(You may want to read the WSJ editorial that inspired this post.)

Have you noticed all the news coverage of the war in Iraq lately? No?! Funny. Neither have I.

I remember not too very long ago national news was reporting deaths and casualties daily. When there were no soldiers lives that they could gloat over, they talked about Iraqi civilian deaths (even conveniently neglecting to mention when those civilians where, in fact, insurgent fighters or homicide bombers).

But in the last few months, those reports have disappeared. In fact, there haven’t been any major reports since the Iraqi army routed the Shiite militias in Basra and Sadr City. Their murderous leader, al Sadr, has resorted to hiding in Iran (which the media calls a “truce”). In May, the U.S. suffered the fewest casualties in any month since the war began five years ago.

The truth that the (big L) Liberal media does not what you to hear is that we are winning on all fronts in Iraq. The Iraqi government has finally started taking some responsibility. The Iraqi army is maturing and starting to fight its own battles. And all over Iraq, terrorists are losing. They’re losing in the streets and in the media (which is where their only hope for victory lies).

Why would the MSM not want you to know that? Elementary, my dear. It is because their darling, messianic, presidential candidate needs for us to be losing in Iraq for his moronic, cowardly, surrender and run policy to make any sense. Plain and simple. If you’re an anti-war nut-job, victory is bad for business.

Honestly, I don’t understand how anyone could be so blind. Yes, peace is a good thing. Yes, war is a bad thing. But anyone with half a brain should be able to see the lessons of December 7th and September 11th. If you don’t fight oppression and terror abroad, it WILL fight you at home.

It’s that time of year, boys and girls, when we gather around the charcoal pit, turn on the flood lights, flush two extra times, and leave our SUVs idling in the driveway. Yes, June 12th is Carbon Belch Day!

In response to the idiocy of the “carbon footprint” nazis, we, the intelligent few who recognize a poorly conceived conspiracy theory when we see it, are celebrating today by producing as much “climate changing” carbon dioxide as we can in a single day.

Read all about it at the official Carbon Belch Day website. You can even calculate your own personal belch. (Tammy and I combined will belch approximately 145 pounds of carbon today.)

And in honor of this great celebration, last night Katie helped me make a Carbon Belch Day video. Thanks, Katie!

And please don’t think that Carbon Belch Day in any way besmirches my parents’ wedding anniversary, which is also June 12th. Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!

You may have noticed my dad has become one of my most common commenters. One of his mantras has always been, “Think!” It sounds so simple, but it is really rare. So many people just don’t take the time to think things through and end up making poor decisions.

In the current political climate this is especially true. Be it McCain’s “reaching across the aisle”, Obama’s “change and hope”, or Clinton’s… well, just about anything Clinton says; all these things sound great on the surface, but if you scratch just a little deeper you’ll find huge, gaping holes in their “plans”.

Which brings us to this week’s white board quip from that venerable skeptic Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert).

That sounds entirely reasonable, at least until you think about it.
– Scott Adams

Danger Dave asks some poignant questions (and implies a lot of truth) on the media’s insistence that our economy is terrible despite the fact that is it still growing.

Clicky clicky.

[Edit: Just to clarify, this is not about cell phones. This is about personal freedom. Comments should answer the more general question posed in paragraph two.]

I’m going to pose a question to my audience. It is a contentious, divisive question. It may well spawn some comment wars. In truth, I kind of hope it does. Not that I’m encouraging angry “flame wars.” But I would like to see some lively (yet courteous) debate. “Why?” you might ask. Because I’m undecided on the issue and I want to see the pros and cons offered. That’s what debate is all about, right?

So here’s the issue: Where do we draw the line between personal freedom and responsible governance?

A community here in the DFW metroplex has proposed an ordinance making it a ticketable offense to use a cell phone while driving in a school zone. Talk radio is all ablaze with the personal freedom crowd attacking the city. They call it a slippery slope. They equate it to smoking bans in liberal cities on both coasts. Some have brought up seat belt and helmet laws in the same context.

However, I dare say that 99% of those bawling about the cell phone ban are in favor of banning abortion and most would prefer our government close it’s iron fist around illegal immigrants.

The difference between a cell phone ban and abortion is, admittedly, elementary. But what I want to know is where is the line? If helmet laws invade our personal rights, what about speed limits? Driver’s licenses? Vehicle taxes? If anti-smoking laws are draconian, why not legalize pot? Cocaine? Meth?

Let’s hear it? After a few days, I’ll come revisit the issue, give my opinion, and try to sort out the best points from both sides.

I’ve tried to leave this alone. I was sure that this would blow over and become non-news. But the events of the last week have been too ridiculous for me to ignore any longer. Thus, I’m forced to get out my old soap box and posit my proverbial two cents.

Let me start with a personal story. When I first moved to Colorado Springs (in 1997), I attended a “non-denominational” church a half mile from the college campus. It was great. Just the right kind of teaching and worship. Just the right kind of college group. I met several life-long friends there. I attended the church for several years. But one Sunday, something happened. The head pastor turned the pulpit over to a guy I had not heard of before, but learned much about later. This guy was one of the world’s leading Christian evolutionists. He taught both Sunday morning services, did a Q&A at the Sunday night service, and was “available for discussion” at the Wednesday night service. It was clear that the church leadership were all evolutionists. I was shocked and extremely disappointed. The pastor who’d been teaching me, guiding me through God’s word, entrusted with my relationship with God, had “come out” with a personal belief that I found completely unbiblical.

As I’ve said before, I’m a strict creationist. I don’t mean to say that this evolutionist pastor was going to burn in hell for his beliefs. However, it did mean that we had serious theological differences and I had a choice to make. I chose to leave the church. It was not a form of protest. It was not an emotional “I’ll show him.” It was a careful and prayerful decision. I could not continue to be shepherded by a man who had such a fundamentally different view of scripture.

With that said, let’s look at the current political mess. Bronco Bomber spent about 20 years attending a church led by a man who has made his views abundantly clear. I believe the good Reverend Wright would agree with the following list of, shall we say, derisive statements:

• Black Americans in the 21st century remain economically and politically enslaved to White America.¹
• There is a real possibility that AIDS was created and introduced into the black population by either a conspiracy of white Americans or the U.S. government as a tool to reduce and marginalize the black population in American.²
• The United States government has and continues to support terrorism through its support of the nation if Israel and other regimes.³
• Based on the statements above, white America and the U.S. government deserve any poor treatment that comes their way, including high taxation, “affirmative action” (a.k.a. reverse racism), and even the attacks of 9/11.⁴

Pastor Wrong has been attacked for these statements, but he insists these attacks are not personal. Instead they are attacks against the entire “black church”⁵. (Although, the black church seems to disagree.)

Now you would think that any intelligent person sitting in church listening to their pastor spew this kind of rebarbative poo would make the prayerful and careful decision to get the heck out of there and never come back.

The MSM, while keeping the story afloat, has handled it with kid gloves. You may, as I have, wonder why this hasn’t been a death blow to the Obama campaign, as an affiliation with the Klan would be the end of a white candidate’s campaign. Well, just listen to the first minute of this video, in which Rev. Wrong receives a standing ovation from the National Press Club. The press has not crucified Obama over this because the majority of the MSM agrees with Rev. Wrong. Heck, they love him!!

So why should Bronco Bomber be held liable for the vitriol of his pastor? It was not the Bomber up in that pulpit. Just because his pastor said it doesn’t mean that Bronco believes it. Or does it?

If you grew up in a church; if you, as an adult, have remained in a church for any length of time; you know how your pastor’s views become (if they weren’t already) your own. You can’t sit in the pews year after year under the tutelage of a pastor if you disagree with him on a deep level and certainly not if you find his teachings “appalling,” if they leave you “outraged” and “saddened.” You might give a pastor “the benefit of the doubt” for one or two sermons, but not for 20 years.

Your pastor is not an acquaintance, not an associate, not even an old friend. Your pastor is your shepherd, your teacher, your mentor, the person who shapes your beliefs, who guides your understanding of both your spiritual and physical worlds. (Even the good Rev. Wrong acknowledges this truth.⁶) Your pastor plays a major role in building your character and as we know (and as the MSM continues to deny) character matters.

That is why this story won’t die. And that is why, after months of hem-hawing around, the Bronco Bomber has officially filed for divorce from his pastor. This is political posturing at its worst. (Rev. Wrong called it for exactly what it was.⁷) I say it’s too little and 20 years too late.

____________________________________
In these YouTube references, you can skip to the time referenced by clicking the “pause” button and dragging the little disk left and right until the correct time displays in the counter on the right.
1- Reverend Jeremiah Wright National Press Club pt.3 (2:15-2:50, 3:35-5:14) (Notice all this is in the present tense.), Reverend Jeremiah Wright National Press Club pt.4 (5:05-5:35) (So who, Mr. Wright, is your enemy? Who put you in chains?)
2 – Reverend Jeremiah Wright National Press Club pt.5 (2:25-3:44)
3 – Obama’s Pastor: God Damn America – US To Blame For 9-11 (2:08-2:50)
4 – Reverend Jeremiah Wright National Press Club pt.4 (1:00-1:30, 6:55-9:15)
5 – Reverend Jeremiah Wright National Press Club pt.1 (6:10-6:30)
6 – Reverend Jeremiah Wright National Press Club pt.3 (3:14-3:33)
7 – Reverend Jeremiah Wright National Press Club pt.4 (5:42-6:45)

The MSM today picked up on the story about Bronco Bomber’s racist church pastor. It’s odd to me that this is hitting the presses now when the blogosphere beat this horse to death months ago.

Could it be that this story was pushed to the forefront by mysterious forces loyal to Hillary’s dying-a-slow-death campaign? Hmm. It only makes sense after getting her butt kicked in Mississippi and finding out that, despite the pep-rally, she actually lost Texas. This should give her a small boost in the polls, but I can’t imagine it will be enough to sway average Joe voters.

On the other hand, if pollsters are able to push this issue and get enough pro-Hillary pseudo-numbers into the press, it could stoke the fire for (or at least give an excuse for) the “super delegates” to back her at the national convention.

A wise man once said:

Ask not what your country can do for you.
Ask how much you will be forced to pay (under threat of imprisonment) for the things your country does for other people… lazy people who don’t have enough money to pay taxes.

That might not be exactly what he said, but it’s a rough paraphrase. And, in case you’re wondering, that wise man was a Democrat.

So the economic stimulus package is a done deal. Let’s take a look at what this really means for you and me.

The government is going to send you some money. The knee-jerk reaction is, “Woohoo! Free money!!” But, like your grandpa used to tell you, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The $150 billion dollars that Uncle George is dolling out is not coming from some store house of cash on the White House’s back lawn. It’s a tax rebate. Again, knee-jerk, “Wooho! Lower taxes!” Well, not really. Think of it more like an advance.

When you go to one of those check-cashing scams er… businesses, they advance you some money (that’s what intelligent people call a loan) and then when you get your actual paycheck, they take a slice out of it to cover what they loaned you, plus interest (sometimes a lot of interest). That’s what we’re about to experience.

Now, as for me, I stay away from loan sharks and thus avoid the mess all together. But Big Brother has made that decision for us. We don’t get the option of staying away. Imagine if Guido’s Cash Hut sent you a check with a little note. “Here’s $1000 for you. We’ll come by in twelve months to extract $1500 from you at gun point. No need to thank us. We live to serve.”

Surely our government is no Guido. Surely they have some good intention. Yes. They do. They want you to spend that money in order to buoy the economy. (I talked about this before.) But, when you think about it, what should you do with that check? What’s going to benefit your economy more? Should you go out and buy a big screen TV? Or should you wisely pay down your debt, even if this ends up just being a drop in the bucket? Or if your debt is under control or even nonexistent, you could put the money into a high-yield savings account or other investment.

“But Trint, it’s my responsibility as a patriotic American to help the economy by spending money I don’t have!” Of course it is. And when you get kicked out of your house for defaulting on your mortgage, I’m sure one call to the White House will solve everything. Good luck with that.

As for me, I’m probably going to open a high-yield account with mine. Then I’ll sit back and live the high life with that $50 a year in interest. Well… $42 actually. Can’t forget about those taxes.

[Edit: Thanks to RandyPants for the digg.]

I think a little self-congratulatory back patting is in order. If this was a horse race, I’d have just one the trifecta twice in a row! Well… almost. Stupid Virginia.

Here are my predictions for the race as of February 2nd:

Washington was close; much closer than I expected. In fact, if Huck presses his (completely valid) legal objections, Washington my be overturned. But for now, all I’ve missed is Virginia.

I won’t lie, losing those 60 VA delegates hurt Huck. But make no mistake, I’m still on the Huck-wagon. There is no way I can, in good conscience, support John McCain. In my mind, he has repeatedly betrayed the conservative republican base and there is nothing he can do to repair my opinion of him. He is and ever will be a RINO in my book.