Today's Recommended Reading

Politico has posted a great article on the seven stories that President Obama doesn't want told. They are not so much stories as they are ideas he doesn't want rooted in the American public's head, but they all strike a bit of a chord.

Another Interesting Development in "Climategate"

As a side note, can we stop calling scandal by a name that ends in gate? It sounds almost as moronic as Garland Robinette (a local talk radio host) calling the parties the "Demi-dont's" and "Republicant's". This is the kind of high criticism leveled by three year olds.

In any case, when Climategate first errupted onto the scene in the U.K., and trickled out through FOX News and the internet in the U.S., it was noted that some of the e-mails leaked were exchanges between the climate "scientists" and a reporter with the New York Times. The Times refused to publish the contents of the e-mails claiming, in part, that they were not written with the intention of being disclosed to the public. This is the same New York Times that published information on how the Bush Administration was attempting to track terrorism through a perfectly legal program. They also didn't seem to have much of a problem disclosing the Pentagon Papers.

Now it has come to light that prior to the general leak of the e-mails, the BBC had received copies months in advance and had simply sat on them. I have continued to search the mainstream media for mentions of the story in the United States and have yet to find anyone but FOX running any stories of significance, and they often paint the leaks in a far more negative light than the corrupt scientists. This shows the media is in bed with the liberal policy ideas behind global warming. I have trouble thinking of any other logical conclusion.

Another issue this raises that has far more interesting potential consequences in the long run is that, if the e-mails were released prior to the break in the story that occurred this month, it seems logical that it was someone on the inside, not a hacker, that released the information. If that is the case, then there would likely be no legal issue about how the information was obtained and there is potentially someone who can speak directly to the practices of this politicized research.

Playing the "Long Con"

Confidence (Con) Men run schemes that are referred to, at least in movies, often by the monikers "long con" or "short con". The guy doing three card Monty on the streets of New York is playing the short con. He's looking to make a little money fast. The long con is more akin to Bernie Madoff's ponzi scheme (or social security and medicare). Generally, the long con requires risk, time and money for a long term, higher payoff.

This article by Michael Barone of the Washington Examiner does as good a job as I've seen of spelling out the effects of the current regime's rampant spending and the problems it poses in a relatively consice manner. Given the obvious backlash that has been building against Democrats on these policies and their determination to forge ahead despite public opinion and logic standing in their way suggests they are playing at the long con. Nothing they are doing makes sense for a short term reward. It is only if they are looking down the road to a transformation of the society to something similar to European social democracy or even a more rigid communofascist regime do they stand a chance to succeed in entrenchment of power and position for the long term.

I could be wrong though; they may just be idiots.

Today I'm Thankful That I Don't Live in North Dakota

A brief article on American Thinker exposes Senator Kent Conrad (D. ND) and his disregard for opposing viewpoints as a 22 year veteran of the Army and father of soldier killed in Iraq addresses his comment regarding the trial of Khalid Sheik Mohammed in New York in which he said: "If people don't believe in our system, maybe they ought to go somewhere else." Perhaps Senator Conrad and the administration should take their own advice and rather than trying to change America into a European cradle to grave social democracy they should just move to Europe.

Spending Money Like a Drunken Sailor

President Barack Obama with the help of Congress has managed to spend $3.5 trillion dollars in the first eight months of his presidency, shattering spending records along the way. I'm actually somewhat encouraged by this. Judging from the number of parties he throws and the corresponding lavishness, I had thought $3.5 trillion was just the White House spending on social events.

Step Right Up and Whack a Conservative, Just a Few Dollars or a Little Bit of Your Time

Charges have finally been filed againstsix people involved in the beating of Kenneth Gladney, a conservative, outside of a health care town hall. Luckily, it shouldn't effect them too much as the charges are St. Louis County ordinance violations which are less than even misdemeanors. I suppose the next step is to have an event at the county fair where you get to beat up a conservative for a dollar, as long as you're a member of SEIU.

Oh, God, Please Make it Stop!!!

ABC has announced an Oprah/Obama Christmas special. I honestly think I'd prefer the Stalin-esque ubiquitous posters and statues. We probably are forced to see Obama more than the Chinese see Mao. Excuse me while I go vomit for a while.

Oops, Now Where Did I Leave that Tax-Exempt Status?

The now infamous ACORN seems pretty good at encouraging illegal activity, they just apparently failed to properly train their employees in document disposal. For example, Big Government reports that this item was left behind in an Oklahoma office vacated by ACORN. The tax-exempt, government funded organization is overtly partisan and political, two things which should keep it from being tax exempt or government funded. Keep in mind, the vote which defunded ACORN expired in October. They're back on the taxpayer teat. Wonderful.

All Quiet on the Western Front

With what is potentially the unveiling of the greatest scam ever pulled, i.e. global warming, swirling over the release of hacked e-mails from the East Anglia Climate Research University, the mainstream media is largely quiet. Glenn Beck reported tonight that studies had shown no other broadcast or cable news network had reported on the released e-mails. In the meantime, a search of internet news sites shows little reporting as well. This while the UK's Guardian and Telegraph papers have been busy reporting on the matter along with FOX News and Senator James Inhofe (R. OK) calls for a Congressional investigation. It seems awfully quiet for such big news.

Meanwhile, President Obama is still talking about moving one step closer to a climate deal.

The Louisiana Purchase

Earlier it seemed Senator Mary Landrieu (D. La.) voted for cloture on the Senate health care bill by negotiating $100 million in Medicaid relief for Louisiana. This bribe, which is quickly becoming known and mocked as "the Louisiana Purchase" in reference to the infamous deal with Napolean that handed the United States nearly twice its land holdings for a pittance, apparently wasn't $100 million after all. Mary proudly declared that the bribe or extortion, however you wish to view it, was worth $300 million (20 times the actual Louisiana Purchase). Luckily, Louisiana doesn't have a history of corruption....oh, wait.

The Highest Sacrement

What would you imagine is more important to a liberal, their religious faith or making sure women have unlimited access to abortions? The Kennedys have demonstrated for generations, and continue to demonstrate, that the holiest sacrement to any liberal is abortion. I don't expect that anyone should agree with their church on every issue, but the Catholic church has been very clear on their stance on abortion (and yet, ironically, Catholics are overwhelmingly liberals) and Catholic liberals have overwhelmingly rejected the Church on this position.

For Your Convenience We Have Removed Convenience

I stopped by my local post office to buy some stamps from the vending maching today. Instead, I found a sign which said that the machine had been removed for my convenience. So now, the only way to get stamps there is to sit through a line of about an hour and a half to buy $5 of stamps. Proving that the free market works better than government masquerading as free market, I left and went to a ocnvenience store which placed me with stamps in five minutes, drive time included. And yet, the Senate morons just voted to bring a government run health care bill to the floor of the Senate. Shoot me now.

If You've Had Sex Recently, Thank Global Warming

Accoring to one U.N. official, global warming is forcing people to resort to prostitution. Thank God we've advanced to a point that we can build structures high enough for me to jump off of and not survive.

President Again Bungles in Foreign Arena

President Obama, whose foreign policy gaffes with allies borders on unfathomable, apparently screwed up his summit with the Japanese pretty badly. American Thinker is reporting on an apparent story in a Japanese magazine quoting an inside source who says this may be the worst Japanese-American summit ever.

Climate Warming Causes Scientists to Hallucinate About Climate Warming

It appears that the East Anglia Climate Research Unit was hacked and e-mails exposing the fraudulent nature of anthropogenic global warming claims and the sham research backing up those claims were released by the hacker. I would like to think this might serve as the final nail in the global warming debate, but as of 5:15 p.m. central, most news services in the United States don't appear to be carrying the story. We'll see how this develops in the coming days.

Giving credit where credit is due, my brother, Don Ladd, brought this to my attention.

Representative John Murtha, Man of the Century...Sort of....

Representative John Murtha (D. Pa.), he of the airport so corrupt it might actually be made of pork products, has firmly won my support for most egregiously putrid piece of crap Congressman of all time. I will admit, there are several contenders that could change my mind, but this incident, aired on the Glenn Beck program from a few years ago where Murtha blatantly ignores and kidnaps the will of the legislature seals the deal for me.

Nancy Pelosi Must Be One Gangsta Ass Bitch

The Reverend Jessie Jackson, proof that shit will stack about 6 feet high, has proclaimed that "You can't vote against health care and call yourself a black man." If all black men are in favor of health care does that mean its a stereotype? I'm sure Doctor King is spinning so fast in his grave he could be utilized as a lathe.

Holy Irony, Batman, She's a F**king Moron!!

Senator Mary Landrieu (D. La.), who is apparently receiving $100 million in pork tucked away in the Senate health care bill for her vote, has blasted through the boundaries of ignorance and shot straight to a level of idiocy so far reaching as to actually be beyond description. On her website appears this page, which decries the horrific, yet historically high, rating of Louisiana as the 47th worst state for health care. This is used to support the idea that the Senate health care bill takes steps in the right direction towards fixing the problem. Let's see, what does Louisiana have that would make this one of the most daring leaps of illogic ever performed? Oh, that's right, universal health care. No one in Louisiana faces a lack of access to health care because we have the state-operated charity system. So, clearly this means a federal universal care system must work, because its so effective in Louisiana......wait, that can't be right, Ms. Landrieu, can it? And thus I give you liberal logic.

Today's Recommended Reading

As if anyone needed additional proof that there is a bias against conservatism in the media, this article details the unprecedented treatment of Sarah Palin's new book, "Going Rogue".

It's Deja Vu All Over Again

Yogi Berra may well be the greatest American pholospher. The title of this post is one of his infamous quotes. If you think it has no relevance, I suggest you look at this article from Fortune Magazine. President Obama was famous for talking about those tired old policies that have been proven not to work during the campaign (which, if you look at Bush vs. Obama on domestic fiscal policy the difference is Bush was 8 on the blender speed and Obama is 10). Well, if you're going to look at tired old policies, look no further than President Obama's. He's following FDR's playbook (as well as Saul Alinsky's) like a bible. Yogi, born in 1925, probably is having flashbacks. Never forget: "We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work" - Henry Morgenthau Jr., Secretary of the Treasury under Franklin Delano Roosevelt (May 9, 1939, appearance before House Ways and Means Committee).

If You Can't Beat Them, Change the Rules of the Game

The Huffington Post has postulated that conservative books should have a separate category on the New York Times bestseller list. Considering the domination of conseravative books lately (and historically) I can understand their angst. Maybe there should be separate ratings for the cable news networks too. That way, when Keith Olbermann claims to be the most watched show on cable news, he won't have to restrict the demographic to relatives.

Cult Accused of Acting Like SEIU

Those of you who are close to me (yes, both my readers) know that besides my political tilt, I also obsess about the evil of the "Church" of Scientology and it's lord and savior, Tom Cruise. Germany has tried to ban Scientology for years and refuses to recognize it as a religion, and if there is any nation that goes out of its way to try and look tolerant 0f religions due to a guilt complex, its Germany. The "Church" was also convicted of fraud in France not so long ago. Now it looks like the Aussies are coming around with accusations of torture and forced abortions. There is a long history in the United States as well, including accusations of murder, "scrubbing" internet sites such as Wikipedia of negative press, torture, forced seclusion, brain washing, Mission Impossible I, II and III, Tom Cruise generally, John Travolta's return to film and Kirstie Alley all of which is evil. I strongly encourage the reader to check out the creepiness of the Tom Cruise Scientology video. In any case, feel free to write your congressman about stripping Scientology of its tax-exempt status.

Lives Created or Saved

This just in, President Obama is set to announce that the administration saved or created approximately 300 million Americans since the beginning of his presidency, roughly the U.S. population. While some skeptics have scoffed at the notion that the administration has created or saved the lives of each and every American citizen they find it impossible to dispute the fact that there are, indeed, approximately 300 million Americans still alive. In a related story the administration denounced Fox News for pointing out that there is absolutely no basis for the administration's claims with Communications Director Anita Dunn commenting "Clearly Fox News is a cartoon channel that does not produce news, merely one hour musical pieces starring loveable fat men with amazingly thin wives on Sunday nights." When it was pointed out to Anita Dunn that she might be referring to recent episodes of The Simpsons, Family Guy and other animated shows on the Fox broadcast network, Ms. Dunn stood by her assertion and then praised the quality investigative journalism of John Stewart, host of "The Daily Show" on Comedy Central, a subsidiary of NBC and GE. (Seriously, check the link, the last part is true.)

"Making Work Pay" Tax Credit Making People Pay Money They Didn't Expect

The largely unnoticed and innefective "tax credit" which the Obama administration refunded to many Americans will have to be paid back by most, though we largely knew this already. What I didn't know was the name of the program. It was called the "Making Work Pay" tax credit. Did work not pay before? Is it only through the benevolance of our governing bodies that work pays? Oh thank you, generous masters, for not taking the product of my labor. Or I should say, thank you for loaning it to me.

President No Longer Bothers to Open Mouth to Apologize

I'll let the Washington Times article say it on its own. My only comment is it is an embarassment to have our President bow before the Emperor of Japan after bowing to the Saudis and basically giving Queen Elizabeth a pat on the ass.

Continuing to Put Science in its Rightful Place, Firmly Under the Progressives Thumbs

As you may recall, one of the common criticisms of President George Bush was that he ignored science (i.e. global warming), which was also one of the bases for the many attacks on his intelligence. As part of his inaugural address, President Obama took a direct swipe at this perception saying that his administration would restore science to its rightful place.

The problem is, progressives such as our President and the current Democratic leadership believe that science is only correct if it agrees with their own perception. How many times have we heard "the time for denial is over", or its like? How many times have we heard people like Al Gore compare global warming skeptics "deniers", (though he compares the term to describing those who think the moon landing was faked, I believe that it is a term directly meant to raise an association with those who deny the Holocaust ever occurred)? Or do you remember Al Gore's more direct Nazi comparisons to global warming skeptics, and do you think I may be right about the "deniers" comment in light of this?

You may also remember the numerous times that the Administration has said no serious disagreement could exist from its economic policies such as the "stimulus" package. We'll ignore the voluminous mounds of bullshit about jobs created or saved (including in congressional districts that don't even exist) by the "stimulus" package as there is no need to pile on here.

In yet another example of the intolerance of dissent from progressives, the White House has placed a gag order on the Environmental Protection Agency to prevent negative comments on the potential Cap and Trade legislation. These people aren't trying to make sure that we are acting on good science, they are zealots, protecting a religion that makes no sense. The science isn't the religion, it is the politics that make up the articles of faith. The bad science that can be used to support it is just a justification to enforce the precepts of the progressive politics on everyone else. Pope Obama....or as Charles Krauthammer sarcastically called him, the baby Jesus, the head of the church of progressivism.

Krauthammer: Obamma's Narcissism is Nearly Unbound

This clip of Charles Krauthammer on Special Report with Brett Baier is a classic.

Judge Me By My Friends

Nominee for the 7th District Court of Appeals David Hamilton worked for ACORN. Gotta love those Obamanees.

Perhaps Obama is Kenyan for "He Who Does Not Get Irony"

President Barack Obama, who has spent more money in nine months on new programs than President Bill Clinton did in eight years, now says he wants to focus on he deficit. I topped out at calculus in school but I'm pretty sure my math is right when I look at what he's saying and it doesn't add up. No doubt about it, Obama is adopting his position for the 2010 elections and will posture himself as being reasonable when it comes to spending. If this administration lasts more than one term America is lost.

On a Less Sarcastic Note

The decision to try Khalid Sheik Muhommed in New York City strikes me as grossly incensitive and utterly stupid. The idea of bringing the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks back to the city poses not only a security risk from terrorists, but from upset New Yorkers and others who may try to attack KSM. Further, it is blatantly disrespectful of the express wishes of many of the victims of the attacks and serves to reopen deep wounds. The stipid part is this: if the U.S. Constitution is to apply to this trial (it's a document I'm certain our President hasn't read) then almost no evidence will survive the "poison fruit of the tree" argument because no civil liberties were exercised during the course of KSM's arrest and subsequent detention. This might be because he shouldn't have any. However, once he's on U.S. soil, the Constitution covers him, at least in that courtroom. Lastly, this was an act of war, not a crime. The trial in this country of KSM is one more piece of evidence that President Obama fundamentally misunderstands the terrorist threat.

But to end on a high note, this may be exactly what President Obama wants. He's been pushed by the left to investigate the Bush administration. The defense attorney in this case is going to do it for him and put the United States and its treatment of foreign combatant terrorists on trial. I hope I'm wrong about that, but the Obama attitude about America (the apology tour continues as he has now apologized to Native Americans and for Hiroshima and Nagasaki...do the Japanese routinely apologize for Pearl Harbor?) indicates he thinks everyone else is our victim, including terrorists.

Welcome to the Law Firm of Obama and Holder, L.L.C.

Have you just been falsely accused of a crime which was coincidentally caught on tape, that you confessed to, or perhaps overwhelming forensic evidence was found around the bodies implicating you as the killer? Don't you fret young man or woman, the law firm of Obama and Holder has you covered.

Let's just take a look at our past succesful cases.

Case No. 1:

The scenario: two young upstanding African-American's wearing black panther outfits stand outside a polling place in Pennsylvania weilding weapons and intimidating white voters from going in and voting.

The evidence: clear video with audio demonstrating the weapons and your intimidation as well as their faces.

The verdict: a default judgment was taken against the involved parties.

Our solution: No harm ever came to our clients, Obama and Holder simply made sure the Justice Department dropped the case, even after winning it.

Case No. 2:

The scenario: peaceful members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU, whose head is in tight with Mr. Obama), wearing SEIU T-shirts, attending a town hall meeting about health care reform attack an conservative black man across a table where he was handing out yellow flags with the "don't tread on me" motto after calling him a "nigger".

The evidence: video posted ubiquitously on youtube and splashed across Fox showing the attack.

The verdict: none.

Our solution: at Obama and Holder, we often move in mysterious ways. No charges have been filed to date.

Case No. 3:

The scenario: a famous black athlete kills his white girlfriend and her lover, tracking blood and DNA..........OK, we didn't do that one, but we'd have gotten OJ off, too.

Case No. 4:

The scenario: a radical Islamic terrorist plans multiple attacks on famous buildings in New York and Washington, D.C., with airplanes, toppling two skyrises and killing thousands. He is a foreigner who, presumably, has never stepped foot in the U.S., is captured abroad, and held off of U.S. soil for military tribunal.

The evidence: multiple confessions and subsequent detailed breifings given voluntarily to intelligence officials.

The verdict: pending.

Our solution: have the case transferred to a civilian criminal court in New York City so that he can pose a security risk for a city with a missing skyline, preventing the possibility of finding a neutral jury and applying laws that were never meant to deal with this scenario which could gurantee his acquittal on the merits. No doubt, issues of whether or not he was read his Miranda rights, was offered an attorney at the initial and subsequent questioning stages and if the interrogation tactics used were legal in the context of a court that will tomorrow deal with a breaking and entering charge. Further, here at Obama and Holder, we know that a criminal case is never about the criminal. Allowing him to stand trial in New York in a civilian court will allow the defense attorney the leeway to effectively place the United States and the Bush administration on trial. Assuming no one blows up the court first. Then, it can drag out through endless discovery as the defense attorney subpoenas the records of the CIA, FBI, and other intelligence agencies as well as former administration documents in an attempt to paint the former administration as too evil to allow KSM to be convicted.

WARNING: Our rates are very expensive, and we have the coercive force of the US government behind us to collect them. Welcome to the Obama and Holder law firm.

Scumbagorrama Keeps on Spouting

Deirdre Scozzafava, the "Republican" candidate from New York District 23 that dropped out while endorsing the Democrat, continues to show that she is almost as much of a Republican as she is a sex symbol. Scozzafava went on Rachel Maddow's show to talk about how the GOP has no substance. In my opinion, the biggest evidence of that is her candidacy. Scozafava, who, don't forget, was ACORN's favorite, is showing day by day that she is a liberal and never belonged in the party, much less being the nominee. But then, that should have been evident from the beginning. Liberal woman are never as pretty as conservative ones. Need proof? I give you Scozafava on the top, and Republican Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann (R. Minnesota) on the bottom.

Why the Left Always Sets the Agenda

Over the years we have continued to see government expansion and intrusion into the daily lives of the people. Despite the fact that many in power would express this as a bad thing, it has continued, nonetheless, and even accelerated over the decades. The question then is why? Why is it, in a country that is consistently described as center right, do the policies of the left so often prevail?

The answer is disturbingly simple. Conservatism, by nature, is reactive rather than proactive. Unlike Ronald Reagan and, to some extent, Newt Gingrich, conservatives do not actively seek out programs to cut back and downsize. Rather, they try to stop expansion when it is thrust upon them. The liberals and progressives believe in actively pursuing goals through government. So when the liberals want health care and the conservatives try to stop the expansionist program, they are taunted as the "party of no".

Then, eventually, along come the moderates who invariably seek a compromise. Rush Limbaugh recently said of moderates that, by definition, they have no principle, because you cannot agree to compromise a principle if you truly hold it. The more I think about that, the more clear it is to me that he was right. Once the moderates compromise, then the foot is in the door, and like all government programs and entitlements, the bureaucracy grows its power and money until suddenly, you find yourself with a single payor system with out of control costs, just like the welfare state expanded from helping people get by until they found a job to a way of life for a segment of society.

The left sets the agenda, the right does not, the moderates compromise and liberty withers on the vine. Conservatives have to start taking charge to set the agenda like Reagan did, or there will never be a chance to turn this mess around.

Today's Recommended Reading

Take from this article what you will, but there is no doubt that the true aim of political correctness is to limit thought.

Bill Clinton Again Demonstrates the Class Which Has Defined His Life

Bill Clinton, in town to rally support for the health care bill, referred to the Tea Party participants by that oh, so inventive term so many have used before, teabaggers, again demonstrating his classiness. But then what else does one expect from a man who drops his pants and tells women (his victims) to "kiss it".

The Unholy Trinity: President Obama, Andy Stern and SEIU/ACORN

This article from the National Review Online sheds some light on Andy Stern, the man with the most access to the President and the White House. There's too much there for me to summarize adequately the depth of the article, so you'll have to read it yourself. Let's just say, if it doesn't bother you, you've got your head up your ass.

Everything Must Go Today!!!! Shhhhh....Not That....

Throughout his brief administration and as he often stated during his campaign, President Obama insisted that many of his programs must be done immediately. The "stimulus" package had to be on his desk so he could sign it right after being sworn in. It was essential the health care reform be done now. GM and Chrysler were rushed through bankruptcies that violated the federal law protecting secured creditors. Cap and Trade legislation has been presented as vital to save the planet immediately. Everything has to be done right now.

Except a decision on troops in Afghanistan. Nope. Gotta take some time on that, be real careful about that. Can't make the wrong decision. President Obama has now rejected all proposals regarding additional troops being sent to Afghanistan. Funny, the only decision he wants to be deliberative about is the one that is costing young Americans their lives.

NEA Just Keeps On Truckin'

Despite apparently still wondering whether or not they are doing something that will get them arrested, the National Endowment for the Arts was lying when they said the original controversial telephone conference was the act of a maverick. In fact, it's quite obvious they showed no concern whatsoever for the controversy they caused and that they will continue to use the NEA to promote the agenda of the Obama administration. Is it just me or if you have to ask if you might get arrested and you continue to undertake the act, shouldn't you be removed from office?

Elections Have Consequences, Like Don't Vote for a Democrat Just Because He Says What You Want to Hear

Congressman Bill Owens (D. NY), the recent winner of the controversial supplemental election in the New York 23rd District broke four campaign promises in his first hour of work. Never vote for a politician, always look to find a statesman.

220 Traitors to the Constitution and the People, One Simple Truth

In the dark of night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D. Cal.) and 218 other House Democrats and one RINO, Rep. Joseph Cao(ward) (R. LA) voted 220 - 215 to pass the House health care reform bill which will jail people for not buying insurance including that oh so friendly felony record you get to attach to every job application for the rest of your life. But this is all about the American people, right? The good news, since the public option passed in the House bill, it will not get the 60 votes needed for passage in the Senate unless something unforeseen occurs. This fight isn't over yet, but we need vigilence as progressives continue to ignore the Constitution and intrude further into our lives and liberty while tearing down the economy in the process. Representative Cao, my Congressman, is getting a very ugly letter from me today.

Updating My Computer, Bear With Me

I and electronics typically have an adversarial relationship, so bear with me as I update my computer. I'll be posting again shortly.

But Only the Oil Company Experts are Biased by the Money

If you didn't already know, Al Gore stands to make millions off global warming initiatives, even though his mentor in global warming mythology recanted years ago. But all us hysterical fools who fight the lies used to prop up the pseudo-science of global warming who must be backed by the oil companies. I should really spend some time digging through the different stimulus and TARP provisions to see who profitted. I know Rep. Maxine Waters (D. Cali.) was one.

Only the Wicked Governors of Men Dread What is Said of Them

While reading "The Real Benjamin Franklin", a book given to me by my mother, I found the following quote from Benjamin Franklin regarding freedom of speech, writing under his famous pseudonym Silence Dogood:

"Without freedom of thought there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech, which is the right of every man as far as by it he does not hurt or control the right of another; and this is the only check it ought to suffer, and the only bounds it ought to know.

This sacred privilege is so essential to free governments that the security of property and the freedom of speech always go together; and in those wretched countries where a man cannot call his tongue his own, he can scarce call anything else hi own. Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.

The administration of government is nothing else but the attendance of the trustees of the people upon the interest and affairs of the people; and as it is part and business of the people, for whose sake alone all public matters are, or ought to be, transacted, to see whether they be well or ill transacted, so it is the interest and ought to be the ambition of all honest magistrates to have their deeds openly examined and publicly scanned. Only the wicked governors of men dread what is said of them."

Though Franklin wrote this at the age of 16, he displays the wisdom which came to mark his life as one of our great founding fathers. I would like to focus attention on that last line. Think of all the things I have written about here which show President Obama's disdain for dissent (attacking all critics), his disregard for freedom of speech (boycotting a news organization and saying they aren't a news organization) and his disdain for transparency (appointing czars with questionable backgrounds who aren't reviewed by the Senate to important policy positions). If Benjamin Franklin is correct, and he is far wiser than President Obama, then truly our current president is a wicked governor of men.