Abu Musab Zarqawi listed on Code Pink's roll of protesters who are "fasting" in hopes that U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq.
I was fortunate to be invited by a friend to the Jim & Jim fundraiser at Charleston Lake Park. Asa Hutchinson was able to stop by. Asa said the Republican Party was working hard to support each other. He remarked that he liked where they were in the polls. I've heard comments that all the candidates had expected lower results. Asa said in the election the differences will be very clearly defined. He spoke on
Jim Lagrone said that he is running because Daniels has done a very poor job in making sure Arkansas elections were fair and accurate. He cited the disenfranchisement of Arkansas soldiers and the current 3 lawsuits (soon to be 4). He also talked about the ethics of Daniel's state staff working on the campaign, the use of the State Web Site for Daniel's election and questions regarding his relationship with the ES&S. He also criticized the contract with ES&S and the issues the counties have with the voting machines. 
Jim Holt stated that the election is about Life or Death. Jim went on to describe the differences between the Republicans and the Democrats. He ran through most of the issues: judges, rual schools, taxes, pro-life, gay marriage and foster parents and immigration.
We expect almost instantaneous success in everything we do
The good life sometimes can be lost quite unexpectedly and abruptly when people demand rights more than they accept responsibilities, or live for present consumption rather than sacrifice for future investment, or feel their own culture is not particularly exceptional and therefore in no need of constant support and defense.
What if the people, institutions, and attitudes of today were somehow taken back in time to World War II? What would have been the result? Would we have ended up winning or losing that war? What about the great cry of the hour, a cease fire?
During this period Hitler offered to negotiate peace with France and England.
Did this de facto cease fire lead to peace? No. Like other cease fires, it helped the aggressor.
It gave Hitler time to move his divisions from the eastern front, after they had conquered Poland, to the western front, facing France
Hitler attacked and France collapsed in six weeks
Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing,
Beloved from pole to pole!
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Republicans enjoy the advantage of being themselves on cultural values
rural conservatives in Arkansas will still vote Democratic out of habit and from a personal connection.
The Democratic candidate's challenge is to connect with rural conservatives while taking the liberal base for granted without appearing too much to be taking it for granted
Mike Beebe had been doing very well on the finesses of his Democratic gubernatorial bid until he stepped in it the other day with gays. He got caught finessing, which is not to finesse at all.
Clinton, both Pryors, Bumpers, Lincoln, Marion Berry, Mike Ross - that's how you do it.
Fortunately I arrived at the Wall before these guys did.
"In honor of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War. The names of those who gave their lives and those who remain missing are inscribed in the order they were taken from us."
A radical plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions by rationing the carbon use of individuals is being drawn up by government officials. The scheme could force consumers to carry a swipe card that records their personal carbon allocation, with points knocked off each time they buy petrol or tickets for a flight. Under the scheme, all UK citizens from the Queen down would be allocated an identical annual carbon allowance, stored as points on an electronic card similar to Air Miles or supermarket loyalty cards. Points would be deducted at point of sale for every purchase of non-renewable energy.
With the exception of the Palestinians, the Arab world appears to be united in blaming Iran and Syria for the fighting in Lebanon. Until last week, Arab political analysts and government officials were reluctant to criticize Hizbollah in public. But now that Hizbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and his top aides are in hiding, an anti-Hizbollah coalition is emerging not only in Lebanon, but in several other Arab countries as well.
But the response on the Arab street has been so disappointing for Hizbollah that its leaders are now openly talking about an Arab "conspiracy" to liquidate the Shi'ite organization. The few Hizbullah supporters in Ramallah, the Gaza Strip and some Arab capitals have therefore been directing most of their criticism against the Arab presidents and monarchs, accusing them of serving the interests of the US and Israel.J Post
Unfortunately we must admit that in such a war the only way to get rid of "these irregular phenomena" is what Israel is doing. The operations of Israel in Gaza and Lebanon are in the interest of people of Arab countries and the international community Arab Times Online
For the millions of Christian Lebanese, driven out of our homeland, "Thank you Israel," is the sentiment echoing from around the world. LFP
But the Arab states know that Hezbollah, a Shiite militia in the service of Persian Iran, is a threat not just to Lebanon but to them as well. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have openly criticized Hezbollah for starting a war on what is essentially Iran's timetable (to distract attention from Iran's pending referral to the Security Council for sanctions over its nuclear program). They are far more worried about Iran and its proxies than about Israel. They are therefore eager to see Hezbollah disarmed and defanged.
Fine. Everyone agrees it must be done. But who to do it? No one. The Lebanese are too weak. The Europeans don't invade anyone. After its bitter experience of 20 years ago, the United States has a Lebanon allergy. And Israel could not act out of the blue because it would immediately have been branded the aggressor and forced to retreat
But only one country has the capacity to do the job. That is Israel, now recognized by the world as forced into this fight by Hezbollah's aggression.
I'm getting an information overload from all the stuff being written about Israel. The Truth Laid Bear has a great page of just about everything including posts from Bloggers from Israel, Lebanon and Palestine. 
Fox News just reported that Lt. Gov. Winn Rockefeller has died. AP is reporting it too. It's so sad after seeing him battle his disorder. I was praying with others that he would be healed. My prayers and thoughts to his family.
Liberal New Yorkers may be surprised, but when it comes to enlightenment, their state's highest court could learn something from its counterpart in Arkansas
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Valerie Plame and her husband, Joseph Wilson, a former U.S. ambassador, accused Cheney, Rove and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby of revealing Plame’s CIA identity in seeking revenge against Wilson for criticizing the Bush administration’s motives in Iraq. AP
Novak adds that he got Plame’s name from Joseph A. Wilson IV’s own biography in Who’s Who, establishing yet again that Ambassador Munchausen was not exactly the sort of husband a cautious CIA would choose for an agent whose identity it meant to shield from public eyes
If Fitzgerald knew by January 12, 2004 who the leaker was and that it wasn’t Libby or Rove, why did he later call them to testify before the grand jury? Was it simply to determine whether he could trap them into making perjurious statements, something the law does not permit?
"This is a terrorist attack and it is clearly timed to exacerbate already high tensions in the region and sow further violence," U.S. National Security Council spokesman Frederick Jones said. "We also hold Syria and Iran _ which directly support Hezbollah _ responsible for this attack and for the ensuing violence."
In Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and elsewhere, illegal immigration has become a hot issue not just in congressional races but in races for governor, attorney general and the state legislature.
In Arkansas the GOP's candidate for attorney general, Gunner DeLay, is blasting his Democratic opponent for supporting a bill as a state legislator that would allow children of illegal immigrants to take advantage of a state scholarship program. Democrat Dustin McDaniel calls the attacks against him "inflammatory and inaccurate."
For Republicans on the state level, pushing anti-illegal immigration policies is dangerous political strategy that rarely delivers much more than short-lived gains. California Republicans went down the anti-illegal alien road and the party hasn't recovered since.
The fact is that the parties that have won elections over the long term and have been able to build governing majorities are those that have put forward a vision that both inspires the American people and responds to the concerns they face at the time.
“Anytime you’ve got money, sure it’s going to be a topic for discussion because people always want to get their hands on it, that’s for sure,” said Rep. Benny Petrus, D-Stuttgart, who is to become speaker of the House, the House’s top post, in January.
Republican candidate for governor Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday that he expects a “battle” in the next session over how the surplus should be spent.
“I believe firmly that at least — at least — half of any surplus that we have should be used for tax relief for Arkansans,” Hutchinson said. “Starting with the repeal of the grocery [sales ] tax.”
“We’ve got significant needs on the horizon in education and in education facilities and human services,” said Sen. Jim Argue, DLittle Rock, the current Senate president pro tempore. “For now, I think we need to celebrate our stronger-than-expected economy and wait for the budget hearings so we can get a better picture of the expense side of the equation.”
Sen. Shane Broadway, DBryant, said he would prefer to spend the money on schools or a cut in the state sales tax on groceries.
[Rep. Bruce Maloch, D-Magnolia] said legislators need to consider a rainy day fund first, then prepare to pay more for educational needs.
"Money for improvements to public school buildings and equipment might devour a chunk of the surplus", said Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant, who is the chairman of the Senate Academic Facilities Oversight Committee.
Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand. Between their loved homes and the war's desolation; Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto: "In God is our trust!" And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave, O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
when combined with another leak by the New York Times of a counterterrorism program just six days prior, Republicans were actually handed a tremendous gift dramatically improving their chances to hold both chambers of Congress in the November elections.
Amazing difference, isn’t it? On the right came a determination to use this Court decision to create legislation that would not only address the detention centers at Gitmo, but also how captured terrorists should be treated in the future. On the left came the typical castigations of the president and his policies without any suggestion as to how this matter should be resolved
Dennis Hunt, senior vice president with Stephens Inc., the city’s bond underwriter, prepared a schedule that shows the anticipated payoff of the bonds, depending upon which are approved. The schedule uses anticipated payoff, rather than scheduled payoff, to reflect the expected growth in sales tax.
• The earliest payoff date would be May of next year, if voters only approved the $ 2. 1 million trail project.
• If the two sewer project questions are approved, the $ 42 million in bonds would be paid off in September 2014, about a year later than the current sewer tax is to be retired.
• Bonds on the $ 65. 9 million street projects alone would be paid off in December 2015.
• Approval of the sewer and trails would have a payoff date of October 2014.
• If voters approve the streets and sewer questions, the tax would last until November 2017.
• Approval of all four questions would result in the tax being needed until January 2018.
In the race for the state's top executive offices, Republicans portray the Democratic slate as "too liberal for Arkansas" and Democrats paint the Republicans as "extremists."
He's the candidate most clearly marked " rightly or wrongly" as the extreme element of the Republican ticket, the link that Democrats hope will hamper GOP gubernatorial nominee Asa Hutchinson in his contest with Democrat Mike Beebe for governor.
State Rep. Horace Hardwick, R-Bentonville, said he will pre-file a food tax reduction measure for the upcoming legislative session and released a draft of the legislation in an interview Tuesday
Republican candidate Asa Hutchinson's campaign released a statement saying Hutchinson "has made a firm commitment to tax reform in Arkansas that includes eliminating the state sales tax on groceries. Rep. Hardwick's plan is a good place to start the discussion on how, specifically, to get there."
As the bill reads now, the measure would phase out state taxes on "the sale of food and food ingredients" by 4.5 percent of the total state sales taxes of 6 percent.
The proposed reduction would come in steps. The first reduction would be a 1.5 percent drop beginning July 1, 2007. That would be followed by 1 percent drops each year until the 4.5 percent reduction was accomplished on July 1, 2010
Ahhhh! There's nothing like a rootbeer float after several hours in the hot sun. Asa and Jim Holt doling out the ice cream. Of course, there were speeches.
Washington County Republican Womens float. It was HOT! Most people rode on various candidate floats.
