'Mr. Gorbachev,Tear Down This Wall!'

25 years ago this:



Also,42 years ago my birthday.

The Neo-Cons Are Getting Nervous

From a very popular conservative blog,Atlas Shrugs:

There is a Paulian putsch underway. I have been receiving alarming emails concerning an underhanded, anti-American Paul coup at the GOP convention.
From Virginia: "I'm running for delegate to the RNC convention in Tampa.  There is a serious Paulbot infestation in the GOP here in Virginia.  I'm spending a lot of time at GOP apparatchik meetings.  I've gotten the endorsement of the Conservative Coalition (I was the top vote-getter) and usually that is enough but not this cycle."
I recently touched upon it here: Paulbots Sabatoge Another Republican Caucus - Atlas Shrugs, but it is much bigger than that. Paul is a dangerous, self-deluded man and his followers behave like occupy fascists.
I may not have been Romney's first supporter, but I am his last supporter and fierce. I would have preferred someone more conservative, but Romney is going to be the GOP candidate, and next to Obama, Romney is the Ronald Reagan. Obama and Ron Paul would split the freak vote. Paul's putsch must be stopped. Ron Paul supports a nuclear Iran and the abandoment of Israel. What is the RNC doing?

Pamela Geller,you are a mental gymnast to draw these conclusions.A man who supports an America first foreign policy is anti-American.Someone who is operating by the rules is underhanded and is trying to stage a coup.Plus his 'followers' (supporters) who operate by the same rules also 'behave like occupy fascists.'He never attacks his opponents personally,but he is dangerous and self-deluded.Yes,Ron Paul is a menace to society and must be stopped at all hazards.Please!

For this mental somersault,Pammy,you win the gold medal though,"next to Obama,Romney is the Ronald Reagan."Next to Obama,Bill Clinton bears a striking resemblance to 'The Gipper.'But take Mitt Romney and Ron Paul,stand them up against Reagan,then tell me who is more like Reagan,it 'ain't' Romney.

Maybe,Pam,Ron Paul isn't the one who is self-delusional here?

'1975 Reagan Speech Speaks'

I miss Ronald Reagan a lot.

Hat tip to The republican Mother.

John Hincley Wants To Be Known For More Than 'The Guy Who Tried To Kill Reagan'

John Hincley is more than a dirt bag who tried to kill the President of the United States.He wants the world to know that he "writes songs,plays guitar,and paints landscapes."

It seems to me that since John Hincley can compose his thoughts into a song,understand the correct chords to play on his guitar,and is able transmit the reality of a landscape unto a canvass with paint,that he would be well able to stand trial for his attempted murder of President Ronald Reagan.Then John Hincley could be known as the man who received justice for his actions.

'Ronald Reagan At Yale Saint Anthony Hall 1967'

With the exception of Ron Paul,I know of no other candidate for POTUS who could carry on a give and take conversation as Reagan did here so well.

Happy Birthday Ronald Reagan

Today is President Ronald Reagan's 101st birthday.I thought the best way to remember,'The Gipper',would be to see him at his ranch,doing what he loved,riding his horse.

God bless you,Ronald Reagan.

'What Conservative Movement?'

Verbatim post from Riehl World View:

Gary Bauer aside, Bush 43 was correct, there's more than enough evidence to conclude there is no genuine Conservative Movement in America today; mostly, it's a term of art to define a fairly lucrative industry. Had there been, there would have been no need for the Tea Party to rise up; there would be at least one, if not more top notch conservatives running for President this year and the self-professed leaders of said movement would be leading something, as opposed to running book clubs, now fatted institutions and selling speeches to anyone interested in hearing them discuss Republican politics and some ideals they, in large part, don't even fight for when it comes down to it.“What is this movement you keep talking about in the speech?” the president asked Latimer. Latimer explained that he meant the conservative movement — the movement that gave rise to groups like CPAC. Bush seemed perplexed. Latimer elaborated a bit more. Then Bush leaned forward, with a point to make. “Let me tell you something,” the president said. “I whupped Gary Bauer’s ass in 2000. So take out all this movement stuff. There is no movement.”h/t Erick Erickson for this in Time. My operating assumption for years has been that, for the most part, would be conservatives who rode Reagan's coat-tails to Washington have long been corrupted, at least in their thinking, as they've institutionalized themselves across so many foundations and think tanks now beholden to the same major funding mechanism that funds Republican politics. At this point, it's impossible to separate one from the other, though they'll continue to tell you they aren't one and the same. That's ridiculous. When an organization like the Heritage Foundation comes up with the underpinnings of Romneycare and now Obamacare, whether they've since backtracked, or not, what else is it that you really need to know?What Is a Conservative? Mitt Romney’s advance toward the Republican presidential nomination has provoked a lively conversation about what it means to be a conservative in America today. TIME asked a number of right-leaning thinkers to answer one of three questions to help define both their ideology and their challenges for the future.In fact, among those who chose to answer the question: Is there a crisis in the conservative movement? Reason's Nick Gillespie is by far the most honest and accurate, while making the most sense.At least since the election of St. Ronald Reagan, self-styled conservatives have repeatedly revealed themselves to be the biggest frauds or most delusional suckers in American politics. Conservatives ostensibly believe in limited government and individuals who are smart and moral enough to use voluntary associations and free markets to meet the needs of all God’s children. But under Reagan and, more recently, George W. Bush and a Republican Congress that spent like LBJ on a bourbon-fueled bender, they cheered an immense increase not just in federal outlays and borrowing but also in centralization of power in Washington.Before telling us that Mitt Romney is testament to the great success of Reaganite conservatism today - with a straight face, I hope - National Republicans Online editor Rich Lowry tells us there is no crisis in the movement today. Of course not, because there is no genuine movement and the only crisis that might gain Lowry's attention would be if NRO's donations took a nose dive. Does anyone believe Lowry is leading anything today that does anything but give Republicans a more right-leaning alternative to what progressive Democrats are trying to do at any point in time, as both parties ultimately combine to grow government and infringe upon the individual liberty of Americans? If Lowry leads anything, it's a shell game wrapped within a marketing scam based upon a brand he's all but destroyed.This isn’t a crisis; it’s a primary. A dispiriting one, to be sure, but it shouldn’t obscure the significant strengths of contemporary conservatism.Not that it matters a great deal, but I'm not ready to speculate on where things go from here for conservatives and to do so would make this post too long to be worth reading. It's something I want to think about and I would encourage other conservatives to think on it, too. But if the 2012 primary tells us anything, it is that, effectively, there is no genuine organized grassroots conservative movement in America today and the vast majority of those in Washington portrayed as leaders of some imagined conservative movement are little more than Republican Party toadies, more protective of and concerned with their place at the trough in Washington, than they are about advancing anything like genuine conservative ideas and ideals.

I agree with the all of the above except on one point,the conservative movement is alive and well with Ron Paul.Stop the whining,get back in the game,stop supporting frauds like Gingrich and Santorum,and vote for Ron Paul and give him as many delegates we can so he can lead a fight on the convention floor or just maybe a walk-out and let these frauds and hucksters have their precious GOP.

Ronald Reagan On Capitalism And Socialism

Their is no better way to get 2012 off to a good start than listening to the wit and wisdom of Ronald Reagan.

'Repo Men'

Kevin D. Williams:

On and on and on it goes: Sen. John Kerry invested aggressively in health-care companies while shaping health-care legislation. Rep. Spencer Bachus (R. Ala.) was a remarkably apt options trader during the days when he had a front-row seat to Congress’s deliberations on the unfolding financial crisis. The Obama administration poured billions of dollars into solar companies, of which the failed Solyndra is the most infamous. But a lot of that money went to other firms, including First Solar, which is owned by billionaire Obama supporter Ted Turner and by Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs is omnipresent. And during the financial crisis, a big piece of Goldman Sachs was bought by Warren Buffett, who stacked up a lot of cash when the government poured money into that struggling investment bank with the support of Barack Obama. When the federal government bought into Goldman Sachs, it negotiated for itself a 5 percent dividend. Warren Buffett got 10 percent — on top of the benefit of having Washington inundate his investment with great rippling streams of taxpayers’ money. Republicans are no saints, either, but Democrats were running the congressional show during such crucial episodes as the implementation of the bailouts and the health-care debate — which were big investment opportunities for political insiders with access to market-moving information. Congress has effectively exempted itself from insider-trading rules, not that the SEC would have the guts to go after a Senator Schumer or a Speaker Pelosi for these exploits. And that — not campaign contributions, not lobbying — is the really stinky petri dish of festering corruption at the nexus of Washington and Wall Street. You want a case for limited government? That’s it. And Wall Street is on the wrong side of the argument, which is one reason free-market conservatives should not romanticize the lords of finance.

These 'lords of finance' and there hench men in Washington are doing nothing less than raping their country.

Everyone is looking for another Reagan to set things straight.Maybe we should be looking for another Andrew Jackson to end the corruption that prevails in Washington and on Wall Street.

Extending Unemployment Insurance,Is In Reality A Tax On Employers

Via The American Spectator:

Another part of the bill would extend unemployment insurance.  My Cato Institute colleague Chris Edwards explains why this is bad policy:

any stimulus from UI benefits will be counteracted by the anti-stimulus of the higher taxes needed to pay for them. Many states have been raising their UI taxes on businesses in order to replenish their unemployment funds, and these tax increases are surely harming job creation.
Another negative effect of UI benefits is that they increase unemployment because they reduce the incentive for people to find work. Higher UI benefits delay the need for people to make tough choices about their careers, such as switching industries, taking lower pay, or moving to a different city. It's a basic rule that when the government subsidizes something, we get more of it.

Leave it to Congress to create more long-term problems with every step they take trying to deal with the economy.  This may be the most important argument on behalf of a policy of laissez faire.  Private markets are far from perfect.  But politicians always in every case make a bigger mess of things!

Ronald Reagan said it best,"government is not the solution,it is the problem."

'The Abject Failure Of The GOP'

From Frankenstein Government:

This GOP crew is the sorriest assed bunch I have seen in a long time. Even the GOP faithful know it. All the GOP faithful can manage to do is clench their teeth and hope anything is better than Obama. Like McCain.

Had the GOP lured Scott Walker or Chris Christie away- we might have had hope. The GOP and elections in general have in fact- become beauty contests. We are going to nominate another guy who pisses us off the least- the guy who comes off like a nice guy. A beauty contest winner and I don't see any way it is going to be anyone but Romney- the big weasel. And then we are going to get the same old results that we have always been getting- because we keep doing the same thing over and over again. The only guy that the GOP has put forward in my lifetime, a guy who had accomplished a great deal, a man of substance and courage, a man that was not a serial cheater, was Ronald Reagan. They still talk about him. Even blind squirrels find an acorn now and then.

I like to refer to this current GOP field as the Election From Hell Part II.When you thought that the original Election From Hell -the 2008 field- couldn't be any worse,then comes along its sequell -2012 field- sinking to new depths.

We are going to have to come to the cold honest truth,the GOP is never going to be the vehicle to change this country descent into the Abyss.In fact the GOP is part of the problem,they are Democratic-Lite.Name once since last years election has Boehner and company dug in their heels and told Obama and the Democrats no?You can't,it hasn't happened and won't happen.

The only answer is to leave the GOP behind and form a third party,to give this country a true choice between big government and smaller less intruisive government.

Remember,Ronald Reagan was a Democrat a one time.When asked why he left the Democratic party,Reagan would always retort,"the Democratic party left him."Well,the Republican party has left us conservatives and its time we found a new home,thats of our own making and all our own.

Obama Has Hit The Reset Button All The Way Back To 1979 With Iran

Iranian protesters storm the British embassy:

Trita Parsi, a U.S.-based expert on Iranian relations with the West said the attacks were very worrisome development.
"It is yet another sign that rather than permitting diplomacy to de-escalate the situation, tensions between Iran and the West are on the rise with Iran's continued nuclear work, sabotage, assassinations, sanctions and now the attack on the embassy," he told Reuters.

2011 has become 1979,with the exception that their is no Reagan waiting in the wings to set things right.

'Obama: "None Of Us Make It On Our Own" Without Government'

Obama:

"Now, I want to be very clear here. Nobody wants to punish success in America. The Republicans talk about class warfare. That’s — our goal is to make success available for everybody. What’s great about this country is you’ve got a good idea, you’ve got a service that nobody else has thought of, you know what, go out there, start a business. Make money. I want everybody out there to be rich. That’s great. Anybody in America should be able to make it if they try."

"But none of us make it on our own. Somebody — an outstanding entrepreneur like a Steve Jobs — somewhere along the line he had a teacher who helped inspire him. All those great Internet businesses wouldn’t have succeeded unless somebody had invested in the government research that helped to create the Internet. We don’t succeed on our own. We succeed because this country has, in previous generations, made investments that allow all of us to succeed."

Wrong,Wrong,Wrong!

Without private business's,like BBN Technologies,the Department of Defence would not have had the Internet to begin with,Mr. President.Its the other way around,without free markets the government wouldn't make it on its own.

The government,like most people is a consumer.Unlike individuals though,the government doesn't create or produce anything,and is totally dependent on what it can purchase from others.

Also,Steve Jobs wasn't inspired by a teacher or anyone else from the government.Steve Jobs was inspired by this man,the creator of Polaroid:

Steve Jobs idolized Edwin Land, and it's clear he learned a lot from him.

Like Jobs, Land dropped out of college. Like Jobs, Land obsessed about function and form. Like Jobs, Land scoffed at the idea of "market research." (Both men believed that consumers don't know what they want until they see it.)

As Ronald Reagan said,"government isn't the answer,it is the problem."

Imagine-John Lennon A Reagan Republican

According to John Lennon's personal assistant,Fred Seaman,Lennon was a fan of the "Gipper";

"John, basically, made it very clear that if he were an American he would vote for Reagan because he was really sour on (Democrat) Jimmy Carter.

Imagine that,a liberal pop icon,a conservative Republican,go figure.

"Conflicts Of Principle And Leadership"

A great post from,T L In Exile;

We need a leader, folks. We need to follow that person and give up some of our principles. We are going to need to fight back and that means collateral damage and that collateral damage is some of the stuff you value most. We can lose a little to gain more, or we can lose it all by the side of a pit, or deep within the bowels of a prison, eating with people we would not normally give the time of day.  We are going to have to do things with which we do not agree, or would otherwise consider beneath us


One of the biggest problem this country faces is the dearth of leadership on the right.Ever since Reagan left office his mantel of leadership has fallen to the ground and no one has been able to picked it up.Some have tried,most notably Newt Gingrich in 1994,but they all lacked the character that was necessary to wear such a heavy burden.
It is a burden that requires the fortitude of courage that will stand unbending against the hell and fury the left will surely bring as you tear their playhouse of big government down.

To assume the mantel of leadership one must have a undying faith.A faith that firmly believes in the course you have chosen.A faith in a God who will see to it that your country will find that course and get there with or without you.You must have faith in the people you lead.You must believe in their goodness even when they doubt that goodness themselves.Most importantly you must believe,without wavering,in our God given liberties,without which all of the above would be meaningless.

At this moment in history on the national scene the pickn's are slim where a leader is concerned.Oh we have Newt,the Huck,and Mitt and a host of others to choose from.When the fire gets hot these will cower and hide from it,but their is one who won't and she has already been tried by that fire.

Sarah Palin may not be the perfect candidate but she is our best hope at this moment to restore Constitutional government back to our country.She has many faults but cowardice is not one of them.Their is grit in her teeth and steel in her spine and she wont back down from any intimidation whatsoever.

Sarah has a libertarian streak that runs through her.She will root out corruption wherever she may find it,both on the right and left.Most importantly she believes our God given rights are none negotiable and government works best when it governs least.

She may not be perfect but she is our best hope.

30 Years Ago Today History Almost Changed

On this day,30 years ago,a man named John Hinkley almost changed history by attempting to assassinate President Ronald Reagan.

30 years ago we came within 2 inches to losing the Cold War!The economic "Malayaise" that began under Carter would have continued.The decline of the United States we were experiencing in the 70's,30 years ago today,would have continued and we,not the Soviet Union,may have wound up on the ash heap of history.

Thank God we didn't lose Ronald Reagan,30 years ago today.

Happy 100th Birthday President Ronald Reagan

God bless you,Mr. President,and thank you for your service to this great nation.

Though you have gone and inherited your reward,you are not forgotten.We still remember your wit and wisdom.Your ideal's are ever present with us,a undying belief in the unlimited potential of freemen to improve their own lives and the society in which they live,when left alone and unobstructed by government.

The greatness of a man cannot be measured in the day in which he lives,but only in the twilight and darkness of his passing can we judge the brightness of his star.Ronald Reagan's star shines brightly in the dark sky of history.

Remembering The Space Shuttle Challenger And Its Crew 25 Years Later

Most everyone who was alive this day 25 years ago can remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news that the space shuttle Challenger had exploded.It was a bitterly cold day and school was cancelled and I was home listening to the radio and they broke in and announced this terrible tragedy when I first heard the news.

As we remember this day,let us not just remember the event,but let us remember the brave souls that perished in this tragic event.Commander Franics R. (Dick) Scobee,Pilot Michael J. Smith,Mission specialists Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, and Judith A. Resnik,Payload specialists Gregory B. Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe,all brave and not forgotten.

No finer tribute can be paid to these daring modern day explorers,than the tribute President Ronald Reagan paid to them 25 years ago on the night that this tragedy occurred.