A beautiful day in December? Rejoice!

As I carry fire-wood into the central NH GraniteGrok bunker, the ground is white with fresh snow and the sun is shining brightly. The temperature hovers near the 40 degree mark. On December 31st, one could not ask for a more beautiful day. Global warming? Maybe. Man’s fault? No way. This is the day the … Read more

President Bush wishes a Merry Christmas and honors the troops and their families

In this week’s radio address, President Bush talks about Christmas, and in particular, reminds us not to forget our troops afield during the holiday season…
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. As families across our Nation gather to celebrate Christmas, Laura and I send our best wishes for the holidays. We hope that your Christmas will be blessed with family and fellowship.
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At this special time of year, we give thanks for Christ’s message of love and hope. Christmas reminds us that we have a duty to others, and we see that sense of duty fulfilled in the men and women who wear our Nation’s uniform. America is blessed to have fine citizens who volunteer to defend us in distant lands. For many of them, this Christmas will be spent far from home, and on Christmas our Nation honors their sacrifice, and thanks them for all they do to defend our freedom.
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At Christmas, we also recognize the sacrifice of our Nation’s military families. Staying behind when a family member goes to war is a heavy burden, and it is particularly hard during the holidays. To all our military families listening today, Laura and I thank you, and we ask the Almighty to bestow His protection and care on your loved ones as they protect our Nation.
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This Christmas season comes at a time of change here in our Nation’s capital — with a new Congress set to arrive, a review of our Iraq strategy underway, and a new Secretary of Defense taking office. If you’re serving on the front lines halfway across the world, it is natural to wonder what all this means for you. I want our troops to know that while the coming year will bring change, one thing will not change, and that is our Nation’s support for you and the vital work you do to achieve a victory in Iraq. The American people are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers, and we will make sure you have the resources you need to accomplish your mission.
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This Christmas, millions of Americans are coming together to show our deployed forces and wounded warriors love and support. Patriotic groups and charities all across America are sending gifts and care packages to our servicemen and women, visiting our troops recovering at military hospitals, reaching out to children whose moms and dads are serving abroad, and going to airports to welcome our troops home and to let them know they are appreciated by a grateful Nation.

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And the Democrats are speaking about raising taxes – how about getting rid of some?

THIS LITTLE TAX DITTY WAS SENT IN BY AN OLD CLASSMATE.  I WOULD LIKE TO ADD ONE CORRECTION. AT THE END OF THE MESSAGE, IT SAYS "NOT ONE OF THESE TAXES EXISTED 100 YEARS AGO . . .". ACTUALLY, THE TELEPHONE FEDERAL EXCISE TAX GOES BACK TO THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR. THE TAX WAS INSTITUTED TO HELP PAY FOR THAT WAR — IT WAS ENACTED ON JUNE 13, 1898.

What Happened?
At first I thought this was funny…then I realized the awful truth of it. Be sure to read all the way to the end!

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he’s fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries, then
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won’t be done
Till he has no dough.

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Documents? Oh, THOSE documents. Never saw ’em…

If ever the actions by a high-ranking government official begged for a skit on Saturday Night Live (the old-school version, oh do we miss it so!), the most recent revelations in the former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger saga are it. Better yet, maybe a plotline for a new Seinfeld episode…
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What a story– Former government hack, involved in an investigation that might make him, or worse yet, his boss and chief benefactor, look bad, accepts a mission to get back on the "inside" and dispose of key evidence. Sounds almost the stuff of some action-adventure novel. Except, in this case, we’re talking about a rumpled, bumbling slob of a man, who breaks into a sweat when asked difficult questions like, "What is your name," and, "Is that a rolled-up document in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?"
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Yes indeed, Sandy "Samuel" Burger, or, as he is now affectionately called, Sandy "Burglar" has provided no small amount of laughter (we probably ought to, in fact, be crying) as the story of his theft of national security documents unfolds.
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You remember the tale: Sandy Berger, while preparing for testimony before the 9-11 Commission, got caught removing key documents by stuffing them in his shorts and socks. As new evidence comes forth, the comedic value just gets even better. Consider this AP report on the matter and tell me you can’t picture some George Costanza- type actor in the role of Sandy Berger:

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CAGW celebrates “Festivus”. Airing of Grievances and Feats of Strength.

The gang over at Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has announced that they are celebrating "Festivus" once again this year…
(Washington, D.C.) – Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today marked its third annual celebration of Festivus to acknowledge the disappointments and successes for taxpayers in 2006.  In the sitcom Seinfeld, Festivus is a fictional holiday invented by Frank Costanza to protest the commercialization of other December holidays.  The Festivus dinner begins with the Airing of Grievances, where the celebrant tells family and friends all the ways they have disappointed him or her over the past year.  Similarly, CAGW will now tell politicians all they ways they have disappointed taxpayers over the past year.  Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned by another participant in the Feats of Strength.  Likewise, CAGW will end Festivus by recognizing the times taxpayers triumphed over Washington’s big spenders.
The Airing of Grievances
Pork:  CAGW’s 2006 Congressional Pig Book identified 9,963 pork projects costing a record $29 billion in the 11 fiscal 2006 appropriations bills, including $1,000,000 for the Waterfree Urinal Conservation Initiative and $500,000 for the Sparta Teapot Museum in Sparta, N.C.  Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif) is serving an eight-year jail sentence for taking $2.4 million in bribes in exchange for earmarks.  Other members of Congress are being investigated for allegedly profiting from earmarks and for directing earmarks to campaign contributors, including outgoing House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and incoming subcommittee chairman Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.).  In the face of these scandals and abuses, the 109th Congress failed to enact substantial earmark reform and later rejected a bill to require defense earmarks to be reviewed and graded.
"Water-free urinal initiative"? And you thought all your tax dollars were being wasted… you know– flushed down the drain. The CAGW announcement continues:

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NOW he targets “earmarks”

President Bush discussed the economy and the topic of so-called federal "earmarks" in this week’s radio address.
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Christmas is fast approaching, and I know many of you are busy trying to finish up your holiday shopping. This week, we received good news about the economy that should brighten the season and keep us optimistic about the year ahead.
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First, the Commerce Department released figures showing that sales for America’s retailers were up in November and that the increase is much larger than expected. These figures are important because for many American businesses November and December are their highest sales months for the year. So the healthy increase in retail sales is a good sign for American employers and workers.
Of course, if you’re anti-business, anti-free marketplace liberal (socialist?) Democrats Jonathan Edwards or Barak Hussein Obama, this is bad news. After all, they’ve worked hard in the recent past to encourage people NOT to shop at Wal Mart. President Bush continues…
America’s working families also received another bit of holiday cheer this week: We learned that real hourly wages rose by 2.3 percent over the past year. That may not sound like a lot, but for the typical family of four with both parents working, it means an extra $1,350 for this year. At the same time, our growing economy continues to create jobs and that has brought unemployment down to just 4.5 percent. These numbers give all Americans a reason to celebrate: More people are working than ever before, and paychecks are going further than they used to.
Of course, if the big spenders at the local, state, and federal levels of government get their way, they’ll take every bit of that $1350 and then some in increased taxes. President Bush alludes to this next. It’s just too bad he doesn’t sound very credible when preaching spending restraint in Congress, given the past 6-year track record of wasteful budgets laden with pork…

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Oh Tree of Love! Oh tree of Love! Of all the Trees so Lovely!

Well, that time of year is once again upon us. You know- the time of year when one can still find a few people around that are brazen and uncouth enough to use the “C” word. That’s right- there is a small minority of people who still dare to refer to the “Holiday Season” as (gasp!) Christmas! Can you imagine? Don’t “those” kinds of people understand that they might offend somebody with such blatant attempts at forcing their “belief system” on others?
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The good news is that with each passing year, the list of entities that can be counted on to respect the Constitution’s recently discovered ban on all things Christian continues to grow. We all know that the public school system has been systematically erasing our Nation’s Christian religious heritage for what is now going on an entire generation. Indian “spiritual” rituals? No problem. Japanese paper origami cranes for “the gods”? No problem. Singing “Silent Night” at a “seasonal concert”? BIG PROBLEM!
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We are now at a point where it has become a societal taboo to even utter the word “Christmas”.  Consider the local hospital’s annual decorative tribute/ fundraiser, which occurs each year around this time: The “Holiday Tree of Love”. How nice. How non-sectarian. How “non-offensive”. How very “sixties”. Can you imagine the uproar if the hospital referred to its tree by the term Americans used to call this ubiquitous December decoration- a CHRISTMAS tree? Heaven forbid they do so because that would be “imposing” a religion on people!
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It’s really not all bad, however. Perhaps we can, through the simple replacement of certain words, re-introduce some traditional Christmas (oops) songs back into the various “holiday concerts” and other “winter celebrations”. How great it would be to once again hear the children singing Bing as he croons, “I’m dreamin’ of a rainbow solstice…Just like the ones we used to know.”
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Or better yet, they can sing a seasonal song AND celebrate alternative lifestyles at the same time with this beloved little ditty: “Have yourself a merry little winter, Let your heart be light. From now on, our troubles will be out of sight; Have yourself a merry little winter, Make the Yule-tide GAY…” How perfectly politically correct! In the same vein, how about this updated classic:  “I saw Daddy kissing Santa Claus underneath the tree of love last night. He didn’t see me creep down the stairs to have a peep; He thought that I was zoned in front of the TV. Then, I saw Daddy tickle Santa Claus underneath his beard so snowy white; Oh, what a laugh it would have been If Mommy had only seen Daddy kissing Santa Claus last night.”
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Such wonderfully updated songs could demonstrate once and for all that no religious intent is connected with this time of year while simultaneously celebrating tolerance and diversity!
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He’s not half the man he used to be…

Have you ever come across some little tidbit of information and just scratch your head in wonderment? Such was the case when I came upon this bit of news: Doctors and Children’s Groups Say Male Circumcision Must be Voluntary, Consensual National Institutes of Health’s endorsement of adult male circumcision leaves the question of infant circumcision … Read more

Uh-oh! This NH conservative is starting to feel a little more “blue”…

The headline from the Concord Monitor struck me like a thunderbolt: Shaheen considers another Senate run The December 11th article reports  Former New Hampshire governor Jeanne Shaheen is weighing a run for U.S. Senate, her husband said last night. . "She’s thinking about it," Bill Shaheen told the Monitor at a Democratic fundraiser last night in … Read more

This one really hurts.

Novak reports on what will undoubtably be the most unfortunate consequence of the Bush Administration’s inability to "make the case" on just about everything… . Click HERE. . H/T: John H. . It is a shame that such fine men aren’t cherished and embraced by politicians, but are instead driven away.

A day that will live in infamy

The Wikipedia on the Pearl Harbor attack: “At 6:00 a.m. on December 7, the six Japanese carriers launched a first wave of 183 planes composed of torpedo bombers, dive-bombers, level bombers and fighters. The Japanese hit American ships and military installations at 7:53 a.m. They attacked military airfields and at the same time they hit the … Read more

And I thought the Dems would lead this charge…

After spending the last several years paving the way for Democratic control of the state of NH, Granite State "Republicans"- and more particularly, R.I.N.O.s (Republicans In Name Only)- continue to carry their water…
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In this posting right after the election, I noted the following:
The November 9th Citizen (Laconia, NH) reported on what the newly-elected Democrat majority has in mind for its first order of business when they take hold of the reigns of power here in NH: repeal the state’s parental-notification law.
One of the first things on the Democrats’ agenda now that they hold the majority in both houses of the Legislature could be to repeal the state’s parental notification law.
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On Wednesday, hours after an electoral tidal wave swept them into power, several prominent Democrats said they would support a repeal of the controversial law. "I hope so," Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, D-Manchester, said of the potential appeal.
What really irks me about this is that there was not one peep about this issue during the entire campaign, and yet this is what’s being fingered as their first priority- allowing underage minors to have an invasive medical procedure performed without parental or guardian knowledge.
Guess what? I was wrong. It’s not a DEMOCRAT that’s started the ball rolling! It’s a REPUBLICAN!!
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