It was recently reported that Governor Lynch would sign a bill repealing the State’s parental notification law because "The current law fails to protect the health and safety of all women." Lynch claims he supports parental notification, just not the current parental notification law. But Lynch has never offered an alternative law to the current law. Given the issue has been around since before Lynch became Governor, it is fair to say that Lynch is not really interested in parental notification; he merely is interested in appearing to support parental notification. Not surprisingly, the New Hampshire Republican Party has not been saying that the Governor is being disingenuous.
KUDOS TO THE NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE
for voting to eliminate straight ticket voting. You can read about the vote here. I have advocated eliminating straight ticket voting for some time. If you’re interested in why, click on "continue reading" and you will find something I wrote on the subject about a year ago. And thanks to Skip and Doug for letting me post to GraniteGrok.
AAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!
I am declaring GraniteGrok an Anna Nichole Smith- free zone! No Fox News for me for a while…
Old becomes new…
This is an interesting story that further proves the fact that we live in an age of the "new media." World’s Oldest Newspaper Goes Digital Monday February 5, 2007 7:01 PMBy KARL RITTER Associated Press Writer STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) – For centuries, readers thumbed through the crackling pages of Sweden’s Post-och Inrikes Tidningar newspaper. No … Read more
A secret well kept: the good economy. Bush on the radio this week.
This week President Bush talks about the biggest untold story of the Bush II era: the robust economy. It’s a good thing he mentions it, because Lord knows the MainStreamMedia won’t. Why, that might reflect well on the Bush Administration, and we can’t have that now, can we…
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning..This week was filled with more good news about America’s economy. We learned that our economy grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter of last year. Overall, our economy grew 3.4 percent in 2006 — up from 3.1 percent in 2005. The Dow Jones reached an all-time high this week for the 27th time in the past four months. And we learned that America created 111,000 new jobs in January, which means we have added over 7.4 million jobs in the past three-and-a-half years..This good news is a result of the hard work of the American people and pro-growth economic policies like tax relief. By cutting taxes, we put more money into the hands of American families and small businesses. You have used this money to produce strong and lasting economic growth. And now Congress needs to make this tax relief permanent, so we can keep America’s economy growing.
This really is the very essence of the difference between a President like Bush, who believes WE THE PEOPLE know how to best spend our own money, versus the liberal Democrat viewpoint, as exemplified by the Clintons, who think only government knows how to best do that. Unfortunately, with the new Congress, tax cuts will only be a fond memory of days gone by…
.
President Bush continues:
Pro-growth economic policies also play a vital role in our plan to balance the Federal budget. Our growing economy has produced record levels of tax revenue. This increase in tax revenue has helped us cut the deficit in half three years ahead of schedule. And on Monday, we will take the next step when I submit to Congress a budget that will eliminate the deficit by 2012..To meet this goal, we must set priorities for government spending. My top priority will continue to be keeping America safe and winning the war against extremists who want to destroy our way of life. The budget I will submit to Congress includes the cost of funding the global war on terror, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our troops deserve our full support, and this budget gives them the resources they need.
I hope he has a few bucks tucked away somewhere in there for dealing with Iran, too. He then discusses the need for restraint in spending in other areas in order to get a handle on the budget. It’s too bad he didn’t try this when the GOP was in control of Congress. Perhaps some restraint might have helped in the past election. Now it’s too little, too late. He then suggests this:
Cutting the deficit during a time of war requires us to restrain spending in other areas. One good way to help eliminate wasteful spending is to pass earmark reform.
Hmmm. Why now? Why not when the Republicans were in charge? Oh, that’s right- the Republicans in Congress were addicted to these. Now they’re out. It seems strange that this might have a better chance of actually getting fixed with big-spending Democrats, but, whatever– just do it! The President tells us what these are and why they must go:
I just didn’t know
Can somebody please help me with this one? The following from the Telegraph (UK), discussues a "diagnosis" of a 12 year old: Tim was diagnosed as a transsexual two years ago, when doctors and psychiatrists concluded that his claims to be "in the wrong body" were so deeply felt that he required treatment. "Diagnosis"? I … Read more
The things people care about. And things they don’t.
Am I the only person totally tired of hearing about the "Barbaro is euthanized" story? Not that I wish to see any animal in pain, but, it’s a horse, for crying out loud! How many "fetuses" are "euthanized" in the womb each and every day here in America? Why is that not on the front page? Are … Read more
Meanwhile, the Dragon rises?
As the new world war lurches forward with all eyes focused on the Islamofascist world, communist China continues its military modernization. Why? Who are they "defending" against? As we live in a world more completely run and maintained by high technology, as does our military, one has to wonder about the latest action by the Chinese … Read more
This day in history: Tet Offensive. Could it happen again?
January 30th, 1968 marked the start of the pivotal battle in the Viet Nam War, the notorious Tet Offensive. This is a column I wrote back in August ’04, reprinted in remembrance of this historical event many Americans overlook and forget. I only mention it briefly in the piece, but I think the potential for a scenario in some ways similar to Tet still exists– right here in the homeland…
Exercising the First by Doug Lambert
Got Imagination?
In the official report of the 9-11 Commission, one of the major concerns raised was that of a lack of imagination on the part of those whose job it is to think about such things. Page 346 of the report states, “Since the Pearl Harbor attack of 1941, the intelligence community has devoted generations of effort to understanding the problem of forestalling a surprise attack. Rigorous analytic methods were developed, focused in particular on the Soviet Union, and several leading practitioners within the intelligence community discussed them with us. These methods have been articulated in many ways, but almost all seem to have at least four elements in common: (1) think about how surprise attacks might be launched; (2) identify telltale indicators connected to the most dangerous possibilities; (3) where feasible, collect intelligence on these indicators; and (4) adopt defenses to deflect the most dangerous possibilities or at least trigger an earlier warning.” So what was the problem with this time tested system?.Section 11.1 of the report concludes: “The methods for detecting and then warning of surprise attack that the U.S. government had so painstakingly developed in the decades after Pearl Harbor did not fail; instead, they were not really tried. They were not employed to analyze the enemy that, as the twentieth century closed, was most likely to launch a surprise attack directly against the United States.” It seems that, after the end of the Cold War, everybody, including those who shouldn’t have, turned a blind eye to the dangers of the world. Nobody apparently saw anything but peace and love and happiness. America took a collective holiday from history, which ended on September 11th, 2001..In the famous ancient Chinese text, “The Art of Warfare”, Sun-Tzu writes, “The ultimate skill in taking up a strategic position is to have no form. If your position is formless, the most carefully concealed spies will not be able to get a look at it, and the wisest counselors will not be able to lay plans against it.” The classic military guidebook reminds the reader that, “Warfare is the art of deceit. Therefore, when able, seem to be unable; when ready, seem unready; when nearby, seem far away; and when far away, seem near. …Attack where he is not prepared; go by way of places where it would never occur to him you would go.” Again from The 9-11 Commission Report: “We believe the 9/11 attacks revealed four kinds of failures: in imagination, policy, capabilities, and management.” Imagination.
Bush to tackle 2 tough issues… and looks forward to the Dems working with him. Sure they will…
In this week’s radio address, President Bush spoke about the two biggest issues, other than the war, that affect every American man, woman, and child: energy and health care costs…
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week, I appeared before Congress to report on the state of our union. I asked members of the House and Senate from both sides of the aisle to join me in confronting the great challenges before us, so we can build a future of hope and opportunity for all Americans.
Does President Bush really think that the Democrats will work with him on anything for the good of the country? That would take too much from their most immediate goal: destroying any last shred of possible successful Bush initiatives. To allow him success at ANYTHING at this point that might bring a positive "legacy" is the last thing Democrats want, regardless of what’s good for the Nation as a whole. This has been their S.O.P. for the last six years. Why change now?
Two key challenges we face are reducing our dependence on oil and expanding access to affordable health care. I have asked Congress to take several vital steps to address these issues. And while some members gave a reflexive partisan response, I was encouraged that others welcomed this opportunity to reach across the aisle. One Democratic Senator said the initiatives I put forward were "serious proposals" and encouraged his fellow Democrats to "respond in a constructive way." Another Senate Democrat pledged to work toward these goals "through sincere bipartisan efforts." This is a good start, and I look forward to working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to reform our health care system and increase energy security.
Again, this reminds me of Lucy offering to hold the ball for Charlie Brown. Other than Joe Lieberman, who isn’t a Democrat anymore, I don’t see any Dems sticking up for President Bush— only sticking it to him.
Our Nation’s dependence on oil leaves us vulnerable to hostile regimes and terrorists who can hurt our economy by disrupting our oil supply. To protect America against supply disruptions, I have asked Congress to double the current capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. We also must diversify our Nation’s energy supply, and the way forward is through technology. On Wednesday, I visited DuPont’s Experimental Station in Wilmington, Delaware, where researchers are developing new methods of producing cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels using everything from grasses to cornstalks to agricultural wastes. By expanding our use of renewable and alternative fuels like ethanol, we can become less dependent on oil, and confront the serious challenge of climate change.
Yeah, that stuff really helped the Germans in WW2- synthetic oil. This sounds like it will be good for farmers. Climate change?
Message to President Bush: the whole "man (American ones, that is) causes global warming" mantra remains unproven. Don’t you know that this issue is nothing more than the latest attempt by America’s global competitors (aided by an army of unwitting dupes) to somehow destroy our economic abilities once and for all? If the global warming acolytes were at all serious about carbon emmisions and the like, they would be after Russia, China, and India, where emissions controls and caring about the environment are all but nonexistent…
Bush went on…
Another life lesson: taxes, baseball tickets, and Democratic economics.
At first I was going to post this under the "humor" category. But when I read it again, I realized that it really isn’t funny at all. It’s downright sad. Perhaps you’ve seen this already– it seems like the sort of thing that’s probably on its umpteenth trip throughout the Internet. No matter. It’s worth … Read more
Bush on health care… Think Congress will go along? Hah!
This week President Bush discussed what I believe is the number one issue on people’s minds after the war: health care. Well, not health care per se, but PAYING for health care…
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. For many Americans, the new year began with a resolution to live a better and healthier life. Whatever goals you have set for yourself this year, one goal we can all share is reforming our Nation’s health care system..Americans are fortunate to have the best health care system in the world. The government has an important role to play in our system. We have an obligation to provide care for the most vulnerable members of our society — the elderly, the disabled, and poor children and their parents. We are meeting this responsibility through Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. We must strengthen these vital programs so that they are around when future generations need them.
Of course where it gets dicey is how one defines "poor". I know many healthy, working individuals who have no health insurance because they choose not to– "It’s too expensive," they say, as they run into the liquor store for a $40 bottle of spirits, followed by a trip to the store for a $35 carton of smokes. But I digress. President Bush continues:
For all other Americans, private health insurance is the best way to meet their needs. But rising health care costs are making insurance too expensive for millions of our citizens. Health care costs are growing more than two times faster than wages, and this is making it harder for working families to buy insurance on their own. Rising costs are also making it harder for small businesses to offer health coverage to their employees. Our challenge is clear: We must address these rising costs, so that more Americans can afford basic health insurance. And we need to do it without creating a new Federal entitlement program or raising taxes.
Amen! Of course, someone needs to clue the President in on one contributing factor to rising costs, especially in the Southern states: providing medical care to illegal aliens. Fixing that problem would help too, but that’s a whole other topic for a separate post…
Our Nation is making progress toward this goal. We created Health Savings Accounts, which empower patients and can reduce the cost of coverage. We are working to pass Association Health Plans, so that small businesses can insure their workers at the favorable discounts that big businesses get. We must pass medical liability reform, so we can stop the junk lawsuits that drive costs through the roof and good doctors out of practice. We’ve taken important steps to increase transparency in health care pricing, and give patients more information about the quality of their doctors and hospitals.
"Medical liability reform?" Not with Dems in control. Who loves lawsuits and big jury awards more than Democrats? Many of their constituents earn their living by suing "rich" people. I think the President will be sucking swamp water on that one.
.
The next point he made in his radio speech is something, however, that will undoubtably be popular with many Americans of all political stripes:
Tax Evader a no-show at court… and on the radio.
For those of you wondering where our previously announced radio interview with convicted tax-evader Ed Brown ended up, you can stop looking. Despite speaking with one of his comrades "holed up" at the mountaintop "compound" several times prior to air time, when it came time for the interview, they never answered the phone. I guess … Read more
Notable Quote: Jefferson.
On March 4th, 1801, Thomas Jefferson delivered his first inaugural address in the still unfinished Washington Capitol. This quote caught my eye. As one of the key Founding Fathers, his thoughts on government carry much weight in the ongoing debate over the true role of government. Still one thing more, fellow citizens: a wise and … Read more
What does Bush see in Putin’s eyes now?
I’m sure that Bush has had his eyes checked since he looked into Putin’s eyes and saw the soul of a good man. Surely now, what Bush saw was a reflection of his own heart and soul. The former(?) KGB man rules a government that is once again filling the world with a never-ending stream … Read more
Jealous of… Massachusetts?
Here in central NH, most residents are held "hostage" by a single cable company that offers TV and broadband services. While they try as hard as any monopoly would to provide good service at a good price, they sometimes fall short. Friends and co-workers living to the south in NH, while still serviced by a … Read more
Where have all the Boy Scouts gone?
People that know me know that I have a wide variety of books, both new and old. I am one of those odd people that feel I must personally own and possess any book I have read. In addition, from time to time, I pick up some old book that strikes my fancy. Friends and … Read more
“Private Citizen” John Bolton speaks…
Of all the casualties of the past election, the loss of John Bolton as our UN ambassador is the one that I regret the most. To have had a plain spoken person advocating first for what’s best FOR AMERICA on the world stage during the last year or so has been refreshing indeed. Unfortunately, the … Read more
The Buckley Scandal: Is Gov. Lynch going to get caught in the splatter when it hits the fan?
Attorney Ed Mosca submits the following piece on the unfolding Ray Buckley scandal. You’ve heard part of the story: famed NH Dem activist Ray Buckley, candidate for that party’s state committee chair, had to withdraw due to allegations which, if true, are damning, to say the least…
IF RAY BUCKLEY HAS NOTHING TO HIDE,THEN WHY ARE THE DEMOCRATS HIDING HIM?(AND WHO DID LYNCH TELL, AND WHAT AND WHEN DID HE TELL THEM?)In quitting the race for state chairman of the Democrat Party, Ray Buckley unequivocally denied allegations which, according to press reports (the allegations themselves have not been published), involve child pornography: “These politically motivated allegations are completely false. I have no doubt that the allegations will be proven baseless but I am angry beyond belief that the politics of personal destruction have come to New Hampshire.” The obvious question brought to mind by Buckley’s remonstration is this: Why, if the allegations are “completely false” and “baseless,” did Buckley nonetheless quit the state chairmanship race, which by all accounts he already had sewn up? The apparent answer is that Governor Lynch made it known that he wanted Buckley to step down, which in turn raises this question: Why did the Governor ax Buckley?.The answer is easy to surmise. If the allegations are “false” and “baseless” as Buckley claims, then there are no witnesses or physical evidence, which would have resulted in the pending criminal investigation being resolved in Buckley’s favor well in advance of the March 29th election for Democrat state chairman. In other words, porn-gate unlike phone-gate would have turned out to be a tempest in a tea pot. Presumably what happened is that when the Governor’s politicos asked Buckley the predictable question whether it was possible that he could be found guilty of any crimes and thereby embarrass the Governor if the Governor continued to support Buckley, Buckley did not answer in the negative. The question is whether this conversation with Buckley occurred at a time and in a manner that could have compromised the criminal investigation by tipping off Buckley and allowing him to destroy evidence..One report suggested that current Democrat state chairman Kathy Sullivan refused to say whether investigators had seized computers from state Democrat headquarters. Nonetheless, she did say that “Raymond will be exonerated, and I believe he will be vindicated of these politically motivated charges.” Pay attention to the words chosen by Attorney Sullivan. She clearly knows the substance of the allegations against Buckley and the identity of the alleger. This brings us back to the Governor.
Notable Quote. Let’s put him in charge.
For some as yet inexplicable reason, this quote, from one of my 5 all-time favorite movies, Conan the Barbarian, popped into my head today… Mongol General: "What is best in life?" Conan: "To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women." I dunno. I’ve always thought … Read more