- I was in Iraq when Katrina hit, I watched in horror as my fellow Americans were failed by a government that THEY had put their faith and trust in. The local and state governements failed them miserably. But the tragedy was a misplaced faith and trust in some entity providing everything. Hurricanes are tragic, as are tornadoes, earthquakes, etc. But they do not compare to being attacked by an enemy or facing death in a country far from home for 300 million strangers just because that is what you do. You want to create a Katrina victims memorial day? Go ahead. I would love the extra day off of work, as I am sure the post office and banks would. But, don’t water down the sacrifice of veterans. It is bad enough that the media wants to keep talking about all of our “mental health” as if every Veteran is one step short of an asylum. Which leads me to…

2. Veteran’s Day is NOT the time to talk about Mental Health

I am tired of people talking about the mental health of veterans and how we have been failed. Maybe we have, but the media is too intent on making out every veteran to part loon because they served in a combat zone. Or, are about to be deployed to a combat zone. Have we really got that soft as a society? Or is PTSD just a way to marginalize our veterans. I think it is becoming a margnialization. Pretty soon, we will say that someone is unfit to serve in office because they are a veteran and we al know what that means…cuckoo. Even IF PTSD is a huge issue, the media treats it as a gleeful way to market against the armed forces. “Support our Veterans” lets build more asylums. You want to support our veterans…

3. Supporting the Current VA Health System IS NOT Supporting Our Veterans

You want to pass national healthcare…we already have it. It is the VA healthcare system, where Doctors are underpaid and do it as a “service to their country,” where 90 year old Veterans have to ride a bus that a volunteer is driving to get to the local VA hospital to get surgery when they live two blocks from a hospital that pound for pound provides better care, where bureacracy lives and some guy in a cubicle decides whether you even get access or not.

Solution, give these veterans access to Tricare for Life, an insurance option that would allow them to go where ever they want or need to go. I don’t believe one DANGED Dem who says we can choose our own doctors under their plan. Why? If you won’t give a MOH winner the ability to choose HIS own Dr., you expect me to believe that you will let me or my neighbor choose? And if you will…doesn’t that speak to your priorities…

Thank a veteran, besides me, I did what alot of better people did. Answer a call. Now, I am fighting that we don’t hang up on those others who did.

So, we want the government to start regulating 4/5ths of our economy (Their number, not mine) based off a fear. Once again, net neutrality really comes down to the left wanting their nuggets for free. In other words, companies that invest in the infrastructure to bring highspeed internet to my home for $29/month really dont have the right to make or turn a profit?

Over and over again, Markham Erickson, Open Internet Coalition;  Paul Misener, Amazon.com; Derek Turner, Free Press; and Harold Feld, Public Knowledge talked about the Bell and Cable companies who were lobbying hard to prevent the consumer from getting products that they need.

Fundamentally at issue is who has a “right” to the internet. Roads are “free” because the government creates them, but even then there are toll roads. Why not have road neutrality and suspend all toll roads? Because investors (sometimes taxpayers, sometimes private companies) have invested in a product and need to get a return on their investment.

During the call, Derek Turner (also called Glenn Beck and AFP the fringe of society) talked about how there is no “real” competition among wireless companies. First, I can choose between five different carriers in my area. But, if I was in rural South Dakota, I may only have one or two choices. Why? Because I am out in the middle of nowhere and only one or two companies decided to invest in a tower for my service. But what if no one had invested? Do I still have a right to wireless service? No. Do I have a right to the internet? No. I like it, I am able to work remotely on it. But I don’t have an inalienable right to it. That is why I pay for it. So, if TimeWarner doesn’t want me going on some Torrent site for what I pay, I may have to pay a little extra. Or, find another ISP who doesn’t charge. I would still rather the decision be between me and my supplier than mother government. The same government that blocks FoxNews because it is an “entertainment” site and not a news site. Hmmm. Go figure.

In closing, the song and dance is the same. They say choice and competition because it sounds pretty and American. But, I like my current internet service and I like my current health plan so take your net neutrality and shove it. I don’t see the crisis here worth giving up more rights for the sake of “regulating” to make sure my rights stay the same.

Here is a story that presents the opposite argument, one about FedEx providing a service that USPS would never provide. A 7-year-old  little girl who needs to be flown to live her final months at home can’t pay the $11,000 bill. USPS doesn’t help them. FedEx does. Why? because capitalism isn’t the cold hearted beast that liberals portray it as. In fact, because FedEx is able to make a profit, they can afford to do things like this to ease the suffering of a little girl. I have no doubt that if the USPS could regulate UPS and FedEx out they would. In Fact, if they are allowed to run billions in the red consistently, they may well outprice FedEx and UPS out of the market as well. My wife’s business uses USPS because they are cheaper. That said, I also have NO doubt that USPS would not have shipped the little girl. Why?

1. It wasn’t necessary, she was being flown home to be with family not get a lifesaving operation. Compassion only counts for government bureaucrats when it saves lives!

2. The unions probably wouldn’t have allowed it. I am not just union bashing here. I just know union rules are often an impediment to charity. For example, performers are able to give their time freely for charity concerts, but most labels still require the musicians to be paid at union rates making the acts still unaffordable for most. Some performers, like Charlie Daniels pay their bands out of their pockets to make the concert free. Charlie Daniels usually pays over 100k for each overseas USO tour he has gone on! Others don’t. Should a musician be forced to participate in a charity event? No. Should they have the option? Yes. Seems that the uncompassionate ones are the unions not the companies. I would also note, it wasn’t UPS that came through either.

3. Government doesn’t care! They don’t. Humans care. Humans do great things. Government doesn’t care, never have, never will. Why not? Because some bureaucrat in DC cares more about the traffic on the way to work, getting Starbucks, and recycling their Starbucks cup than you. Their idea of compassion is how much they have enforced recycling in their cubicle or agency, not how many people they have actually helped. Don’t believe me? Try calling one of them…pick an agency, any one. Heck, does your local DMV care about your time. Ours put in a ticket system and thought they were doing me a favor because now I can wait an hour in a chair instead of in a line! And if that bureaucrat has happened to have a bad day? You might as well ask a telephone pole for help. Which leads me to…

4. Government is inefficient! Even if she would have gotten the flight on USPS. It would have been 3 months from now…you get the picture.

Echo Co. 3/47 INF(BCTB)

PV2 Martin, Jeremiah D.

Roster #336

5480 Rousch Blvd.

Building #3210

Ft. Benning, GA  31905

Here is my first letter to him:

Here are five values that I feel are of importance to all conservatives:

Dignity — We value real people over ideas and abstractions, that each life is precious and full of potential.

Liberty – We believe in a Creator-given right to freedom. Freedom to fulfill our potential, at whatever we choose; to build, create, and accomplish. Freedom for parents to raise their kids the best they know how. Freedom for communities to grow and prosper. Freedom for people to worship, speak, and act according to their conscience. Freedom to live and thrive.

Locality — Localize, don’t nationalize. Local government, local control, local choices, local accountability. Good government starts at home, where citizens are best able to participate in government and hold it accountable.

Community — We believe in the good of community and that freedom is the best environment for real and healthy community to form. It’s in the unity of many parts, resting on the harmony of social bonds, and not the uniformity of enforced equality, that makes a community. We believe our traditions–our accumulated wisdom, shared culture, collective identity, and living conversation with the past–deserve a place in our communities. The past is the starting point for the future; a thing to be improved and give direction for improvement. Just as a person cannot function without memory, a community cannot function without tradition.

Family — We believe in the goodness of family and the blessing of children. Strong families help make better people and better communities. The family is the cornerstone of society. 

These values are our foundation. Take care and keep the faith.

-Your Brother

Wow! If we could only use that logic for everything. I am sure that any criminal who has got caught would do things differently had they to do it over. I am sure that Bill Clinton might have done things differently, had he to do it over. I am sure that Germany would not have invaded Russia, if they had to do it over. And so on…and so on. Do you get the point?

All this is, is yet another attempt by the left to skirt responsibility. Obama has no responsibility for sitting in the church he did. If he had only known… Obama has no responsibility for any blunder going on by the administration. It is all Bushes fault… And now, no liberal jurist has any responsibility for racist statements they make. Because they don’t really mean it… I bet Senator Trent Lott wishes he could use that defense. At least Mel Gibson had the “I was drunk” defense. Sotomayor? Sober as anything and racist as everything. Period. Flat out racist.

ANY human being who says that as a result of their experiences because of the color of their skin, they are automatically better than others, they are racist. And, yes, I have known some racists in my lifetime. I have heard every excuse, but I will only deliberate on one:

I was working as a manager in a fast food restaurant in northern Georgia while I was going to college. One of my employees was racist. He hated black people. Why? When he was eight he watched 3 black men jump his single dad and beat him with a pipe. His dad was permanently made blind because of the accident. Leaving him to help earn money and watch out for his dad and younger brother. He recounted stories of when cashiers would try to gip his dad of his change. At a young age, he had to know how to pay attention. He was sixteen and had to work as many hours as the law would allow, because his family depended on him. He was young, bitter, and he hated black people. Through my two years working with him, I constantly tried to show him that he shouldn’t blame everyone of a different color because of something that happened that long ago. I tried to convince him that equality is great and being prejudicial is not the way to go. I never ever tolerated hateful speech or stereotyping from him. One of the last conversations we had was about experience. He said that if it was true that white people had better schools, better opportunities, and better jobs then why was it wrong to promote these over “others” since they have the better experiences. He would also cite the crime stats of black males, hispanics, etc. And state, that if they are bound to end up in jail, why not distrust them. I said that there are NO guarantees in life. Statistics don’t mean a thing. People that should succeed often don’t and those who seem destined to fail often rise to the top. I said, most people would discount a long haired redneck in an interview, but he became one of my better employees. Appearances and experiences don’t define us…what we do does because we all play by the same rules.

Sotomayor sounds a little too much like my employee. And she went to private schools, the best colleges, and has become wealthy. My employee had an “excuse” (it is never excusable) to feel the way he did. She just feels it because she can. And now she wants to ensure that we all have to play by different rules depending on our color? She is racist, she should have her nomination withdrawn. If this is “post-racial” politics, then what is the point for trying to mentor young people in equality? What example does that set for my daughters? She made a racist comment and should be held accountable.

I was doing some fact-checking research to see if nobody has ever escaped from a supermax prison. Well, while doing my research, I happened upon this little tidbit:

Supermax and Security Housing Unit (SHU) prisons generate controversy, as some claim^[3] that the living conditions in such facilities violate the United States Constitution, specifically, the Eighth Amendment’s proscription against “cruel and unusual” punishments. In 1996, a United Nations team assigned to investigate torture described SHU conditions as “inhuman and degrading”.^[4]

Inhuman and degrading? So, how will the United Nations and the world react to us closing Guatanamo and then moving these people into “torture chambers?” My guess, not well, so then the question becomes why in the heck do it?!

So, I was curious what the mortality rate of someone with the flu in a normal flu season was. According to the CDC 5-20% of our population gets the flu each year. Now, I used the high number, because most get the flu and don’t report it. Using the 20% figure, that means that 60 million people in the US get the flu each season. That makes the mortality rate for the flu in America equal to .06%! Six hundredths of a percent. Now, comparing that with the current stats of 642 cases and 2 deaths. (Yes, that increased by 200 overnight!) The current mortality rate for this flu is .31% just over 3 tenths of a percent! You are five times more likely to die from this virus than the normal flu virus, and BTW this is a mild strain. There is a reason that the WHO is teetering on level six reaction. The mortality rate is much worse for the international community. Taking the WHO data (which doesn’t account for the US spike) of 1519 confirmed cases and 30 deaths. That puts it at 1.97% a whopping 32.8 times that “36,000″ number. So, pardon me, while I am a little hesitant to chalk this up as “mass hysteria.”

It very well could be much ado about nothing. BUT…I have four small children, I am not willing to just trust the Department of Homeland security for their infinite guidance and wisdom! And, why don’t they use numbers we can understand so we can make up our own minds instead of having our minds made up for us by psychologists.

Jack French Kemp, Jr  (1935-2009)

My first involvement with politics was on the steering committee for Mr. Kemp’s 1988 presidential campaign.  This country would have been so much better off had he won that contest.

I admired Jack greatly and feel so sad at his passing.  He was a true patriot; he left a safe congressional seat to run for president because he believed in his ideas and felt they could make his country, which he loved, much better.  Personally, he was engaging, a great football fan but most importantly, a wonderful father, husband and friend to many. 

As for his politics, Jack had a positive vision.  He didn’t view government as a way to pick winners or losers; he decried the politics of envy.  He truly believed in an economy that lifted all boats, particularly for those who were born without much of a boat but who desired a share of the American Dream.  He strongly believed that the American economy is not a zero sum game – just because someone got rich doesn’t mean they took it from someone else.  He constantly preached that our economy is based upon the idea that investment is essential to lifting the poor out of poverty.

“What is most important is to give a hand up, not a handout”  This was one of his favorite expressions.  Also, “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach him to fish and he will eat for his whole life” – these also were some of his favorite expressions and he used them often in his speeches.

Several campaign pros have told me that Jack’s problem was that instead of raising money by making calls begging donors for cash, he would rather jet off and give a speech to an African American group or LaRaza. 

That, to me, was a badge of honor for Jack.  He absolutely believed in his ideas and felt that they could move people to his side; that’s why so many black and hispanic leaders will talk about him so positively.  It’s also a reason I respected him so much.

He absolutely believed that if the Republican Party was going to be successful, it would have to reach out to all people; it couldn’t just preach to the choir – it had to try to convince people that its ideas had currency and effectiveness. 

This is even more important today, where his beloved party is out of favor at the moment.  It is going through a soul searching, trying to decide whether to move toward the middle and become Democrat lite, favoring government influence or whether it will go back to its founding ideas in the worth of the individual and the power of individual entrepeneurship and private investment and free markets.

Jack’s push for tax cuts were all about the latter – he embraced and expanded upon supply side economics, which holds that incenting private investment by reducing tax rates would key economic growth and further investment which would create jobs, feed innovation and lift our standard of living.

How wonderful that Jack was able to see his ideas at least partially implemented by Ronald Reagan, which touched off an investment and technological boom that has transformed the world.  He was sad that the first President Bush derailed the Reagan revolution by agreeing to tax increases.  He was more sad that his Republican party during the late 90′s and second Bush administration went even further to the side of empowering and expanding government, although the Bush tax cuts were certainly a way station that keyed what economic growth we could muster after 9/11.

Jack was also misunderstood on immigration.  Many of my fellow conservatives were dismayed that he took the side of more immigration but that was a key element to his ideas.  He wasn’t afraid of competition; he believed, as in football, that competition made all perform better.  The US needs to welcome those from around the world who believe in free markets and competition.  He often spoke of the Russian cabdriver or Asian dry cleaners who worked hard and competed for their share of the American Dream – these were essential to the continued growth of America; not something to be feared.

Rest in Peace, Jack.  You deserved better than the country gave but you lived a wonderful life and I am proud to have known you and been inspired by you.  Condolences to your lovely and loving family.  We will all miss you.

 John Cox

 1. There is no vast conservative movement right now

The fact that there was no real ability, on our side, to organize a vast tea party movement is proof. Listen, people are spinning this like it was spontaneous and all grassroots. It was, but there were national groups trying to organize a national effort, and the fact that a majority of them failed to do so (many local people just did it on their own or ignored the nationals) is a testament to the fact that we just aren’t all singing to the same sheet movement.

2. The Obama administration is using this to their advantage.

Ok, so, why in the world would the Obama administration pepper us with Card Check, FOCA, budget, Bailouts, comprehensive immigration, all at the same time? Are they overreaching? NO! They are being brilliant, because they no that we are not all on the same page, and they know that if they open up multiple policy fronts on us, we can’t build a sustainable opposition (regardless of our members in Congress) to all of them. So, in their mind, they put up six items. They will sacrifice the one that gets the most opposition and get five through, a major victory for them and a Pyrrhic victory for the conservative movement.

3. There is no leader of the movement to help direct opposition.

This is a fact, and my “candidacy” (tongue in cheek) was aimed at pointing that out. Based on my hate mail, many didn’t get that. I don’t expect to be considered the leader of the conservative movement out of hand. I just want to showcase what, I think, a conservative opposition should look like. So, like it or hate it…at least I am trying to make sure that the inevitable pyrrhic victory doesn’t happen. Yes, it is tongue in cheek, but, on the other hand, I would love to see someone with clarity be able to run a counter campaign to what the administration is trying to do.

Every day, we have dozens of new groups and ideas popping up across the country. However, with no administration and an alarming duplication of efforts, many conservatives are already getting burned out and people and volunteers aren’t being positioned to be as effective as possible. Our research is faster, but if it weren’t for Drudge
or Twitter, many of us would be lost. We need a leader, a central force—someone without an immediate political agenda other than getting conservatives elected and expanding our movement.

It is with all of this in mind that I, Nathan Martin, am announcing my candidacy to be the leader of the conservative movement.

I formally ask for Rush’s endorsement . . . and all of your endorsements as well. In the next few weeks, I will be unveiling my platform, website . . . maybe some daisy commercials—and more importantly asking for all of your endorsements (votes). Many of those who do not know me may be asking, is this a joke? Nope—I am serious, and I will now outline the pluses and negatives before the media starts piling on.
 
Cons:

• I never volunteered for Reagan’s 1980 campaign. (Never mind that I wasn’t born…some DC elitist is bound to point it out.)

• I don’t have white hair.   (For some reason, this has become a pre-requisite)

• I am not a fat white guy

• I don’t live in Washington, DC

• I wasn’t a representative in the original Republican revolution (Though I was a “foot-soldier”:-)

Pros:

• I am an Iraq Veteran

• I am currently serving in the National Guard

• I am still married to my first wife and have four kids (I know, conservative leader who hasn’t been divorced . . . go figure. Maybe I should have listed this as a con?)

• I am actually a conservative (I know, it should be a given, but . . .)

• I can speak well and articulate our viewpoint without the use of electrical enhancements (teleprompter)

• I am not afraid of the MSM, nor do I crave their approval

• I don’t live in Washington, DC (Call it a bias, but anyone who lives within the DC region should be disqualified . . .
  but I digress)

• While I am a social conservative, a national security conservative, and a fiscal conservative, I can talk to all three segments without ticking off any of the three segments.

 
Anyways, I am ready to lead! Stay tuned for my platform. I look forward to a postive campaign and hope to earn your vote.