Making Up the Bed

Oh Boy! Mommy is making up the bed!



I'll just help out a little here.



Hmmm, she put on the down comforter. Winter must be coming.

More cats at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats

Dental Woes

Arrrg! The past is catching up to me! I went to the dentist today. The good news is that I have no new cavities. The bad news is that an old filling has cracked my tooth and it's starting to decay. It will have to be replaced. I've had to have an old filling replaced last year. All the brushing and flossing I do to make sure I don't get any cavities and it's the old ones that need to be taken care of. Sigh!

Missouri's Deceptive Amendment 2

Rush Limbaugh did us all a favor. His questioning of the Michael Fox ad has made everyone aware of the fraud that is being pushed on Missourians. Amendment 2 appears to state that it would make human cloning illegal. If you read the fine print however, it gives biotech firms the constitutional right to conduct somatic cell nuclear transfer. You remember Dolly the sheep? Rebecca Hagelin

Consider the part of Amendment 2 that says "no person may clone or attempt to clone a human being." In Section 6.2 of the initiative, we read:
"Clone or attempt to clone a human being" means to implant in a uterus or attempt to implant in a uterus anything other than the product of fertilization of an egg of a human female by a sperm of a human male for the purpose of initiating a pregnancy that could result in the creation of a human fetus, or the birth of a human being.

In short, the initiative would ban only the placement of a cloned embryo in a uterus, not cloning per se. This splicing of words was carefully crafted to trick voters into a false sense of security. The fact is, the language is specifically designed to allow, not ban, the cloning, experimentation on, and destruction of human embryos at will.

Amendment 2 will also guarantee that no future Missouri law can limit the amount of public money poured into human-cloning research. Roundtable Summary

All Missouri laws, statues, and regulations must be construed in favor of cloning and cannot discourage cloning or create disincentives to cloning in any way; They have a constitutional entitlement to taxpayer funding, which can never
decrease and must always increase because any decrease will be considered an unconstitutional disincentive to clone; Private institutions with endowments measured in billions of dollars will force Missouri taxpayers to pay for the cloning and destruction of human embryos;

What a sweet deal these companies and universities are pushing for themselves. These guys will milk the state for millions of dollars and they will not have to produce any results.
The reason why these guys are targeting taxpayers is because they cannot get any private funds. Why can't they get private investors? The truth is that embryonic stem cell research is proving to be a bust, a big fat zero. Up to now, no human being has ever been cured of a disease using embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells, on the other hand, have already cured thousands. Disease List
So, thank you Rush Limbaugh, for becoming the target of the Dinosaur Media and the Democrats. You've done a great service in making people look harder at Amendment 2 and at embryonic stem cell research.

The Sudoku Problem

I hadn't realized that Sudoku was causing such problems

I want to know when Dr. Phil plans to do a show on the real problem brewing in America's bedrooms today. Will he be brave enough to take the first real swat at the evil temptress that threatens to undermine the healthy sex lives of every couple I know?
This cheap little tart, flimsy and soulless as paper, is wrecking relationships from coast to coast. Who am I talking about? Well, she answers to "Sudoku," which is Japanese for "You're not getting any tonight, or possibly ever, because this wacky little grid of numbers will see to that."

Hiking in NW Arkansas

Hawksbill Crag

This time of the year is my favorite time to hike. The weather is cool and it's comfortable to hike.


Highway 74 and Highway 540

The hills look gorgeous with the leaves changing.


Devil's Den, Standing on Yellow Rock looking down at Lee Creek.

This weekend and the next will be peak time for the leaves. You need to get out and do some hiking.






Devil's Den Trail

It had rain the previous day.
The trails were damp and
the air smelt crisp and clean.
I just love that smell.













Devil's Den Falls

It had rained enough so that the little falls was flowing.

Mike Beebe's Past, Nick Wilson

Responding to Mike Beebe's criticism of his leadership abilities, Asa Hutchinson has brought up Beebe's own leadership past.

In a Little Rock news conference, Hutchinson criticized Beebe for his failure to take a leading role in fighting Wilson as he defrauded the state of millions in taxpayer dollars. Despite Beebe's repeated claims to have challenged Senator Nick Wilson, Hutchinson said, the record shows that Beebe actually opposed efforts to discipline Wilson and others in his clique.

I've read comments from other bloggers about Mike Beebe and Nick Wilson. Mike Beebe is said to be part of this "good old boy" network that did back-room-style deals and doled out taxpayers dollars to their buddies. Many thought that Mike Beebe should have been convicted along with Nick Wilson.

Specifically, Hutchinson pointed out that:

1) As a Senator, Beebe is on the record voting to override Governor Mike Huckabee's veto of the legislation creating the scam defrauding the children's fund.

2) Beebe is on the record opposing public calls to censure Sen. Wilson, Sen. Mike Todd, and other colleagues who were members of the group involved in the scandal.

3) Beebe is on the record opposing public calls to evict his colleagues from the Senate even after they were convicted of felonies.

I wonder if people are going to really care what Beebe has done? Most die-hard Democrats will vote for him even if he was the devil himself. Democrats have no problems with electing their corrupt politicians to office. I suppose it might matter to those who aren't decided yet. In a close race like this, it could swing enough undecided voters away from Beebe. The next two weeks are really going to get interesting.

Asa Hutchinson's New Ad

I didn't watch much TV over the weekend so I didn't see it. However, people were talking about it at work. That perked up my ears because people usually don't talk much about political ads. It must be quite an ad to get people talking. I couldn't wait to see it.
Ho Boy! What a doozy! No wonder people were talking about it. Of course Mike Beebe isn't happy about it.

In case you haven't seen it, enjoy!

Arkansas, Voting Problems

On Thursday, it was reported that Benton County was having problems with their ballots. They hadn't received any of 80,000 ballots ordered for the upcoming general election. The ballots come in this afternoon, but they started early voting today without them. Voters coming in to vote could only do so on the voting machines. Benton County still has to send out absentee ballots which were supposed to be in the outgoing mail beginning Oct. 13. There are concerns that some absentee ballots might not get returned in time to be counted. Greene County is said not to have gotten their paper ballots today.
What is it, 14 days before the election? We're just starting early and absentee balloting and there are already problems? Do you get the feeling that voting on Nov. 7th may be a disaster? Can you guess which elected official selected the company(ES&S) to provide the voting materials against the advice of his own committee. Yep, Charlie Daniels!
For God's Sake, People! Are You Going To Let This Incompetent Twit In Office Again!
ELECT JIM LAGRONE, SECRETARY OF STATE!

Back From Vacation

Ok, I'm back from vacation. Sigh! I wish it could have been longer. I've done quite a bit of hiking, spent several days shopping at the craft fairs, did a bit of yard work, took Bows and Casey for their annual shots, had the chimney cleaned, annual termite inspection, the air conditioner fixed, and finally fixed the drawers on my dresser. Whew! I think I need another vacation to recover from this one.

On Vacation with the Dogs

I'm on vacation this week. At this time of the year the greatest thing to do is hike. Casey and Trixie are sitting outside the Devils Den cave. This is short trail so I could take Trixie.


Casey is sitting on top of Yellow Rock. This is another trail in Devils Den. Yellow Rock has an absolutely georgeous view of the valley.



Casey sitting on Hawksbill Crag. This also has a fantastic view.

More dogs at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Dogs

He Looks so Sweet

It's so hard just to let him sleep. He looks so cute I want to pick him up and cuddle him.


More cats at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats

Gunner Delay, Illegal Immigration Tour

Continuing with the Jim Holt and Gunner Delay illegal immigration tour. Gunner discusses using the Attorney General's office to fight illegal immigration.

Jim Holt, Illegal Immigration Tour

Jim Holt and Gunner Delay have joined together on the issue on illegal immigration. They have made several stops around the state. I managed to be at their stop in Springdale. Jim Holt started off discussing Senate Bill 206.

Asa Hutchinson & Mike Beebe, The 3nd Debate

This debate was heated! Ouch, it was really hot. Yikes, they both were on the attack! Asa's agenda was to show that as governor he was going to show leadership. He started and closed talking about leadership.

The hot issues; education, illegal immigration and the grocery tax. Most of what they said has been what they have presented before. Mike Beebe said that there will be no more consolidation of schools. Asa said that was unlikely since the bureaucracy that closed schools will still be in place. Beebe ranted about how it was going to be impossible for Asa to eliminate the grocery tax. The constraints of the budget won't allow it. I think the budget conditions will never be right for Beebe to cut the grocery tax let alone eliminate it. Beebe attacked the federal government on illegal immigration, the catch and release program. Asa has offered ideas on illegal immigration, unlike "blaming others" Beebe. Asa is doing what some other states are, coming up with solutions and not relying on the federal government.

I sort of enjoyed this debate. I already knew their positions on issues. It was entertaining to hear them attack each other's positions, especially Beebe. I swear, a couple of times, it sound like he was foaming at the mouth. While that will encourage his strong supporters it might not go over well with those still undecided or wavering. For all of Beebe's ripping Asa, the winner was Asa Hutchinson!

Republican, Need a Vacation?

David Sanders said that

This week the Republican Governor's Association announced it would pay for airfare and a hotel stay for Republican volunteers willing to go to Arkansas and work on behalf of Asa Hutchinson's gubernatorial campaign.

Now why would the RGA be doing that? After all recent report polls have Beebe leading Asa by double digits. Is it possible that those polls are wrong?

Phil Musser, the RGA's executive director, believes that wishful thinking has gotten the best of the Democrats and some in the media. "Those who have been eager to write Asa Hutchinson's political eulogy are extremely mistaken," Musser said, claiming that the contest for governor is very close and one that Hutchinson should win.
He indicated that he had seen internal tracking polls that placed Beebe well under 50 percent.

This is the first time I've seen any internal numbers. Beebe under 50%, Wow! I don't think Beebe will be gaining either. I think his shifty stance on the grocery tax and gay foster/adoption haven't endeared him with Arkansans.

Part of [Max] Brantley's post:

"We told you that Beebe would say whatever is required. Whether it be on gay people. (Hey, Mike, if marriage is so sacred, well, you know the rest of the question ... )

That shows that even liberals are tiring of Beebe's flip-flopping.

Then there's his stance on illegal immigration, "it's the Federal's responsibility". Even Bill Halter said that Asa had some ideas on illegal immigration that was worth exploring. Ouch, and that from a fellow Democrat.

GOP, Losing the House and/or Senate?

Will the GOP lose either the House or the Senate? It seems to be the favorite guessing game now, trying to figure out if they lose and is so how much. Where did the GOP lose their support? Glenn Reynolds has posted a partial list of why he believes the GOP is losing. I don't really agree with most of his list (people's memory are short), I agree with his listing of immigration.

4. Immigration: Another unforced error. The national security constituency once again lost faith in the Administration. You can't talk about secure borders when the borders are porous. The Administration also failed to make a strong clear argument for immigration, outsourcing that to the Wall Street Journal, which did its best but couldn't do the President's job. Again, the White House's position on immigration was defensible in the abstract, but favoring easy immigration is one thing, favoring easy illegal immigration is another.

This issue just didn't disappoint the GOP base, it infuriated it. It just made it worse when the Bush administration dug in it's heels and ignored the base. The House didn't redeem the GOP by staying strong on the issue. The whole thing just fizzled and all we got was a little bitty fence.
One thing that I think should be included was the President's handling of the war between Israel and Hezbollah. One wonders if the President is getting soft on the war on Terror.
So, is it going to really all that bad if the Democrats win? It's not likely they'll get a lot of legislation passed because both the House and Senate will be almost equally divided. At most, the Democrats will be involved in tons of investigations and committees trying to impeach President Bush. It'll be very uncomfortable for Bush and make everyone else disgusted with their antics.
Michael Barone has commented on what the Democrats would do.

And what are the new ideas that Democrats are campaigning on? They've had a hard time coming up with a list. At the top, usually, is raising the minimum wage.
As for the macroeconomy, the Democrats offer few policies except to refuse to extend the Bush tax cuts, which in important cases don't expire till 2010. On foreign policy, their stands tend to be incoherent: We should be more multilateral in Iraq and less multilateral on North Korea. "Redeployment" of troops from Iraq to Okinawa (John Murtha) or Kuwait (Hillary Clinton).

The President isn't going to allow "redeployment" and if the Democrats try to cut money for defense they're going to get screams from the American people. Democrats can't be strong on protecting America if they cut funds to defense. In the long run, two years of Democrat control could sour people so that by 2008 they ready to give the GOP back control along with the White House. These next two years could be very interesting and exciting.

Bows and the Afternoon Sunlight

It's getting cold here, we have a freeze warning tonight.

Bows was just sitting there enjoying the warmth of the sunlight.

It's amazing how different the colors look when shot from different directions.

Ah, yes! She is our little queen.



More at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats

Jim Holt, AETN Debate

Ohh, Ouch! This is really painful! Bill Halter did a better job in the debate of getting his message across. OK, I know other Republicans won't like that but that is what I saw. Bill Halter got the Democrat message across, we need big government programs (teachers salaries, pre-kindergarten, schools of excellence) for which Arkansas taxpayers need to pay for. Bill did get in the phase-out grocery tax (political code for "Hell, No we won't cut taxes") Is this what Arkansans want?
Jim Holt did well in discussing students not staying in Arkansas because of our high taxes. He did a good job in bringing in his endorsements. His endorsements showed that he is supported by the everyday, average Arkansan. He, however, spent too much time defending himself. I think instead of being defensive he should have stated what he stood for. He could have turn his "No Man" to positives. Yes on lower taxes, yes on less government, yes on strong on illegal immigration, yea on more business in Arkansas, yes on protecting property rights. I think you get the picture.

Another Joins the Nuclear Klub

Ahh, Gee Whiz! Now a blogger has gone off the deep end like Kim Jong-il. They have announce that their nuclear fireworks are better than NORK's and is now demanding concessions. Their demands are

The aim of the Iowahawk nuclear fireworks program is clear: to contribute to defending the peace and stability all about the blogosphere, and the area around it, if the blogosphere knows what is good for it. And what is good for blogosphere is also clear: more linky-linky for Iowahawk

These guys are have blatenly shown pictures of their highly advance weapons system. UN officials has expressed grave concern and sent them a very stern letter of warning. France has already surrendered. Somehow, someway it's all Bush's fault and it's evil plot by Karl Rove to take control of the blogosphere. We must do what our glorious previous Leader ,Clinton, has done and give them what they demand.

Mark Foley vs Harry Reid

The Democrats should have been very careful about jumping all over the Republicans about Mark Foley's inappropriate e-mails. They should have just accepted Foley's resignation and not demanded Dennis Hastert's head as well. Captain Ed has the full story on Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid's financial improprieties.

Now we have the Democratic caucus leader dodging disclosures and failing to disclose $800,000 in profits from a project on which he partnered with a lawyer suspected of connections to organized crime and a bribery scandal. And let's not forget Reid's connections to Jack Abramoff, whom Democrats tried mightily to use as a poster boy for Republican-only graft:

While the Republican's have their skeletons rattling around in closets, the Democrats have theirs. The Republicans have dealt with Foley. Will the Democrats do the same with Senator Reid? Will we see Senator Reid resign? Probably not, which will show the differences between the parties. The voters will take notice too.

Karl Rove, Arkansas Republican Fundraiser

Boy, was this a great event! I had great time! I, of course, managed to get a few video clips of Karl Rove speaking. Enjoy!

Fayetteville, Voting Problems

This is soooo funny. On the day that Charlie Daniels is debating Jim Lagrone about the oh so minor election glitches, the Northwest Arkansas Times runs two articles about election problems in Fayetteville.

Thefirst reports

There were 2, 457 ballots cast in both annexation elections, but poll workers reported 2, 333 voters participated.

Burrow said that while they will recount the ballots, they may never fully reconcile the differences in totals. The results of the vote will remain preliminary until certified, which will likely be a week from Friday, he said.

Doesn't that scare you! They may never figure out why there's a difference in the counts. Excuse meee! But we have a big problem here! There were only a couple of thousand votes cast! What is going to happen Nov 7th when tens of thousands votes are cast? One big bloody mess!

The discrepancies were found after election workers encountered problems with voting machines, which required having to purchase a flash memory card because the one provided by the company that supplies the machines would not work.

Those damn machines again! Those freaking machines aren't working! Why are we still using them?
The next article repeats

According to John Logan Burrow, election commission chairman, the final results as of Tuesday's count were 1, 274 votes for Delap and 706 votes for Jeanie Hill, the other candidate in the runoff.
However, according to the records, there were 2, 270 ballots cast, a difference of about 290.
There were also some problems with the Fayetteville annexation election, where the number of ballots cast exceeded the number of recorded voters.

You know, you may not agree with Jim Lagrone, you may not like that he's a Republican, you may not like that he's a preacher. However, he's knows and acknowleges that there are big problems with counting votes in Arkansas. Jim Lagrone is determined to correct that. Charlie Daniels is in the corner crying like a baby, that it's everyone else's fault.

UPDATE:
A report today said the problem has been resolved.

According to [John]Burrow, in one election there were more voters than ballots and, in another, more ballots than voters.
“ When transferring the early and absentee votes into the grand total, we slipped up and either doubled or omitted those numbers, ” he said. “ It’s a misstep we’ve had problems with in the past; we’ve tried to be vigilant, but sometimes it crops up again. ”

Jim Lagrone, AETN Debate

I'm listening to the Secretary of State debate on AETN. Jim Lagrone is throwing out fact after fact on how elections are being done in Arkansas. Charlie Daniels is fumbling all over the place trying to deny that there are any problems. He's defending ES&S to the hilt. Boy, ES&S sure got their money's worth from Daniels. Rebecca Tyson has accused Jim Lagrone of having a negative campaign. She challenged how he can do that since he's a preacher. Jim responded that he was telling the truth, which is not negative and telling the truth is part of the Christian character. This panel is hostile against Jim, but he's handled it very well.

Jim did a very good job in showing that he knew the facts, he's talked with the local election officials, and he's very concerned about the votes of Arkansans. Daniels was defensive, trying to blame everyone else for the voter problems. I'm not sure who he's insulting when he says we're still getting use to the system. We poor, stupid voters, or the computer illiterate election workers, or the fumbling county election officials or the company, ES&S. Everyone is to blame expect Charlie Daniels. The hallmark of bad bureaucrat and poor leader.

Nov 7th Elections

From NWANews
Secretary of State Charlie Daniels, who is running for re-election, has known since before the May 23rd elections that there were problems with ES&S. It's apparent that he's not been doing anything to correct the problems.

With just one month to go before the Nov. 7 general election, wrinkles in the state's relationship with the company supplying most of Arkansas' voting equipment still are being ironed out, the first gathering in recent memory of county election officials showed on Friday.

With less than a month to go, one would figure that the problems would be corrected by now. After all, Daniels has had 5 months to get it fixed.

While sipping coffee and juice in a packed conference room, local officials voiced their complaints about Election Systems & Software's customer service and technical support. They also questioned the secretary of state's office staff about changes in election law and procedure since a federal voting law went into effect this year.

Charlie Daniels is a very incompetent bureaucrat. He may try to blame ES&S all he wants, but he decided use them. Even when his own selection committee voted against using ES&S.

Arkansas County Election Commissioner Janie Long also complained about unfriendly customer service representatives at Election Systems & Software. She said in an interview during a break in the meeting that the company had botched the preparation of her county's ballots, and that a company worker wouldn't return her phone calls.

Long also said that the independent contractors Election Systems & Software had hired to support her county were unfamiliar with Arkansas election law.

It doesn't sound like the Nov 7th elections are going to be running smoothly. I attended a poll worker training meeting and a GOP leader said that they were expecting problems. He said that since this is going to be a very close race they were anticipating challenges to the votes. Is Arkansas going to have an election marked by litigation and allegations of incompetent administration or outright tampering? Will Arkansas have it's own Florida-style election melt-down?

Arkansas' Budget Surplus

Baxter Bulletin
Lawmakers are starting the budget process with a $721 million surplus to play with.

Both major party candidates are already eyeing portions of the surplus for various proposals and have suggested different ways to eliminate the state's 6-cent tax on groceries.

I'm betting a lot of people are looking at the surplus and are putting their grubby little hands in for a piece of the pie.

Legislative leaders say they're going to be cautious about the surplus, which could already be whittled away by a series of requests from state agency heads.

Yeah, we know what this means. Legislators are going to make sure that as little as possible is returned to the taxpayers, if at all.

Democratic Party nominee Mike Beebe has said he wants to phase out the [grocery]tax over time and tie its elimination to state revenue growth, while Republican Asa Hutchinson says there's enough money in the surplus to eliminate the tax immediately

At least there is one candidate (Asa) that is saying that Arkansas taxpayers are going to get a tax break. Beebe, who speaks with divided tongue, appears to have no intention to eliminating the grocery tax. If he truly intended to cut the grocery tax he'd leave out the "tie its elimination to state revenue growth." The state revenue growth will never reach a level that Beebe would cut the grocery tax.

What did Rep. Jim Kolbe Know?

James Taranto makes a point about Mark Foley's inappropriate Internet exchanges that I thought interesting. Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) confirmed that a former page showed the him Internet messages that had made the youth feel uncomfortable. Kolbe is the only GOP House member to acknowledee that he is gay.

When we first read those emails, we found them odd and a bit creepy. But it occurs to us that if a 50-year-old man sent a 16-year-old girl an email asking her to send a picture of herself, that would have set off loud alarm bells and brightly flashing lights. We know how the mind of a heterosexual man works, being in possession of one, and when a guy asks a gal he barely knows for a picture, it means that he has a sexual or romantic interest in her. When a guy asks another guy for a picture, what does it mean?

When reading the messenges I thought that they were the normal locker room stuff that boy and men usually say. I've sat in on some of the "good old boy's" disscusions and boy, they often get really raunchy.

When we stop to think about it, probably the same thing, but it wasn't obvious to us because it simply isn't part of our experience. We suspect the same was true of Hastert and other House leaders. Kolbe, on the other hand, because he is gay, probably understood better what Foley was up to and that it wasn't good.

That is good possibility. If that is so, then Kolbe should have taken the time to educate Hastert and other House leaders on how preditory homosexuals work.

Saturday, Women's Health

I spent most of today at the Speaking of Women's Health conference in Springdale. Wow! I've got a big bag full of free goodies to go through tonight. The stuff must total over a hundred dollars. One of the things Wal-Mart gave away was a $10 gift card. I spent that right away! This year I finally won a prize! Three days worth of kennel boarding. No time limit either, so I'm able to use if for next years professional conference. Good speakers, music, food and free goodies. It's been a good day!

Trixie

Trixie was kind enough to pose for me. She is absolutely gorgeous and the little stinker knows it.


There's a whole lot more at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Dogs

Eli on the Porch

I caught Eli lying out in the sun on the porch. I'm still trying to figure out what he's doing with his body. It definitely must be a cat thing.

There's a whole lot more at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats

Asa Hutchinson's Bus Tour

Boy, did Asa's bus tour look like it was going to be fun. Too bad I have to work. Asa emphasized the differences between him and Beebe on the grocery tax, rural schools, health care and immigration. Asa chided Beebe on the state hiring of illegals.

Asa said he was aware there was already a law against it. He intended to see that it was enforced. He also dismissed Beebe's assertion that state troopers were too busy to help with immigration enforcement.


The Hometown Channel 40/29 had a poll going and it appears that Asa is the winner of last night's debate! If the Hutchinson campaign keeps working hard and keeps pushing Beebe on the issues, Asa has a really good chance of winning.

Asa Hutchinson & Mike Beebe, The 2nd Debate

I watch the debate at the Washington County Republican Headquarters. Big screen TV with food and drinks! Asa dropped in after the debate. He was still on an adrenaline high. He did make a comment about the recently release "poll". He said to ignore it as their polls show that Asa was within the margin of error.


OK, my thoughts on the debate. Yeah, I know, you're waiting with bated breath. Asa owned the debate. He started strong and finished strong. Mike Beebe did well as a whole, but lost some momentum from hits by Asa on the grocery tax and rural schools. I thought that he was going to lose it when Asa said that Beebe helped to shut down Paron, he didn't support the Paron parents. Asa made sure people understood the difference between the elimination of the grocery tax (Asa) vs the phasing out of the tax (Beebe). He called Beebe's grocery tax plan an "empty promise" and Beebe's advertisement a "bait and switch". The best line I thought was Asa's "taxing the food in the mouths of the poor."
By the closing statements Mike Beebe had wound down and was droning on. A two minute speech and my mind was starting to wander. Boy, I was glad that Asa was last. He woke me up. He was aggressive. Bam! Bam! Bam! He nailed in a list of everything he wanted to do and even got in his NRA and Right to Life endorsements. In that last 2 minute speech Asa Hutchinson looked and acted like a Governor.

Dueling Polls

Another independent poll, commissioned by Arkansas News Bureau-Stephens Media, has Mike Beebe leading Asa Hutchinson by double digits. Pollster Ernie Oakleaf is again coming under fire because of the methodology of his polls.

Arkansas News

Hutchinson said "credible independent polls" and his internal polling showed the race to be close, with his campaign gaining momentum

Mark Moore

Remember that not only has the Zogby poll consistently showed it to be close, Asa's own poll showed it close, and we know that Bill Halter has spent $34,000 on polling and he is NOT releasing the results and he is campaigning like he is 10 points behind

But I wonder about this comment:

"I think we're seeing what could be a termed a trend," Opinion Research pollster Ernie Oakleaf said. "(Hutchinson) hasn't made any dramatic headway over the last poll."

If that's so, why has Beebe started vigorously attacking Hutchinson on grocery tax elimination, property rights and rural schools?

Baxter Bulletin

The forum came as Beebe's campaign unveiled a new round of television commercials calling a conservative group's ads criticizing his tax and property rights record "wildly misleading."
In the spot, which first aired Friday night, Beebe targets ads by the Coalition for Arkansas' Future, an advocacy group that has been running spots criticizing Beebe. The Beebe ad also tries to tie Hutchinson to the ads.
"Attacks by Asa Hutchinson and his supporters are wildly misleading and increasingly desperate," an announcer says in the ad, "and distorting Mike Beebe's record on the grocery tax."

When your opponent starts attacking it means that they're afraid. I sense fear in the Beebe campaign.

Mark Foley Shake-Up

The Mark Foley story is shifting so quickly, I still trying to figure it out.
Mark Foley has already resigned because of the truly outrageous messages he sent to pages and/or interns. Now it's an issue of what did the Republican leadership know and when did they know it. It also appears some reporters (probably including Brian Ross of ABC News) and other political groups (Democrats?) know who and what are behind the timing of the Foley revelation and are protecting that aspect of the story. It's becoming apparent that this is just part of the political crap that appears every election cycle.

It's interesting how the two partys handle their scandals. Each party has their leakers, womanizers, boozers, and racists in Congress. What I find interesting is the Republicans are quick to dump the offender and also try to throw their Republican leaders overboard too. Democrats seem to be able to hold on to their offenders and also get them re-elected. Republicans, calling themselves the Party of Family Values, are sensitive to their base which insist their morals be upheld. The Democrat Party is not under such moral restrictions from their base. They are of the opinion that morality is relative. The question for Republicans is will their tough stance help them in the elections?

Fundraising in NW Arkansas

Saturday was a big for fundraising in NW Arkansas. In Benton County there was the Iron Grill Cookoff at the Akin Farm. Gunner Delay is checking the recipe.

Jim Holt is looking like he knows his way around a grill.


This is the first time I've met Chris Morris. He's getting a little help from his mother.

Asa Hutchinson stopped by. A great opportunity to get a photo of all the state candidates. Jim Lagrone was providing the cookoff commentary.


Asa and Susan with a group of Veterans. The winners of the cookoff, Jim Holt and Chris Morris. They tied.
The evening fundraiser was at the Pattersons. Sorry I didn't have as many pictures I was helping out a bit. The Pattersons did a fantastic job. Oh my gosh, the stuff they had for the children was great!

There was also a Jazz band, whose name I need to get. They were very good. Jim & Jim didn't have to do any cooking, but did speak for a few minutes.

Jim Lagrone, Arkansas Secretary of State Candidate

Jim Lagrone, candidate for Arkansas Secretary of State, is speaking at the Washington County Republican Women's monthly meeting.



Update:
Something's wrong with the video. I'll have it back up when it's fixed.

Get Well Soon!

Rita's Mike is in the hospital because of heart problems. Stop by and wish them well.

Printer Problems

So, you pull open up the paper drawer to see if you have paper. You pull out the toner to see if any paper is stuck under it. You open the drawer in the back to check for stuck paper. Ahhh, yes, there's the problem! An Eli stuck in the top of the printer!

More at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats

Sock Puppets for Asa

This is sooooo funny!

Cephus Richard, Representative Candidate, District 92

Cephus Richard,Representative candidate for District 92, speaking at the Washington County Republican Women's monthly meeting.

Light Blogging Tonight

Not much time to blog tonight. I took some videos yesterday and was going to load them up to YouTube. Unfortunately, they are too large so I need to trim them. So, I've had to download a video editing program, install it and learn how to use it.

Mike Beebe, Take Down That Ad!

Today, Asa Hutchison has asked that Mike Beebe take down his television ads in which he claims that he will “eliminate” the grocery tax. This is after Beebe acknowledged that he was not eliminating the grocery tax any time soon. Beebe went so far as to criticize Hutchinson for saying that the tax should be eliminated immediately.

During a forum hosted by the Arkansas Chamber of Commerce in Hot Springs, Beebe asserted that eliminating the tax immediately would be a “huge mistake,” citing other, more important spending priorities as well as concerns with the “budgetary process.”

“Mr. Beebe is not only retreating from his promise to eliminate the grocery tax, but now he is actually criticizing me for sticking to my promise to get rid of it,” Hutchinson said. “If we can’t find the political will to end this unjust tax when we’re sitting on more than $700 million in projected surplus money, we’ll never do it. We’ll have 20 more years of the same inaction we’ve had for the last 20 – folks saying that they want to get rid of the tax, but always finding a reason that they can not. It’s a depressingly familiar old song.”

Hutchinson has been kind enough to help Beebe out if he didn't want to take down his ads.

As an alternative, Hutchinson suggested that Beebe could alter his current ads at little cost by simply adding a truth-in-advertising disclaimer at the end, similar to those used by pharmaceutical companies: “Mike Beebe’s claim to eliminate the grocery tax may result in inaction, disappointment and more empty promises from public leaders.”

Well, we know that Beebe is not going to change his ads. He knew from the start that he was not telling the public the complete truth. Hutchinson just needs to make sure the public really understands what Beebe is telling them. I'm sure the Hutchinson campaign is working on a really nice TV ad.

Attacking Fox News

John Brummett got his orders from the Democrat Party. Attack and smear Fox News, particularly Chris Wallace. Anything to direct attention from the lies of Bill Clinton and make Fox part of the evil Right Wing conspiracy.

From one direction came the epitome of political partisanship masquerading as journalism, meaning Fox News.

Fox dispatched Chris Wallace, one of its smarmier blenders of partisan purpose and journalistic veneer. That's saying quite a lot considering Brit Hume.

Wallace and Hume - they're worse than Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity. Wallace and Hume sound and look like reporters, just as Tony Snow sounded for Fox until the Bush White House decided to reassign him as the president's direct, not indirect, apologist. A wolf is less dangerous if he wears a wolf's clothing

The Democrats have a problem. Chris Wallace, Tony Snow and Brit Hume are widely respected as journalists. They have the honesty and integrity that's missing in the MSM today.

And, to be honest, any journalist worth his salt and granted an interview with Clinton would want to steer the discussion to 9-11 and bin Laden.

Yeah, and we'd hear the same old "we hate Bush drivel" that all the liberal media has been producing. We're tired of all those lies and crap. Fox is the one place were we are going to get the truth the dinosaur MSM, like John Brummett, would like to hide.

Politics: Blogs, YouTube & MySpace

Laura Kellams has a nice piece about how blogs, YouTube and MySpace is being used by politicians and those who are interested in politics. There are plenty of blogs with political interests, on both sides. I've only seen a limited number of videos on YouTube. Asa Hutchinson's ad is the only candidate approved one I've seen. I've not entered MySpace, so I don't know what's there. I think the candidates should consider putting their ads on YouTube. Hey, I don't watch TV all that much, so the best chance of me seeing an ad is on YouTube.

YouTube users agree to an extensive list of rules, including prohibitions against unlawful, obscene or racially offensive material. Users can flag videos as “inappropriate” or complain to YouTube to accuse other users of violations of the terms of use.

Unfortunately my lawyer said that the videos are not copywrited and it would be too expense to do so. She said not to worry about it. Politicians are used to being smeared like that. So the guy was a scum-bucket. He still got Gunner Delay's name out there.

UPDATE:
Mmmmm. I've noticed I've gotten a bit of traffic from greasycreek.org. Welcome and look around! I'm sure there are plenty of things you'd disagree with. Feel free to make comments, however, keep them clean (no filthy language). I delete those.

Illegal Immigration; Asa Hutchinson gets it, Mike Beebe doesn't.

A good article fromDavid Sanders regarding Asa Hutchinson, Mike Beebe and illegal immigration.

At Monday night's debate, Hutchinson said he prefers a partnership on the issue between state and federal officials and highlighted a few ideas to make that partnership work. Beebe emphasized the federal government's role over that of the state.
The portion of his ad that focuses on drugs is important, but it is Hutchinson's get-tough approach to illegal immigration that will probably score him the most points with voters.

David does understand that national security and immigration (protecting the borders) are very important to Americans.

Most of the concern among Americans has been related to the influx of individuals across the nation's southern border

Americans have rejected the Senate's stupid "comprehensive immigration" plan and have embraced the Houses' "enforcement of existing laws and increased border security." The current legislation for a 700 mile fence along the border is a drop in the bucket of what needs to be done. Asa Hutchinson is planning to do what Congress should have done, training state troopers, stop employment of illegals, and provide help for employers. Mike Beebe's plan to kick it up to the federal government means that nothing will get done. It'll be the same old status quo.

Beebe,Flip- Flopping on Property Rights

From AP

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mike Beebe on Friday said he is working on legislation that would clarify the state's protections against private property being taken for private interests in Arkansas.

WHOA! Wait a minute! Mike Beebe has been saying since the Kelo decision (June 2005) that Arkansans were protected and no further legislation was needed.

Democrat-Gazette article dated August 31st 2005, "Attorney General Mike Beebe said Tuesday that Arkansas property owners are adequately protected - much better than residents of most states - against the government taking their land for use by private developers.
Beebe, who is also a Democratic candidate for governor, said in a legal opinion that the Arkansas Constitution and numerous Supreme Court decisions make it clear that condemnation is only an option when property will be taken for public use. State courts historically have narrowly defined that type of use, he said.” (tip ArkFAm)

Why is he now saying that he's working on property rights legislation? One wonders if he is seeing some polling which puts him at a disadvantage. However, once you start changing your positions, people are going to regard you as untrustworthy. This is the 2nd time he's flip-flopped an issue. What'll be next, immigration?

Storm Clouds

Whew! What a storm last night! Trixie spent the whole night in the closet hiding. I got over 2 inches of rain last night. This picture was taken last night from the backyard, looking north to the storm rolling in.

Morning in the Window

On beautiful mornings like this, the best place to be is the office window. It's an excellent place to catch the morning sun and watch the street traffic.


Please swing by Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats

Dig, Dig, Dig!

Casey has been digging holes in the lawn and flower beds all week. He's been trying to get thr mole that's burrowing around. Yeah, he did get it. He left it in the middle of the lawn. I got suspicious when I saw the cats huddled together. I don't know it Casey killed it or the cats. While I appreciate Casey getting rid of the mole, I don't know if I can keep overlooking the holes and the plants he's dug up.

Please swing by Friday Ark and Carnival of the Dogs

Voter ID Bill

Voter ID has passed the House, of course along party lines.

The bill, which faces an uncertain future in the Senate, is part of a Republican effort to complete before the November elections a package of proposals aimed at curbing illegal immigration and its effects on ordinary Americans.

Democrats were appalled. How dare we force people to show ID if they want to vote. It's bad enough they have to show ID to drink,smoke, fly, drive,write checks, and the list goes on.

My guess is that it won't pass in the Senate. Even if it does, it will be taken to the Supreme Court. Voter identification will take away the Democrat's chief excuse for losing elections. Election Fraud!

California Morons

Oh boy! What a load of crap! Wasting California taxpayer's money suing about something that doesn't exist. I'd like to know how they are going to get any rational being to agree with their premise "greenhouse gases from their vehicles have cost the state millions of dollars". The State Attorney General, Bill Lockyer, is a Democrat. Oh Wow! Big Suprise! Big Oil, Wal-Mart, and now Big Automakers. I wonder which business Democrats are going after next?

Wal-Mart, Into the Political Arena?

Wal-Mart has pretty much stayed out of politics. This has changed because the Democrats started attacking it.

Wal-Mart, the nation's largest employer, is planning to launch a voter registration and education campaign this fall targeted at its 1.3 million employees in an effort to combat growing criticism from Democrats and labor unions.
The company's decision appears to be a response to several high-profile Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and four 2008 Democratic presidential hopefuls, who participated in a labor-organized anti-Wal-Mart campaign this summer.

The League of Women Voters will be helping Wal-Mart distribute voter education material to associates. However, Wal-Mart will have plenty opportunities to have discussions with associates about particular elections and politicians. I wonder how much influence Wal-Mart will have on these potential voters? What will happen if Wal-Mart decides to extend their influence to their customers? The Democrats made a serious mistake with their anti-Wal-Mart rhetoric.

Jim Holt & Jim Lagrone Fundraiser

The Pattersons are hosting a fundraiser for Jim Holt and Jim Lagrone. It is a Luau theme. It will be Saturday, Sept. 30th, beginning at 5:30. Tickets are $10. There will be some fun events: Music, Children's Carnival, Fun Auction and a Balloon Sale with great items to win. I've donated a couple of nice things for the Balloon Sale.

For tickets and directions e-mail the Pattersons at npatt@cox.net.

Remember, Pray for good weather!

Asa Hutchinson, Health Care, Part II

Yeah, I know, it's about time I've finished this. I've just been a little busy.
From a news release

Expanding Access for Small Business

A) Promoting awareness of small business health insurance purchasing groups

In NW Arkansas these small businesses are everywhere. Within my neighborhood there are a handful a home-based businesses. It's really important that they can get insurance for themselves and their family members. Hopefully these home-based, self-employed people are also included.

Expanding Access for Rural Communities

D) Increase the Use of Mobile Health Clinics

I'd also like to suggest that these mobile clinics also make visits to homebound patients. Many patients have a difficult time getting out of their house.

Driving Innovation Through Technology, Reform, and New Thinking

B) Expand Health Care Savings Accounts

I really like these saving accounts. I'd like to see a big public education push on these. I don't think many people know about them.

C) Increase Arkansas' Medical Trauma Capability. Arkansas is the only state without a certified trauma center

I didn't know this. Why don't we?

the state must develop and implement a statewide trauma system that will allow the state to be more prepared to handle public health crises including epidemics, natural disasters and even acts of terrorism

I had assumed that especially after 9/11, the anthrax scare and Katrina, Arkansas would be better prepared. I'd think that this should be a major priority.

I wonder who helped develope this plan. There's some good stuff here.

Asa Hutchinson & Mike Beebe, The First Debate

Mike Beebe started out a little stronger than Asa, but he started faltering about halfway. Asa was a little stilted at first but warmed up and by the ending remarks blew Mike away.

In the opening remarks, Mike Beebe channeled John Kerry "We can do Better". Lord, aren't you just tired of hearing that.

Taxes. The issue was the taxes, mostly the grocery tax. Mike said that he'd reduce the sales tax on utilities for industry. Asa said that one of the problems with recruiting industry was Arkansas' high sales and income tax rates. He'd reduce those. Winner Asa!

Grocery Tax. Asa said that Mike's ads were mis-leading because they said he'd cut the grocery tax. Asa said since Mike's proposal was for a gradual tax reduction it was an "empty promise". There was no guarantee that the tax would be totally eliminated. Asa would eliminate all grocery tax now. He said it was unfair for struggling families and it could be replaced by growth in the state. Ahhh, yes, didn't you just love Mike's come back on that. "There you go again". Pathetic, Mike. You just aren't going to measure up to The Man.

On a question about a state lottery, Asa quickly said he's against it and gambling casinos and returned to the grocery tax. Mike responded by remarking on Asa not being registered to vote in Arkansas in previous years. Mike did a major diss on Asa's public service at the national level.

Illegal immigration. Mike did say enforce the laws, and for the state to work with the feds. He laid most of the responsibility for illegal immigration to the federal government. Asa, while agreeing to partnering with the feds, he proposed a greater role by the state. Training state police, no illegals hired by the state or state contractors, document reform and giving tools to help employers.

Security. Asa stated a Homeland Security Advisor, Emergency preparedness, and partnering with counties. Mike stressed preparedness at the local level, especially after Katrina. (I think he just admitted that Mayor Ray Nagin was ill-prepared. I wonder if he'll back-pedal and declare that it's Bush's fault.)

Closing. Mike realized he made a big mistake. He apologized and compliment Asa for his public service. After that, I'm sorry, all I heard was "blah, blah, blah". Asa, meanwhile, went in for the kill. Limited government, lower taxes, pro-life, support local rural schools, meth, and property rights. Slice and dice!

Fayetteville, Aida

I went and saw Aida at the Walton Arts Center last night. On the whole it was very good. Marja Harmon(Aida) and Leah Allers(Amneris) were fantastic. Great voices! Casey Elliot (Radames) was fine but Lord, get him a tan. He walked around the first part bare-chested and he has a good body, but he was so white. Maybe it was the lights but it kinda grossed me out. DJ Rudd(Zoser) just doesn't cut it. He just didn't have the voice to pull off evil. He is the weakest part of the show. Well, in spite of that, it was enjoyable.

Tigger, Mouse Catcher

Awww, doesn't Tigger look contented? Just like a cat whose gotten into the cream. In Tigger's case, I bet it was a mouse. He's apparently found a little colony of them. He's trotted into the house with a mouse in his mouth a couple of times this week.

More at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats

Trixie and Casey, Hiking

They look a little pooped don't they. Well, we went for a hike at Lake Fayetteville. Yes, the lake is one of our favorite hiking places. It's close and it's a really pretty place to hike.

More at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Dogs

Scumbag Video Thief!

I am mad, furious, and really pissed off. This scumbag thief stole a clip of my video of Gunner Delay. He then proceed to maliciously use the clip out of context to make Gunner look bad. I have asked him politely and nicely several times to remove the video that he did not have permission to use. I will be filing a complaint to You Tube. That dirty, rotten, bottom-feeder scumbag.

Asa Hutchinson, Health Care, Part I

Asa released this today.
He has proposed three key approaches to addressing health care needs within Arkansas: Reducing costs, improving accessibility and delivery and driving innovation through technology and reform.

Reducing Health Care Costs
A) Promote personal responsibility in health care. Hutchinson proposed a pilot voluntary Medicaid program aimed at encouraging enrollees to take personal responsibility for their health in exchange for enhanced benefits

I think this is a really great idea. I love it! A lot of the health care problems Arkansans are paying for are preventable with early screening, treatment and a health program. It's much cheaper to get a patient on a health and maintenance program rather than dealing with an advance and chronic problem. Health problems like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, chronic lung diseases and lung/breast cancer, can either be prevented or caught early.

B) Focusing on a reduction in the use of and improvement in the treatment of the state's methamphetamine problem. .... aggressive effort to fight meth and other dangerous drugs

Hopefully alcohol abuse would be consider one of the other dangerous drugs.

C) Create an office of Arkansas Surgeon General

Interesting idea! I suppose if you set up these programs you would need some one to oversee it.

D) Create a "Governor's Council on Affordable Health Care" The Council would be charged with developing a strategic plan to lower health care costs in Arkansas,

If Asa hopes to get his programs to succeed he needs the healthcare community to get on-board. Just a word of caution, make sure that the needs of Arkansans are addressed not some special interest groups.

Fayetteville, OK for all 4 Issues

Fayetteville is now set to progress into the future. All four sales tax issues passed with an good majority. When I voted last night I had to stand in line. I usually don't have to with special elections. I was really pleased and surprised that the trails issue passed. I figured that most people wouldn't consider it that important. I can't wait to bike and walk on those trails. Mayor Coody and the City Council did an excellent job of letting voters know what they were voting for. Congratulations for such an excellent voter education campaign! It really paid off!

President Bush's Speech

Wow! He really packed this speech. He directly answered those who were criticizing the war on terrorism and the inclusion of Iraq in that war.

America did not ask for this war, and every American wishes it were over. So do I. But the war is not over -- and it will not be over until either we or the extremists emerge victorious. If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons.

A lot of people are short sighted about this war. We shouldn't have gone to war and we shouldn't have gone into Iraq. However, Bush understands what we're really fighting for:

This struggle has been called a clash of civilizations. In truth, it is a struggle for civilization. We are fighting to maintain the way of life enjoyed by free nations. And we're fighting for the possibility that good and decent people across the Middle East can raise up societies based on freedom and tolerance and personal dignity.

Will the American people catch the vision? Can they see beyond their day to day troubles and visualize the possibilities? If they can catch the dream will they be willing to make the sacrifices?

We are now in the early hours of this struggle between tyranny and freedom. Amid the violence, some question whether the people of the Middle East want their freedom, and whether the forces of moderation can prevail. For 60 years, these doubts guided our policies in the Middle East. And then, on a bright September morning, it became clear that the calm we saw in the Middle East was only a mirage. Years of pursuing stability to promote peace had left us with neither. So we changed our policies, and committed America's influence in the world to advancing freedom and democracy as the great alternatives to repression and radicalism.

Lord, grant us the grace and mercy to continue to have leadership such as President Bush. Who see the possibilities of freedom and peace and are determined to see the rest of the nation catch and keep that vision.

Another Anniversary

This past week another anniversary pass by. It's been 1 year since my surgery. I've been cancer free one year. Wow! What a year! It went by so fast! I've never felt better, except for a little trouble with sleep. Last week I finally talked to the doctor about my sleep study. Good news! I don't have sleep apnea. I'm suffering from insomnia. I can use pills or use some other natural options to get rid of it. So, I'll use pills on the weekends until I get through the book the doctor recommended. Hopefully, I can find something that will work. Lord, I hope one option isn't, stop drinking coffee!

9/11, 5 Years Later

It's been 5 years and I still cry. I find it hard to watch videos of the towers because I still see images of people jumping out of the towers. Then, there are the tears for all the brave, heroic people who died to save others. We are are blessed country to have such wonderful people.
My biggest disappointment this anniversary is people's choice to hide their head in the sand. The refusal to acknowledge the evil done and it's appetite for more.
It's a miracle that we haven't been hit again, considering the Democratic Party's intention to severely cripple the Country's ability to defend itself. We can criticize Clinton for not taking the threat of terrorism seriously. It's atrocious, that since we now know the terrible intention of radical Islam, we have people who day after day criticize President Bush's attempts to destroy terrorism and to keep 9/11 from occurring again. I'll always remember Senator Reid's comment "We killed the Patriot Act". While President Bush is trying to keep us safe, the Democrats are trying to get President Bush.
History is repeating itself and still people haven't learned. Evil must be confronted and opposed. One can try to appease it in hopes it will leave one alone, but Evil's appetite is never satisfied. Those who have victory over Evil are those who are determined to destroy it. Will the American people endure and determinedly resist and defeat the Islamic terrorists?

Casey, Tuckered Out

This Labor Day weekend was absolutely georgeous. The weather was perfect for hiking. I took Casey out for a long hike around Lake Fayetteville. As you can see, he's pooped.

There's more at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Dogs

Tigger, I Can Sleep Anywhere

Eli and Bows have their designated spots where they sleep, but not Tigger. He's usually sleeping in the most unlikely places.



There's more at Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats

Fayetteville, City Council Candidate, Nancy Allen

Nancy Allen was kind enough to do an interview for me at the Farmer's Market, Saturday. She is running for City Council, Ward 2.

Silencing the Story

Hugh Hewitt explains why the Democrats and the Clinton political machine are trying to edit or delete portions of the "Path to 9/11".

Monica Lewinsky makes an appearance, you see, as does Bill Clinton's videotaped testimony about his perjury. National Security Advisor Sandy Berger is portrayed as indecisive, Madeleine Albright as misdirected, George Tenet as sputtering. The film does not spare the Bush Administration its shots either, but for the left in the US the most damning thing possible is a recounting of the deep slumber concerning al Qaeda that overcame not just President Clinton but all parts of the national security apparatus throughout the '90s. The film does not damn those in charge during those years. It does however deliver a indictment of criminal negligence from which there is simply no escape.

ABC may want to accommodate Clinton, but too many people will know what was edited. After the first episode, bloggers and radio show hosts will highlighting all the pieces that ABC edited.

By attempting a programming coup against the series, the Clinton forces have brought enormous attention to the film, and for that I thank them.

I probably wouldn't have watch it myself, however with all the fuss that Clinton and the Democrats have been kicking up, I'm sure curious to see what they don't like.

A Childish Vanity

O Brother! This is really childish! I guess it's too much for them to act like the intelligent adults they claim they are.

What President Bush Really Said

Bush acknowledges secret CIA prisons. That's what the MSM is reporting. There is, of course, the Democrat's concern about the prisoners being tortured.

“Today the administration finally recognized that the protections of the Geneva Convention should be applied to prisoners in order to restore our moral authority and best protect American troops,” said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. “Today’s shift in policy follows the sad legacy of five years during which this administration abused our Constitution, violated our laws and most importantly failed to make America safe.”

Real Clear Politics writes these observations:

First, whenever the President brings up that the illegal combatants are not uniform, that is a clear sign to those of us in the military that these individuals are not covered by Geneva.

Second, he is very clear that the CIA Detention program remains alive and well. ONLY after all information is obtained will they be turned over to DOD for military trial. Then they will face a death sentence.

Third, the President directly attacks the opinion by SCOTUS.

Lastly, Congress is now up against the wall. There is now a "face" that the public will see in regards to this legislation. IF Congress does not pass legislation, these 14 detainees tied to 9/11 will not receive ultimate Justice. What member of Congress wants to argue for them?

I like that last part. Finally, the Democrats will have to face up to who these prisoners actually are and demonstrate why they more concerned about these prisoners than they are for the safety of U.S. citizens.

Harvard University, Shameful!

Way to go Gov. Romney!

Governor Mitt Romney today ordered all Massachusetts state government agencies to decline support, if asked, for former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami's September 10 visit to the Boston area, where he is scheduled to speak at Harvard University.

"State taxpayers should not be providing special treatment to an individual who supports violent jihad and the destruction of Israel," said Romney.

Romney's action means that Khatami will be denied an official police escort and other VIP treatment when he is in town. The federal government provides security through the U.S. State Department.

I can't believe the insensitivity of Harvard University to invite an Iranian leader who has tortured and murdered dissidents in his country. One that has declared his intention to destory Israel and the U.S. Not only has Harvard invited such a monster to speak at the university, they invited him on the eve of 9/11. Lord have mercy if you sent your child to Harvard.

Fayetteville, Music at the Farmer's Market

This is just one of the groups that play around the Square at the Farmer's Market. Presenting: Possum Carvers

Fayetteville, Jim Lagrone Campaigning

Saturday, Jim Lagrone was in Fayetteville campaigning at the Farmer's Market.

The Square was crowded because there was an art fair at the Town Center and a lot of people were in town because of the Game.

Jim received mostly positive responses from people. We handed out a lot of literature and stickers.


Jim meets Fayetteville's mayor, Dan Coody.

Of course, he occasionally discussed the Arkansas and USC Game.