, I want to make sure our daughters' health is protected and parental rights are preserved."
Nelson, R-Lewisville, asked Perry to reverse his order and said she also would ask the attorney general whether the Legislature has any recourse if he doesn't.

Also, a spokesman indicated that first lady Anita Perry's strong support for the vaccine may have played a role in the governor's decision. A former nurse and the daughter of a doctor, Anita Perry works for an organization
dealing with sexual assaults. "I know they have discussed it, and it's something they both feel very strongly about," said Press Secretary Robert Black.

His former chief of staff, Mike Toomey, is a lobbyist for Merck and Perry has received $6,000 in contributions from the drug manufacturer's political action committee since 2005.
Black said Perry and Toomey have never discussed the issue, and he noted the campaign contributions to Perry from Merck were relatively small. He said Perry indicated his support for the vaccine during the recent reelection campaign.

Austin political consultant Bill Miller said he thinks Texans are seeing a governor showing some independence after winning a hard-fought campaign over three rivals for his second full term. Perry took office in 2001 when George W. Bush became president. "This is an example of the governor going his own way without political consequences. He has immunity at the ballot box," Miller said.

No it is a big government liberal showing that he thinks he knows what is best for everyone else, despite the public persona of being a conservative.

One of the Great unanswered questions of our time.

What is it that the Republicans do not get and that the Democrats seem to be willfully ignoring? I mean the voting citizens of this state and country showed last election that the way things were being run was not satisfactory. But what has happened since then? Not a whole hell of a lot different.

I mean here we are almost three months into the new Democratic controlled congress as well as the bi-annual session of the Texas Legislature and there is more useless noise coming from both Austin and Washington DC than from a school bus full of kids coming back from a field trip to the zoo. Starting with our wonderful Texas Legislature, we have a governor who won an election with thirty nine percent of the popular vote and he is acting like he is Ronald Regan after beating Walter Mondale in 1984. Among the things he has done, is push for the Legislature to willingly violate a state law by busting the voter approved spending cap, try to institute a mandatory vaccine on all girls at the age of eleven or twelve for HPV, as well as other failures to act in the best interest of the state.

We have a state senate that is more than willing to "play by the rules", and not change the "rose bush rule" as well as the Senate rule about needing twenty one of thirty senators to agree to bring a bill to the floor for debate and vote, despite the fact that the rules are over one hundred years old and were written to keep poor legislation from ever getting to the floor for debate, but then taking a little side step around that rule to bust the spending cap. In the Texas House you have a power struggle where the speaker nearly loses his post but due to his heavy handed tactics but in the end finds a way to keep his spot and then he endorses the cap busting vote just like the Lt. Governor did in the senate. This is the same man that because of his weakened position could not get a vote passed to change operational rules of the House, but at the same time he would be willing to ignore the fact that the government needs to balance it's budget.

I have sent letters to both my state Senator and Representative, about their actions, and to be perfectly honest, I do not expect to hear anything back from either. However what I do expect is that they represent me the way I want them to, and if they don't I'll support someone else.

So where do we sit as far as true conservatives? They are few and far between. I know that not everyone agrees with my position on issues, however, there are some things that I will not sit still for. Those include ignoring voter mandated spending caps, increasing my tax burden, ignoring or even encouraging illegal immigration, failing to reduce government spending, or at the very least minimizing the growth of government programs.

You can clearly tell if someone in government is looking out for themselves, doing what they promised to do in their campaign, or simply going along with their buddies on votes. It seems that these days our elected officials are either unwilling to stand alone on a difficult vote, or afraid to go against both their misguided leadership or their "buddies" when it comes to voting.

It is becoming crystal clear that these people did not get the message of last November's election where an overwhelming percentage of votes were cast against incumbents, or for new voices that are willing to stand up and be counted as the people's representatives.

What do you think...

Things I have found on Zipperfish.com

I have found a really outrageous site called Zipperfish. Now it is geared more towards a male audience but anyone can check it out. Here are a couple of links to games they have there which I know some of my friends over at Headshaker.com and LST.com would like. But they will also show what a sick sense of humor I have...

BTW the third one is for David and Matt.
Enjoy

Mayor seeks council OK on Houston WiFi plan

Mayor seeks council OK on Houston WiFi plan

Ok, more ways our Mayor is looking to make us a "world class city"

After announcing Tuesday that Internet service provider EarthLink has been selected to build the city's wireless network, Mayor Bill White wasted no time moving toward the next step — City Council approval.
The contract, which calls for EarthLink to invest nearly $60 million to build a network that would span Houston's 600 square miles, already is on the Thursday agenda of a council committee

So here we go looking to spend $60 Million dollars that could have been allocated to Police or Fire protection. Or maybe if it is actually Earthlink that is spending the money and not coming out of the pockets of Houstonians.

"Houstonians can look forward to a future in which we have better technology to create better jobs for our citizens, attract jobs for the future to our city, bridge the digital divide that will lift people up educationally in our community, to put us at the forefront of leadership in this nation," White said.

Another of the "World Class City arguments" It looks like they are going to use that bit of fluff until it is old and limp.

Richard Lewis, the city's information technology director who helped broker the agreement with EarthLink, is scheduled to give more details to the Transportation, Infrastructure and Aviation Committee Thursday.
Committee chairman Michael Berry said he expects the council to approve the contract, partly because White was personally involved in vendor selection.

Now I wonder what is Mr. Lewis going to gain out of this proposed contract, maybe a nice comfy position with Earthlink when he leaves the City IT department? And when did Councilman Berry become the yes man for Mayor White?

The service likely would not be available in enclave cities, White said.
"We haven't made contracts for, or committed assets in, and we wouldn't specify a service level for an incorporated area within the city," he said. "I assume that other incorporated areas in and around Houston will be looking at WiFi technology in the future."

So this means that there will be dead spots in the coverage area. Glad to know this up front.

Aside from gaining council approval, the project faces other challenges, Berryman said. The company hopes to lease the rooftops on various buildings to mount equipment. White is helping get property owners on board, offering a lease
price of up to $1,200 per month.
EarthLink has completed or is building municipal networks in several cities, but none nearly as large as Houston. In
Philadelphia, where the company expects to cover 135 square miles, it got solid reviews from Greg Goldman, CEO of Wireless Philadelphia, the nonprofit that has partnered with EarthLink for the build-out.

I wonder if this is really going to work, or not. I guess time will tell. My question is will enough people use it to make it a viable asset for Earthlink.

One more voice saying celebs are not role models

I am always thrilled when someone stands up and either questions or condemns the actions of someone from the "entertainment" industry. It does not matter if it is politics, fashion, or behavior. The sooner people realize that these people should always be held to a higher standard, as well as not be held in as high regard, we will be a whole lot better off.
The following article again sounds the warning that rich little tarts like Britteny Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan should never be role models and that the press is responsible for their continuing inappropriate behavior.

Here is what I mean.

I always cringe every time people show concern over the antics of celebrities and about the impact they can have over impressionable youngsters.

Other celebrities like Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan created their own uproar with sex tapes and flashing the paparazzi. In a two month time period, Lohan went panty-less four times in front of hordes of cameras. Consequently, a famous person being naked or at least giving full frontal nudity is more than enough to create a media sensation. And the tabloids and the press loved it.

Unfortunately, too many people have an unrealistic expectation of celebrities being role models to young people. Britney Spears is not a role model. And neither is Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan. More often than not, their outrageous behavior is done to garner publicity and attention or to feed their own insatiable egos.

The author is spot on about the fact that 99% of the actions that these young "ladies" do are to get more attention and feed their egos. If only someone had been there when they were younger to hold them accountable for their actions, things might be different.

But if parents in particular and society in general are actually expecting these beautiful sexy starlets to be positive role models to young girls, then they are going to be terribly disappointed.

NBA superstar Charles Barkely created a backlash when he adamantly insisted that he is not a role model. Lots of people were taken aback and some basketball fans were furious by such a bold but truthful statement. But as iconoclastic as Barkley is, he is definitely right when he further asserted that ordinary people like parents and teachers ought to be the role models for kids.

And it is also time for ordinary people like parents to step up to the plate and behave like mature responsible adults so that they can give kids the direction and support they need, especially during the turbulent times of their lives. And most importantly, parents who create a nurturing environment can have a profound influence upon their children if they apply themselves to it and become a moral authority that can be respected.

However, if parents fail to step up to the plate and assert their influence, then Britney Spears and others will be more than happy to influence the next generation of youth.

Catholic Leader Urges John Edwards to Fire Second Blogger After One Quits

UPDATED
Second Blogger has resigned. Just proves that the heat can be applied if done correctly.

Apparently John Edwards has learned nothing in the past four years let alone the last 2 weeks. I mean this is the man who got rich off of huge class action lawsuits, and failed to get the Democratic nomination for President because he was to liberal, and unwilling to stand up and be counted on any issues. The only person that has flip-flopped more than Edwards is Hillary. Now despite the fact that he had on staff, two people who were spewing violent hateful speech on their personal blogs towards those that held opposing views and anyone who did not agree with them, and he does NOTHING. ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA, he could have terminated them and stood up and said that those sort of attitudes and behavior was not going to be accepted, but instead, he sits around like a limp noodle and says that they are entitled to post their comments on their personal blogs, but is should not reflect upon his campaign. Yeah right, I am sorry but your employees and their actions even outside the workplace are a direct reflection of the organization.

Here is the second story about Johnny and his hate bloggers. You decide who is correct on this issue. I know who I would agree with.

Catholic Leader Urges John Edwards to Fire Second Blogger After One Quits

Democratic presidential contender John Edwards isn't fit to be president if he can't even fire a campaign Web logger who offended a large voter constituency, the president of the nation's largest Catholic civil rights group said Tuesday.
“If he can’t make a decision of this sort to get rid of bigots on your payroll, then he’s essentially disqualifying himself from the White House. I think he’s finished,” said Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.

That is what opens the article and to be honest he has a good point.

"Bill Donohue — anti-Semite, right wing lackey whose entire job is to create non-controversies in order to derail liberal politics — has been running a scorched earth campaign to get me fired for my personal beliefs and my writings on this blog," Marcotte posted on the Pandagon blog.

I think she has proven that she is the one who is the lackey and hate monger.

Among the offending entries was Marcotte's, who wrote: “The Catholic church is not about to let something like compassion for girls get in the way of using the state as an instrument to force women to bear more tithing Catholics.”
The posting by McEwan was headlined to address religious conservatives: "What don't you lousy motherf——ers understand about keeping your noses out of our britches, our beds and our families?"

Well that sure is a strong statement about the fact that she is one of the brainwashed liberal masses who seem to think that Christian conservatives want to control everything. When it is every liberal in the world who sits around and suggests rules and guide lines by which everyone else but themselves have to live by. You read the article, and if you can stomach it check out her blog and see what I mean.

Book Review #3 - Lord Foul's Bane

Well I went into the deep dark alcoves of my book library to pick up the first book in a series that I started reading almost 30 years ago. The series is by Stephen R. Donaldson, the book is Lord Foul's Bane, and it is the first book in the chronicles of Thomas Covenant. I picked this one up at the request of the librarian at my Junior High, I was a library student assistant and she asked me to read this new book that they had gotten and let her know about it. So I jumped in feet first and needless to say was both shocked and educated by the graphic nature of the book. It is not a blood and guts story but a story that exposes a raw nerve and rubs on it for the whole story.

The book is about Thomas Covenant, a one time successful writer, husband, and father. However fate is not kind to Covenant, while in the process of writing his second novel, he starts to have numbness in his fingers and toes. When he finally has it checked out, he is diagnosed with leprosy, and because of the advanced stages of the disease he loses 2 fingers on his left hand. To compound the agony his wife leaves him and takes his son with her, because of the fact that children are more vulnerable to catching leprosy.

Here is the text from the book flaps of the hard cover version of the book

Here we meet Thomas Covenant, a man burdened with a terrible stigma that has deprived him of wife, friends, almost all human contact, perhaps even his sanity. In this state of moral isolation, he is suddenly shunted to a mysterious world known simply as "the Land" - a place of magical potency, acutely beautiful wherever it has recovered from the ravages of age-old, recurring wars. For the Land has an immortal enemy - Lord Foul the Despiser - whose unceasing intent is to lay it waste. He has been defeated in the past by the Council of Lords, servants of the Land and protectors of its arcane lore; but now the power of the Council has been reduced, and Lord Foul has found his perfect, unwitting tool - Thomas Covenant, the man who thinks the Land is a dream; who cannot accept its life-restoring powers for fear of confronting the terrible dilemma of his own existence; Covenant, the Unbeliever.

So here is a man who is taken from a world where he is an outcast and pariah, and all of a sudden he is thrown into another world where he is the reincarnation of the greatest hero of the world. A world where his disease is healed, and he is expected to be the savior of a place he has never been before. Add on top of that the fact that is leprosy survival training is screaming at him that this is all a dream.

He called himself Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever because he dared not believe in this strange alternate world on which he suddenly found himself.
Yet the Land tempted him. He had been sick: now he seemed better than ever before. Through no fault of his own, he had been an outcast, unclean, a pariah. Now he was regarded as a reincarnation of the Land's greatest hero - Berek Halfhand - armed with the mystic power of White Gold. That power alone could protect the Lords of the Land from the ancient evil of the Despiser, Lord Foul. Only ... Covenant had no idea of how the power could be used.

The book is the first of what was originally six books in two trilogies, However Donaldson is in the process of writing another four book series to complete the story. He has completed the first book in that series Runes of Earth and the second in the series is due out in October Fatal Revenant. Donaldson also has what he calls the gradual interview where he answers questions that are submitted to him. There have been some very interesting discussions on that section of his site and allows the reader to get a better feel for what it takes at least for this author to write. All seven books are fantastic and the type that pull you in and make you think, however at the same time you are sitting there rooting for the good guys to win all the while the reluctant hero is dealing with his morality as well as beliefs. Good reading but not for someone to just skim and blow through...

John Edwards is this who you want as president?

Hey let's lets talk about the presidential canidates...

John Edwards is now getting heat from the Catholic League for failure to fire a couple of bloggers who have posted intollerant and biggoted comments on his blog.

By not firing Andrea Marcotte and Melissa McEwan, Donohue said, Edwards is promoting anti-Catholicism. He said the 2008 Democratic contender's actions should be viewed in the same way it would be seen if Edwards had not fired a staffer who had used the 'n'-word.

"He's nothing more than David Duke with a blow-dried haircut," Donohue said of Edwards.

Then we have these tidbits from Michelle Malkin on her site Hot Air about it. Check out these videos.
hot-air-theater-presentsamanda-marcotte/
hot-air-theater-presentsamanda-marcotte-part-ii/

Edwards has these comments about the comments, but please note that he has failed to terminate these people.

"Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that kind of intolerant language will not be permitted from anyone on my campaign, whether it's intended as satire, humor or anything else," Edwards added, saying he believed of Marcotte and McEwan that "it was never their intention to malign anyone's faith

Then you have the standard appology that is supposed to cover all of the bases when it makeing things better. Yeah Right...

Another posting by McEwan is headlined to address religious conservatives: "What don't you lousy motherf——ers understand about keeping your noses out of our britches, our beds and our families?"
In the statement released by the Edwards campaign, Marcotte said her "intention is never to offend anyone for his or her personal beliefs, and I am sorry if anyone was personally offended by writings meant only as criticisms of public politics."
McEwan said "Shakespeare's Sister is my personal blog, and I certainly don't expect Senator Edwards to agree with everything I've posted. We do, however, share many views — including an unwavering support of religious freedom and a deep respect for diverse beliefs. It has never been my intention to disparage people's individual faith, and I'm sorry if my words were taken in that way."

It is amazing how badly people try to cover up the hate from the liberal left...

Despite saying the postings "personally offended me," Edwards decided not to fire Marcotte, who writes for the Pandagon blog, and McEwan, who runs the Shakespeare's Sister blog, for comments they made on those sites.

Then when the announcement that they had been fired was floating around look at the attack dogs fly around...

Reports that Marcotte and McEwan had been fired, although incorrect, sparked movement across liberal-leaning blogs to begin targeting Patrick Hynes, a Republican strategist and consultant to John McCain's presidential exploratorycommittee.

And finally there is this comment from these people.

"I'm not going to say a lot about this right now, but suffice it to say that the fact I cast a vote, without hesitation, for a Catholic during the last presidential election might suggest I'm not anti-Catholic," she wrote. "My degree from Loyola University might also suggest the same."
Another Catholic group, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, issued a statement saying it was satisfied with Edwards' actions following the "religiously intolerant remarks."
"We accept Senator Edwards' assurances that he too was offended by comments made by recently hired staffers and that religious intolerance has no place in his campaign," said the group's executive director, Alexia Kelley, who added that since roughly one-fourth of the U.S. population is Catholic, Edwards can't take the religion's members for granted.

I'll leave the rest for you to decide. Pass the word to all your friends about this and let's not let it die....

Questions of Faith...

So where do I start...
A friend of mine whom I'll call Shakey who has his own blog is having problems with life, business, and faith. He sits down and because of his upbringing, and current conditions he starts to question both his faith, as well as the existence of God. Understandable. When you are pushed to the brink during a crisis, you start to re-evaluate everything in an attempt to "fix" things. The problem is Shakey has yet to resolve is crisis of faith, he is still searching for answers, and every time he gets one question answered, three more open up. This is a perfectly natural event, people who are in that sort of self examination mode will have that happen till all of their doubt is either confirmed or disbanded. The thing is Shakey is being very open with this personal conflict he is in and has made some very interesting comments about churches, faith, and such, as well as posted some very interesting questions for discussion on his blog.
So then we have Dude, who in response to an e-mail by Shakey issues some very interesting comments, in response. Now it is not that Dude is anti- anything, it is just his perspective is a bit different from others. He is an upstanding guy and has always treated others fairly and been willing to engage in fair and open debate on issues. This is one of those times when Dude has decided to open up debate on the e-mail that Shakey sent . Here are some bits from his posting

• God won’t ask what kind of car you drove. He’ll ask how many people
  you drove who didn’t have transportation.
• God won’t ask the square footage of your house. He’ll ask how many
  people you welcomed into your home.
• God won’t ask about the clothes in your closet. He’ll ask how many you
  helped to clothe.

There are others, and I can describe them all in only one way… bullshit. Let me explain. There are things in this life I can control and there are things I can’t. I am responsible for the things I can control. I pray over the things I can’t control. I act on the things I can. That’s it

Dude, what you just described is faith... You control your life and pray for guidance/protection against that which affects you but you cannot change.

We all possess the strength and ability to live well. Let’s go get ‘er done and quit blaming God or pretending that we have an inside track on howGod will judge us. Results speak for themselves

Well said. We should not sit around and blame God, or feel sorry for what has happened to us. Does God allow bad things to happen, yes or else we would still be living in the Garden of Eden. Those that have true faith are those that have the will power to stand up and continue to fight for what they want even when they get knocked down. It is those that are willing to end up battered and bloodied in the fight for success that are the real winners. People who sit around and whine and complain about how their lot in life is so horrible are the ones that are looking for a hand up. God is in everyone who believes in him, and he may not give you a hand up when you are knocked down, but he is there to encourage you when that happens and to pat you on the back when you succeed despite all the evil and inequity in the world. The best example I could put forth for Shakey is in the Book of Job.

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless
and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. 2 He had seven sons and three
daughters, 3 and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five
hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of
servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East.

Follow the rest of the story if you do not know it. Basically Satan questions Job's faith and God, tells him to test him. So Satan does everything that he can to make him "curse" at the lord, but despite all that he is put through, Job accepts the things that are happening to him as out of his control and prays to God to help him deal with these troubles, all the while he continues to live his life as well as he possibly can, and with the same faith, and desire to be a good person as he had when he was prosperous and healthy.

So the lesson of life that Dude talks about is just reinforced in the Book of Jobe.