Busy with Genealogy Stuff

I wrote this over at Michigan Redneck II;

Ahoj kamarady/Hi friends,

I don’t know what it is about this time of year, but I always get a melancholy feeling in regards to family, those living and those who have passed on. Y’all know I am into searching my Bohemian genealogy. On a complete fluke I found an answer to an inquiry I made to the town office of Mšeno, Czech Republic, one of my ancestor’s hometown. I was expecting an answer via email. When I did not receive an email, I gave up. I did not know that there was a q & a page. I found the q & a page while searching for something else. Right now, I need to do some translating, a few things that I need to follow up and talk to some contacts (such as write to my pen-pal in CR and re-initiate contact with cousins in CR). I am going to get back to writing and updating at the original Michigan Redneck about family, genealogy, cooking, sewing and other girly stuff. Don’t worry, I will continue to write here (at Michigan Redneck II) about politics, Czech news of interest to readers and other news of importance. Just right now, I feel there is something that I am searching for, just don’t know what it is. When I do know, I will let y’all know.

Na shledanou/See ya later

Some of the tags below are not words not mentioned in the post, but are relevant to the post about my genealogy.

I intend to write up a post here soon, detailing some of my genealogy searching and spotlighting different ancestors with pictures when possible. If not today, in a few days.

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday I celebrated my one year of blogging. It has been quite a journey. I started off blogging about Mike Huckabee on KallisAncestry.com. That was my family website that no longer exists. I started at Michigan Redneck in early May. Now I am posting at Michigan Redneck II. I don't think I will be doing much with this blog anymore. Posting is always updated at Michigan Redneck II. Check it out at michiganredneck.wordpress.com.

Glitterfy.com - Glitter Graphics

Mich. in jeopardy of losing out on federal highway dollars

Christine Rook
Lansing State Journal

DELTA TWP. - Some legislators and county officials fear the state is in jeopardy of losing federal highway money next year.

“It’s got to be a serious concern,” state Rep. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, said between conference sessions at the County Road Association of Michigan’s annual highway conference in Delta Township.

Casperson serves on the state House Transportation Committee. Attendees made comments this morning concerning the state’s ability to make use of federal money in the new fiscal year, beginning in October.

Michigan Department of Transportation officials were not immediately available for comment.

The federal government is projected to send $1.3 billion to Michigan next year. But some are concerned about whether the state has sufficient money to match some of that funding.

Casperson said he is concerned about the state’s ability to match all of its projected federal dollars next year in part because of what the state expects to spend on transportation is relatively flat when compared with current spending.

“We’re kind of going in a backward trend,” he said. [more here]

Also posted on Michigan Redneck II.

Convicted Calif. Molester Jumps to Death

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A 52-year-old man jumped to his death from a Southern California courthouse balcony hours after being convicted of child molestation, authorities said.

Carlos Edward Tello was facing more than 20 years in prison when he jumped from a ninth-floor balcony of the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana Tuesday afternoon. A suicide note was tucked into his clothing, authorities said.

A jury in a Fullerton courtroom earlier Tuesday convicted Tello of repeatedly molesting a young girl between 1989 and 1994.

Deputy District Attorney Heather Brown tried to have Tello’s bail revoked and have him taken into custody immediately after the verdicts were announced. She said he was carrying a suicide note when he was arrested in 2006 in the case and that he might be in danger.

Superior Court Judge Greggory Prickett declined to revoke Tello’s bail, instead ordering him to return to the Fullerton courtroom by 4:30 p.m.

Just after 4 p.m. at the Santa Ana courthouse, an alarm sounded that someone had entered a restricted area, said Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino.

A bailiff found Tello standing on the balcony and tried to wrestle him away from the edge, said police Cpl. Jose Gonzalez.

“He said, ‘Nobody’s stopping me,’” Amormino said, “and he jumped.”

Tello died at the scene. [source]

He hope he writhed around a bit before dying. This was a sissy’s way out. In reality, that’s what a molester is, a sissy.

Joel Westrom's Message about Last Night's Live Blogging

Here is the First District email blast that Joel Westrom sent out regarding the Live Bloggin on www.firstgopblogs.com for the March 4 Presidential Primaries.

First District Updates -Live Blog Success

March 5, 2008 First District- We had a great night last night with our new First District blog site. We had several people participating sharing thoughts and stories from all over the District. Special thanks to Keith Almli, John Niemela and Kathy Wells for taking the challenge on and delivering a great event. Couple comments from last night’s event… John Niemela (Houghton County) “The live blogging event hosted by the First District GOP was like attending a Primary Watching - District Wide event. Having fellow Republican Activists sharing their observations or items they found while viewing TV, Cable News or online media was an enjoyable evening.” Kathy Wells (Mackinac County) “Last night's live blogging on www.firstgopblogs.com was a great example of First District members participating in team work and having lots of fun. It was great to have Saul Anuzis, Michigan GOP Chairman, join in with us.” Saul Anuzis (Chairman, Michigan Republican Party) Excerpt from daily blog. “Congratulations to the First Congressional District for running “live” blog last night, tracking commentary and numbers on the presidential primary…once again, leading the way. Special thanks to Kathy Wells, John Niemela and Keith Almli. Maybe a new meaning to #1(First)!?!” We’ve done great things over the last year to help improve communications in the First District using technology and there is a still lot of room for growth. I receive emails weekly from people across the District asking all kinds of questions and suggestions on a range of issues. Keep them coming and lets keep moving forward in the First. Joel Westrom

www.FirstGOP.com

Since I can not add in the link to Mr. Anuzis' blog post on "That's Saul, Folks," in the original message, I will add it here.

Thoughts on Yesterday’s Super Tuesday

Last night I did some live blogging, along with other First Districters and Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis, on www.firstgopblogs.com. It was really fun. I was watching Glenn Beck and his panel on CNN Headline News and blogged about it. I stayed neutral on the Republican front regarding John McCain. I dissed a little on the Democrats. Since the First GOP Blog is a group blog of fellow Republicans, I held back a little and didn’t give my full thoughts on things. I did not feel it was right to talk about some things, so I will talk about them here.

Mike Huckabee conceded out of the race. Thus making John McCain the Republican nominee. As of last count John McCain has a delegate count of 1192. That is one more than the 1191 needed delegates to clinch the nomination. Today John McCain is expected to be at the White House, where President George W. Bush is expected to endorse John McCain. I am still not sure how to think of John McCain. I am not thrilled with the any of the Democrat choices. The thing is, Hill and Bar are just so freakin awful.

A part of me thinks about voting third party once the general election comes up. But then I think, what if too many Conservatives vote third party and Hill or Bar become the next president. Sometimes I think that maybe this would be a great wake-up call to the Republicans and it would be a great chance for us to re-group and bring the party back to it’s conservative principals. It would be a good four years to heal. But would the hurting that Hill or Bar be so permanent that the country could never heal? There needs to be a balance. I want to see the Republican party heal itself, but I don’t want to see the entire country get hurt in the process.

Rush Limbaugh talked about Republicans voting for Hillary in the Texas primary to keep her in the race and mess with the Democrats primary, since he is not a fan of John McCain. I get some of his points on why he said this. His feeling as that the longer the Democrats go without a sure nominee the more money that gets spent, from the campaigns and supporters of the campaigns and gives the DNC a shorter time to group up once they have a nom. There are some out there who want to see Hill become the Dem nom. They think that Hillary will be easiest for John McCain to beat.

While I left my support of Mike Huckabee, due to some things I read about him that I didn’t like, there is one thing I agree with him on. When I first supported Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama was just an after thought he said that Hillary Clinton would be a formidable candidate. He said not to underestimate her. Again, ya gotta admit, him living in Arkansas and seeing the “Clinton political machine” first hand. They even had a hand in Arkansas politics after leaving the state.

A part of me is seeing this Obama craze and thinking that maybe he would be harder for McCain to win against. But then I recall about how Mike Huckabee has said about how Hillary Clinton can be sneaky and using dirty tricks. I just don’t think Obama would be able to use dirty tricks, or at least not to the extent that Hillary would. Then I think to myself, why even bother thinking about this. I am not a fan of McCain.

I had heard people banter about Condoleeza Rice possibly running for president. Obviously that ain’t gonna happen for ‘08. I didn’t know too much about her when I heard this. I know who she is and I have followed up on her a little bit. But not to the extent that those who wanted to see her run has. I have just started really learning about her. She is a well accomplished lady. I think if enough people can talk her into it, she just may run in ‘12 or ‘16.

Here is the problem if Hill or Bar were to become president. Obviously Hillary is a woman. Obviously Barack is black. Obviously Condoleeza Rice is a black woman. From my point of view, if one of these two become president and messed up, I would say Hillary royally messed up because of who she is. Or I would say Barack royally messed up because of who he is. I judge people on their minds and actions. Unfortunately, there would be people out there who would say that that is why a woman and or black should not be president. This would mess up Condi’s chance.

I saw John McCain make his victory speech last night. His wife was standing beside him. She looked like an aging Barbie Doll. She looked plasticky like she had no personality. She had this closed lip perma grin. She looks so country clubby. Those clothes, jewelry and hair. I don’t know what it is about her, but I just can’t help but she just gives me chills. Everytime I see her, I can’t see the coloring in her eyes, looks like just white surrounded by too much black eye make-up. Creepy, if you ask me.

Posted also on Michigan Redneck II.

First District GOP Blogs

Just finished Live Blogging on First GOP Blogs. Saul Anuzis, along with Joel Westrom are over there blogging. Check it out!

Voting Language?

This live blogging is so ADD! Any-hoo, was searching the internet to get some info about something else. But I found this picture.

Source, MSNBC

Personally, I think that English should be mandatory to vote. Thoughts?

Main Posting at Michigan Redneck II and First GOP Blog

Most of the posting on the live blogging is on Michigan Redneck II and First GOP Blog. I am going to try to do some blogging onto First GOP Blog and copy/pasting from Michigan Redneck II posts here. Stop by the First District Blog and give a big hand clap to John Niemela.

What States are Voting today?…

…that was the question I had to ask myself. Maybe you are asking yourself that too. Most of us know that Texas and Ohio are voting. But also Rhode Island and Vermont are voting. To make it easy I will list them.

1. Texas
2. Ohio
3. Rhode Island
4. Vermont

CNN is Showing Exit Polls

CNN is showing exit poll results. They have stated that Vermont is the winner take all state. They are speculating that this will be the election that will make John McCain the Republican nominee.

Hannity and Colmes

I just took off to take a snack break. Took longer than I thought. The long lost sunshine that is back in the UP brought people out and grocery lines. I am back. I kept the TV on when I came back Sean Hannity and Alan Colmes are on FOX News. They were talking to a Democrat Strategist. Remember the hullabaloo about Florida and Michigan holding there primaries early? And the DNC not allowing the Dems to campaign in these states? Well, this strategist is talking about how Michigan and Florida “almighty” Superdelegates will be important in deciding the Democrat nom.

I know, I know I am a Republican. Why am I talking anything about Dems? There isn’t much interesting going on on our side. Hill and Bar a close in delegates. Mac and Huck have a major delegate ratio between them. I am going to channel surf a bit and also see what Rush is talking about. I am wondering if Betty Ford Clinic has a wing for political addiction, argh.

First District GOP Blogs Has Started Live Blogging

Some of the good bloggers at the First District Gop will be live blogging the Super Tuesday Part II tonite. John Niemela has already started. Check out his post here. I have it on good word that Saul Anuzis might be blogging over there also. If that doesn’t do it for you, there will be jugglers, puppies, kitties and the Osmonds. Just kidding.

Live Blogging Texas and Ohio

I haven’t been checking out the presidential primaries much lately. Tomorrow I will be live blogging the four state primaries. Glenn Beck will be reporting live on CNN Headline News tomorrow at 7pm and 9pm. I am not sure what I will be talking about, but we’ll see won’t we. Oh, and some people might live blog on the firstgopblogs.com.

Pro-Life Congressmen Want Planned Parenthood De-Funded Over Web Site Porn

h/t to Maritime Sentry for bringing this article to light.

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 28, 2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Pro-life members of Congress say the federal government should stop funding Planned Parenthood through national family programs because its teen-oriented web site features pornography. Planned Parenthood’s online venture TeenWire features content so graphic that some Internet filters are preventing access to it.

The site is supposed to be a compendium of “medically accurate” information for teenagers on sexual issues.

Though Planned Parenthood is careful to say the information is intended for people 18 years and older, the web site is clearly geared to teens.

The web site’s “advice columnists” tell kids viewing the web site that many people use pornography as part of sex play.” A columnist tells one viewer that viewing pornography won’t lead to getting bad grades in school.

OK, this last paragraph really gets me worked up. I don’t know if pornography will cause bad grades or not. I don’t care if kids who view it get better grades. Which is something I highly doubt, but I digress. It will give kids a bad sense of what sex is. If they don’t already have a bad sense of it anyways. In fact, many adults are messed up about sex. I have never watched such stupid crap. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know what is in porn. Boys will think that the nasty asty way girls act in these “movies” is the way that girls are supposed to be and expect this from girls. Girls will think this is the way they are supposed to act and that if they don’t act this way they won’t get a prom date or whatever. It will have a lasting effect on them, even into adulthood.

The web site encourages kids to play sexual games or explore bisexuality and it gives teens advice on how to avoid telling their parents about a possible abortion.

The first part is bad enough, but teaching children how to be sneaky about anything, especially on possibly ending the life of a human being is absolutely horrendous.

Leading pro-life groups agreed and say Planned Parenthood doesn’t need one-third of its income coming from the federal government. [more here]

My sentiments exactly.

Posted also on Michigan Redneck II.

First District Now Has it's Own Blog!

If you recall, a while back I said there was a group project in the works. Well it is official, Michigan First District GOP now has a blog. Here is the email announcement from Joel Westrom.

February 29, 2008 Baraga- On our way home from State Convention a couple weeks ago it was discussed by several people about putting a First District blog site together. Several people submitted ideas on how to do that. Keith Almli (Baraga County, left) and Kathy Wells (Mackinac County, right) worked together to bring this discussion to a reality. On behalf of the First District, I’m pleased to announce www.firstgopblogs.com as a new blog site for the District. Keith has spent several days working on this and we are very proud of him. We encourage you all to sign up and submit your thoughts. The site is set up for each County (31 in the First) to submit your information. Keep the District informed on you latest events or fundraisers or take a moment to tell us how you felt about a State or National issue. 1st District- I’m working with the officers to schedule our next First District meeting. We are planning to have it centrally located in the District within the next 5-6 weeks. We’ll keep you posted and encourage you all to attend. Our last meeting in Gladwin was a huge success co-hosted by Hubert Fisk and Darlene Conner. Over 80 people in attendance. Meetings have been doubling in size since we started. Thank you all for those who have made them a success.

www.FirstGOP.com

Yeah, that is me in the right side. I know, that is a crappy picture. Why he used that pic is beyond me. I have a long skinny nose. I have heard that is a typical Czech feature. So that makes me feel a little better. If you want to say something about my forehead, just remember "Big foreheads are sexy...in Eastern Europe."
If you are from the First District (Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan), join in on the fun. If you are not, read it and see how us First District Republicans are newsworthy and politically minded. I will be blogging on the Mackinac County Page.

Posted also on Michigan Redneck II.

Teens Accused of Clubbing Disabled Young Woman

I had heard about this story on the Glenn Beck tv show from Friday. It is a sickening story about a teenage couple who broke into a home and clubbed a young lady in the head, along with other types of abusing her. From the Glenn Beck transcript;

I want to tell you a story about what happened Friday in a rural town in southwestern Ohio. Two teenagers broke into a house and hid in the basement. Their plan was to get up the next morning and steal the homeowner`s car. But it didn`t work out. So they did something much, much worse.

After realizing the only adult in the house had left for work the two went upstairs and found an 18-year-old girl sleeping. They woke her up and then for the next six hours, they tortured here. They used a baseball bat, they shaved off all of her hair, they doused her with water and made her walk barefoot in the snow. Despite her pleas that she just had brain surgery, they repeatedly hit her over to the head. By the way, she`s disabled.

The girl`s mother found her, bloodied, bruised, helpless later that night and the teenagers that did it were found minutes later in the woods nearby. They`re being charged now, if they were being charged as adults, they would only face eight to 28 years in prison. But they`re not being charged as adults. If it were up to me, these two dirt bags would never see the light of day again. Richard Jones is the sheriff of Ohio`s Butler County. And Wendy Murphy is a law professor at the New England School of Law and author of “And Justice for Some.”

I agree with Glenn on these brats never seeing the light of day, and the possible punishment is too short. But here is some good news from The Western Star of Ohio.

HAMILTON — Prosecutors have requested that a teen couple accused of terrorizing a disabled young woman at her Hanover Twp. home last week be tried as adults.

The 16-year-old boy and 17-year-old girl appeared in Butler County Juvenile Court Thursday, Feb. 28, on charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, felonious assault, kidnapping and vandalism in the attack of Ashley Clark.

Assistant Prosecutor Daniel Phillips said based on the severity of the charges and age of the accused offenders, he is requesting the cases be bound over to adult court. A hearing has been set for April 4.

Glenn Beck talks with the sheriff of Butler County in Ohio.

Let me start with you, Richard, I have heard you quoted saying in 32 years you have never seen anything as bad as this?

RICHARD JONES, BUTLER COUNTY, OH, SHERIFF: Glenn, I have seen almost everything imaginable. That people can do that to other human beings and I have never seen anything such as this. It makes your throat swell up, it makes you have such emotion, that Ashley is the victim here, she`s 18 years old and she does have a disability.

Here’s the kicker, if you thought things couldn’t be worse, they have a kid!

JONES: I that have a two-month-old child themselves. It`s probably the best thing for the child that they not raise the child. Who knows what would happen with that child. If these two — it`s so unusual for two people from a different family to end up — usually in something like this, one person would have sympathy and say, please don`t do this, we need to stop this, this isn`t right. Both of them continued and went on with this rampage for hours.

This is proof that any idiot can reproduce. I know eugenics is supposed to be wrong, but I think in this case an exception can and should be made. Both these little brats should be forcibly sterilized. I hate to think how this kid is going to grow up.

Glenn says he can’t tell these kids names on the air. He says if they are tried as adults, come April 1, he will put their names and faces all over television. I found their names, here.

Wendy Murphy talks about how Ohio law works on whether or not to try teenagers as adults.

Wendy, in Ohio, you actually have to go to court and prove to the court that they should be tried as adults and not juvenile. Any doubt in your mind that that`s going to be able to be pulled off here in this case?

WENDY MURPHY, NEW ENGLAND SCHOOL OF LAW: No. What`s really unfortunate here, Glenn is that Ohio has it a bit backward compared to the trend in the rest of the country which is that for this aged group of juveniles, they`re very close to adult. They`ve got records, this crime is the most heinous for that category of juvenile, you should start off in adult court and in some states, they let the juveniles try to prove that they should be bumped back down to juvenile court which by the way would also never happen in a case like this.

Ohio should not have to bear the expense, taxpayer expense of having to prove that this case deserves to be in adult court.

Did you read that? These little brats even have a record. I hope like hell their kids are taken away.

Posted also on Michigan Redneck II.

I am Officially on Wordpress Now!

A few days ago I announced that I would be switching over to wordpress.com. I have decided to start posting there from now on and figure out the fancy stuff later. Check out my new posts on Michigan Redneck II at http://michiganredneck.wordpress.com/. I may come back here every once in a while to post and then cross post at Michigan Redneck II.
I want to say it was fun posting on Blogger and I hope my readers will follow me over to wordpress.

Black Leader: Democratic Party Architect of Racism (Update)

I have alos posted this at michiganredneck.wordpress.com/

Found this interesting article, by Ronald Kessler, in newsmax.com.

• Washington Insider with Ronald Kessler

• Black Leader: Democratic Party Architect of Racism

• Monday, February 25, 2008 9:43 AM
• By: Ronald Kessler

• Frances Rice, chairman of the National Black Republican Association, describes the Democratic Party as the architect of modern day racism.
• Rice, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and lawyer, says in an interview it was Republicans who pushed through much of the ground-breaking civil rights legislation in Congress. Now, she says, Republicans stand for empowering blacks to help them out of poverty. In contrast, Rice says, the Democrats push to keep blacks dependent on government handouts and encourage them to see themselves as victims.

• In Rice’s view, “The Democrats fight every effort of Republicans to get blacks out of poverty because they know that once blacks become prosperous, the Democratic Party will lose its power base.”

• Rice co-founded the National Black Republican Association in 2005 with the mission of returning African-Americans to their Republican Party roots. Because co-founder Andre Cadogan knew Newsmax CEO and Editor in Chief Chris Ruddy, the first meeting of the organization took place at Newsmax offices in West Palm Beach, Fla. The organization has grown from five members to over a thousand members. It publishes a quarterly glossy magazine — The Black Republican — and has a Web site: www.nbra.info.

• Aligning themselves with special interests, Rice says the Democrats are “fighting school-choice opportunity scholarships that are designed to get black children out of failing schools, because the teacher’s unions wants to maintain control over buildings.”

• “Our philosophy in the Republican Party is to teach a person how to fish, so he can feed himself for a lifetime, whereas the Democratic Party’s philosophy is give a man a fish, so he can eat for a day,” Rice says.
• Rice says most blacks are not aware that from its founding in 1854 as the anti-slavery party, the Republican Party has been at the “forefront of the struggle for civil rights, which is why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican.”
• It was Republicans, she notes, who fought to free blacks from slavery and amended the Constitution to grant blacks freedom, citizenship, and the right to vote. Republicans also pushed through much of the ground-breaking civil rights legislation in Congress from the 1860s through the 1960s, Rice says.

• “It was the Democrat public safety commissioner, Eugene ‘Bull’ Connor, in Birmingham who let loose vicious dogs and turned the fire hoses on black civil rights demonstrators,” Rice says.

I recall back in the 2004 Presidential General Election the Democrats posted an ad in a magazine that has a high black readership, using pictures from such past incidents. Funny, they were trying to get blacks to vote against Republicans, of all things, using the slogan, "Don't let them do this again." In reality, it was the "them" that were Democrats.

• Democrat Georgia Gov. Lester Maddox “brandished an ax handle to prevent blacks from patronizing his restaurant,” Rice says. “Democrat Alabama Governor George Wallace stood in front of the Alabama school house in 1963 and declared that there would be segregation forever. In 1954, it was Democrat Arkansas Governor Orville Faubus who tried to prevent the desegregation of Little Rock public schools. It was Republican President Dwight Eisenhower who sent the troops into the South to desegregate the schools and who appointed Chief Justice Earl Warren to the U.S. Supreme Court, which resulted in the 1954 Brown versus Board of Education decision.” [more here]
  

Same Regime, New Face

• Raúl Castro Named Cuba’s New President

• By JAMES C. McKINLEY Jr.
• Published: February 24, 2008
• HAVANA — Raúl Castro, who has labored in the shadow of his brother Fidel since the days of the Cuban revolution, became the new president of the Communist island on Sunday, ending his brother’s 49-year rule, as well as speculation that a younger generation would take power.

Umm, just curious, how "young" is Raúl?

• In his first words as president, Mr. Castro made it clear that any changes would be limited, promising to continue to consult his brother on every important decision. He said his brother was still alive and alert, and the time had yet to come when the leaders of the revolution in the 1950s had to pass the baton to a new generation.
• “Fidel is Fidel, you know that well,” he said to the National Assembly shortly after it voted him president. “He is irreplaceable and the people will continue his work even though he is not physically here.”

• Raúl Castro said the government needed to change to survive in the new era. He proposed putting more power in the hands of provincial governments and streamlining the bureaucracy in Havana. “Today a more compact structure is required,” he said.

A good change would be giving more power to the people.

• Carlos Lage, a 56-year-old physician close to the elder Castro who engineered the economy after Soviet aid dried up in the 1990s, remains in the same role he had before, one of five vice presidents.

How many vice presidents do they need? Sounds like too many chiefs and not enough indians.

• The ballot before the Assembly contained 31 names for the top positions in the country, among them president, minister of interior and minister of the armed forces. The delegates have no choice, since there is only one name for each position. The candidates were not immediately made public.

• Perhaps the most important challenge facing the new president is the struggling economy. During his stint as acting president since 2006, Raúl Castro raised expectations among Cubans that he might act to make it easier to earn a decent salary within the state-run system.
• He has criticized the miserly state salaries as insufficient, and encouraged more public debate about the country’s problems. He has called for more productive farms and spoken of “structural changes” that he said were needed to revitalize the economy. So far, however, he has not followed these promises with actions.

• The National Assembly was chosen last month in elections completely controlled by the Communist party, the only political organization permitted on this island of 11 million people. [more here]

Emphasis mine.

Some New Changes

I have gotten an account on wordpress. Once I have comfortably navigated around I will be switching over to that address. There is a group project in the works. It has not been official. So I won't say anything yet. It is very good news.

Young Republican from Marquette County

Found this cool article from mlive.com, about young man from the First District Republicans.

• College freshman youngest delegate at Michigan GOP Convention

• 2/22/2008, 3:47 p.m. EST The Associated Press

• LUDINGTON, Mich. (AP) — At age 19, Mitchell Foster was easily the youngest delegate at the Michigan Republican Convention.
• That didn't keep the Northern Michigan University freshman from enjoying himself at the event, held Feb. 15-16 in Lansing. He was selected to represent Marquette County based on his involvement with the county GOP and the university's Young Republicans.
• "It was a blast," Foster told the Ludington Daily News for a story published Thursday. "It is an experience I will never forget." [more here]

I think this is just neat that someone so young would want to get involved in Republican Politics.

Ralph Nader Considering Another Run for the Presidency...

...just when ya thought the POTUS race couldn't get weirder.

Emulating FDR is a Horrible Idea

Another Jonah Goldberg writing, via Glenn Beck email blast.

**SPECIAL REPORT: Emulating FDR is a horrible idea**

This is the final special report in a week-long series with author Jonah Goldberg, investigating how Liberal Fascism is trying to control your life from the cradle to the grave. Don't miss tonight on TV as Glenn spends a full hour with Jonah Goldberg at 7 and 9pm ET, only on Headline News. And look for a recap of this series, the TV segments and the special reports will all be included in Monday's newsletter.

Emulating FDR: A horrible idea
By Jonah Goldberg

"America has a dictator," Benito Mussolini proclaimed, watching FDR from abroad. He marveled at how the forces of "spiritual renewal" on display in the New Deal were destroying the outdated notion that democracy and liberalism were "immortal principles." "Roosevelt is moving, acting, giving orders independently of the decisions or wishes of the Senate or Congress. ... A sole will silences dissenting voices." That almost sounds like Harry Reid talking about Bush.

Mussolini reviewed FDR's book, Looking Forward proclaiming the author a kindred spirit. The way Roosevelt "calls his readers to battle," he wrote, "is reminiscent of the ways and means by which fascism awakened the Italian people." "Without question," he continued, the "sea change" in America "resembles that of fascism." Indeed, the comparisons were so commonplace, Mussolini's press office banned the practice. "It is not to be emphasized that Roosevelt's policy is fascist because these comments are immediately cabled to the United States and are used by his foes to attack him."

The German press adored FDR. In 1934, the Vlkischer Beobachter, the Nazi Party's official newspaper, described Roosevelt as a man of "irreproachable, extremely responsible character and immovable will" and a "warm-hearted leader of the people with a profound understanding of social needs." Hitler sent FDR a letter celebrating his "heroic efforts" and "successful battle against economic distress." Hitler informed the U.S. ambassador, William Dodd, that New Dealism was also "the quintessence of the German state philosophy."

The New Dealers were not so much mimicking the Soviet Union, Fascist Italy or Nazi Germany. They were attempting to recreate what they had built -up under Woodrow Wilson's war socialism. Today we have no historical memory of how brutal the Wilson Administration was, nor do we realize that many Progressives supported the war not so much because they championed its foreign policy aims, but because they yearned for the "social possibilities of war," in the words of John Dewey, the 20th century's premier political philosopher.

The war provided an opportunity to force Americans to, as journalist Frederick Lewis Allen put it, "lay by our good-natured individualism and march in step." Or as another progressive put it, "Laissez faire is dead. Long live social control."

It was this spirit which informed FDR's administration. By 1944 he made good on Wilson's conviction that the US constitution was outmoded and in need of replacing with a new "living constitution." FDR's proposed innovation was a new "economic bill of rights" which included:

>The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation.

>The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment.

>The right of every family to a decent home.

>The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation.

You read correctly, the right to 'recreation'.

With the intellectuals on their side, Wilson recruited journalist George Creel to become a propaganda minister as head of the newly formed Committee on Public Information (CPI).

Mr. Creel declared that it was his mission to inflame the American public into "one white-hot mass" under the banner of "100 percent Americanism." Fear was a vital tool, he argued, "an important element to be bred in the civilian population."

The CPI printed millions of posters, buttons, pamphlets, that did just that. A typical poster for Liberty Bonds cautioned, "I am Public Opinion. All men fear me!... [I]f you have the money to buy and do not buy, I will make this No Man's Land for you!"

Meanwhile, the CPI released a string of propaganda films with such titles as "The Kaiser," "The Beast of Berlin," and "The Prussian Cur." Remember when French fries became "freedom fries" in the run-up to the Iraq war? Thanks in part to the CPI, sauerkraut become "victory cabbage."

Under the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918, Wilson's administration shut down newspapers and magazines at an astounding pace. Indeed, any criticism of the government, even in your own home, could earn you a prison sentence. One man was brought to trial for explaining in his own home why he didn't want to buy Liberty Bonds.

The Wilson administration sanctioned what could be called an American fascist, the American Protective League. The APL - a quarter million strong at its height, with offices in 600 cities - carried government-issued badges while beating up dissidents and protesters and conducting warrantless searches and interrogations. Even after the war, Wilson refused to release the last of America's political prisoners, leaving it to subsequent Republican administrations to free the anti-war Socialist Eugene V. Debs and others.

The left claims that president Bush seeks to do something like this with the war on terror. But look at the evidence. No newspapers closed down, a sum total of three detainees water-boarded, two hard core terrorists who happen to be American citizens have had their habeus corpus rights "infringed." After 9/11 President Bush asked the American people to go shopping, not to give up capitalism.

Meanwhile, on the left, self-styled progressives keep trying to recreate the New Deal and the progressive era. New York Times columnist pines for a "new progressive era." Barack Obama gushed about how he was re-dedicating his campaign at the University of Wisconsin where the Progressive movement was born. Hillary says she's not a liberal but a "modern progressive."

Now, obviously, none of the current crop of self-described progressives are eager to replay the darkest chapters of the past. But we make a mistake when we assume that we can cherry pick only the good parts of our past to re-create.
Jonah Goldberg is the author of the New York Times bestseller Liberal Fascism.

Folks, if you have been following the Glenn Beck email blasts I have been copy/pasting here, ya gotta agree this is probably the most scariest and eye opening.

What Defines Conservatism?

Here is a great article about what defines conservatism by David Limbaugh, in newsmax.com. I am going to do something a little different on this. Usually when I provide snippets from an article I put in the full paragraphs that really stand out. This time I am just going to add some paragraphs and parts of other paragraphs. And like always, link to the article. Credit where credit is due.

What Defines Conservative

Wednesday, February 20, 2008 8:43 AM By: David Limbaugh

Something is missing in all the intramural debates among different stripes of Republicans this primary season. Bigger-government Republicans don't seem fully to appreciate the extent to which the differences between conservative Republicans and liberals are about more than policy. Conservatives and liberals differ not merely over the level of taxation, protection of the unborn, immigration, the war and other issues — though the importance of these disputes cannot easily be overstated. Admittedly, conservatives view these policy differences as matters of great urgency... But at an even more fundamental level, conservatives, being sentimental saps, believe — apparently unlike Michelle Obama — that the United States is not only the greatest nation in the world but also that it owes its greatness largely to its Constitution. Even if liberals were to concede this point, they would probably have different reasons for believing it is so... They're definitely all about the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures — to such an extreme that they would extend it to non-citizen enemy combatants... Conservatives, by contrast, not only champion the Bill of Rights — the complete package — but also believe Americans owe our unique liberties to the scheme of governmental power established in the body of the Constitution. We believe, as did the framers, that the structural limitations on government, like the separation of powers and federalism, are what make possible individual liberties... That's why conservatives get so exercised about appellate judges who refuse to honor the Constitution as written and insist on rewriting its provisions from the bench... ...they understand that expansive government and socialism — no matter how well meaning, in some cases — are ultimately incompatible with individual liberties. Big government Republicans, however, evidently don't have the same distrust of governmental power, believing it is an unstoppable force that can't be beaten and so must be joined and harnessed to "conservative" ends. No matter how smart these intellectuals are, they just don't get it... Conservatives realize that politics (and the preservation of our liberties) ain't beanbag. They don't invest their future in the platitudes of "hope," "bipartisanship," or "kumbaya."... Instead, conservatives believe that government is a necessary evil to establish order and promote the common defense and the like but otherwise must be restrained in order to unleash the power and freedom of the individual. Conservatives should not be underestimated as mere players in a cynical chessboard game of party politics. They believe in the power of ideas and will continue to promote their ideas irrespective of the eventual identity of the respective presidential nominees and regardless of how much they are pressured to be silent about first principles... [more here] Y'all know that I consider myself more of a Conservative than a Republican. This is why I am so passionate about certain issues. I am more of an economic Conservative than anything else. Which would explain why, even though I am pro-life, I am more concerned about immigration issues and welfare reform. While Mr. Limbaugh does talk about pro-life in his article, I left those out because as a member of the "working poor" I am more affected by illegal immigration and welfare than pro-life.