Now Isn't That Interesting, Chapter 38

Like President, like Chief of Staff, I guess.

No sooner has Rahm Emanuel been elected Mayor of what was very recently his new place of residence than news has come about that a co-chair of his transition team had to resign over revelations she had to leave her old job due to ethics violations, according to Doug Powers (writing at Michelle Malkin's blog).

How interesting.  Just like a number of appointees in the Obama administration who had to resign over various skeletons in their respective closets, the soon-to-be Mayor has begun losing appointees.  Makes me wonder how many more will have to resign within the first year of Emanuel's administration.

Grassroots News Minute (February 25th)

Right from the Wisconsin playbook

Yesterday, in an effort to block Right-to-Work legislation here in Indiana, most of the House Democrat legislators in the General Assembly have left Indiana to another state, namely one with a Democrat Governor so as to prevent being returned to Indiana (according to The Indianapolis Star). 

Just like Senate Democrats in Wisconsin, Indiana House Democrats, led by Pat Bauer, are resorting to desperate measures to thwart good legislation, to the joy of their union masters.  Unfortunately, unlike Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker, Governor Mitch Daniels hasn't exactly shown a will to fight this battle with the Democrats, stating his opinion the Right-to-Work legislation should've been decided at a later time.

Now may not have been the right time for the legislation to be decided on, since our economic situation is not as dire as in Wisconsin and there are other matters needed to be dealt with here in Indiana, but the battle over the right to work has begun here in Indiana, whether Governor Daniels likes it or not, and he should stand with Speaker Brian Bosma and the Republican members of the House.  If the good guys in this fight back down now, Democrats could resort to similar measures on other bills they deeply oppose but cannot stop.

As Chicago Turns, The Soap Opera Ends

Buried amidst the news of the battles with the unions in Wisconsin and Indiana were the results of the mayoral race in Chicago last night, in which Rahm Emanuel, with 86% of the precincts reported, was declared the winner with 55%, more than enough to avoid a runoff election.

His closest competitor, it turned out, was Gery Chico, who had 24% and Carol Moseley Braun tied for third with 9%.  In other words, an uneventful finish to what had been largely an uneventful race, with a so-called resident of Chicago becoming the next Mayor.

Well, if there's a lesson to be had, it's this: don't watch soap operas; they're just not worth it!

I Support The Right To Work

During the past week, there's been a lot of coverage on the battle in the Wisconsin Senate over budget cuts, which has resulted in labor unions converging on the Statehouse in Madison in protest and counter-protests from Tea Partiers, as well as Democrat members of the Senate hiding in Illinois in order to stop Governor Scott Walker's agenda, and Governor Walker refusing to budge. 

This week, similar battles have begun in neighboring Ohio and here in Indiana.  In my state, the fight is over two pieces of legislation: one is HB 1468, which enables a worker to not have to join or pay dues to any union to keep their job, and the other is SB 575, which deals with the collective bargaining capabilities of teachers.  Today saw unions protesting these Right-to-Work bills in Indianapolis (although a Facebook friend of mine noted there weren't as many as projected).

First off, let me start by saying I stand with the efforts of legislators in my state and elsewhere to pass Right-to-Work legislation.  Over the years, I have seen how the labor unions use their bargaining power to screw businesses over while still looking like the heroic underdogs.  I see people like Richard Trumka and Andy Stern, and I see the real fat cats in America, not the business titans constantly maligned as such.

The individual states are facing severe economic problems and are attempting to solve them, while the labor unions (with the help of the Obama administration) are trying to stop the states from solving the problems.  These unions are not looking out for their members by their actions, but for themselves and their own nest eggs.  When it comes especially to the teachers' unions, Pamela Geller describes the situation so well just in the title of one of her blog posts alone: Free lunch vs. Free people.

Another reason I particularly support HB 1468 is the fact the bill enables me, as a worker, to decide for myself if I want to join a union or not.  The idea I would have to join a union in order to either keep my job or have a job brings about the rage of the inner libertarian in me.  I don't want to be told by some union thug I have to join his club or pay dues in order to keep working; that's unacceptable under any circumstances.

I stand with Governor Walker, with Governor John Kasich of Ohio, with the courageous legislators who have the spine to wage the fight to pass Right-to-Work legislation, and with my fellow Hoosiers, Ohioans, Wisconsinites and all other Americans committed to the right to work, committed to breaking the stranglehold of the labor unions, committed to independence and not dependence.

Ohhhhh Brother No. 34: The name's the thing!

What's in a name?  With this story, a helluva lot.

A government center in nearby Fort Wayne, Indiana is about to be renamed, and a majority voted online to rename the building after a former mayor of Fort Wayne from decades ago.  Of course, despite the vote for this former mayor, city officials have decided not to honor the wishes of the majority.  Why, you may ask?  The mayor's name was Harry Baals (pronounced balls).

That's right.  Harry Baals.  For some reason, city officials just don't like the idea of renaming a government building the Harry Baals Center.  I guess it's because it might make them look like fools, although since we're talking about a government building, it sounds great to me!  In any case, it's what the people want, so what's wrong with it?  The former mayor's son mentioned he was known as H.W., so why not name it the H.W. Baals Center?

Unsurprisingly, the story itself has found its way onto the national stage, as WANE-TV in Fort Wayne has reported (with much thanks to Wyatt Earp on the heads up), and apparently they're quite happy with all the national attention given to their city:

"Anytime we get an opportunity to let people know we're here, we're on the map, and what we're doing I think is a good thing," said Fort Wayne Deputy Mayor Beth Malloy.

This deputy Mayor has pie on her face from this story, and it's a good thing to her since it puts Fort Wayne on the map; ohhhhh brother!  The things bureaucrats say these days.

Happy Birthday, President Lincoln

(Note: I wrote this post one year ago today to pay tribute to our 16th President.  What I wrote then continues to describe accurately my own regard for the man.  Happy birthday, Mr. President.)

We reached our new home about the time the State came into the Union.  It was a wild region, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods.  There I grew up.        
- Abraham Lincoln on Indiana

To know our 16th President spent fourteen years of his life, the formative years of his life, in Indiana causes a bit of a surge in my Hoosier pride.  An individual uploaded a tribute video to Abraham Lincoln two years ago, and it's a wonderful tribute to one of our great Presidents:



One thing I still remember very clearly were the many portraits taken of Abraham Lincoln during the last six years of his life.  It was truly shocking to see how the job of President had taken such a toll on him, from looking like a man in his late forties when he took office in 1861 (he was 52 at the time) to looking like a frail old man in his sixties (he wasn't yet 56).  The Civil War, admittedly, heightened the burden, but it's no less shocking; only a strong-willed man could've handled the job ahead.  Thank God for Abraham Lincoln. 

(My deep thanks to Manny535 for creating this superb video)

Grassroots News Minute (February 11th)

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Governor, I wish you a happy 47th birthday, and may all your future birthdays turn out wonderful.  I thank you for everything you have done, and always remember you have the support of many people throughout America, including myself.  Happy birthday, ma'am, and God bless all of you.

And for everyone else, with today being Sarah Palin's 47th birthday, take a look at 47 Reasons Governor Palin is Qualified to Be President! (much thanks to Whitney Pitcher for the post)

(Cross-posted from Hoosiers For Sarah Palin)

Remembering A Hero

First of all, my deep thanks to Wayne Allyn Root for sharing the story on Facebook, and for myself, I don't understand why this story was lost in all the coverage of the latest updates coming out of Egypt.

Almost a month ago, a 13-year old Australian boy gave his life in an effort to save his family from rising flood waters.  Although described as not being able to swim and afraid of the water, the boy, Jordan Rice, went in to get his brother and mother out, and when rescuers arrived, he told them to “save my brother first”.  Sadly, after saving his brother, they were unable to save Jordan or his mother Donna, who let go of the tree she was holding onto to save her son when he was unable to hold on any longer.

While the rest of the world has seemed to have completely ignored what has been happening in Australia, thankfully Jordan and Donna are being remembered rightly as the heroes they were in their country, and there is also a Facebook page up for people to pay tribute to their actions.  My thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends, and the rescuers at Toowoomba (may any guilt they feel be lifted off their shoulders), as are those Australians affected by the floods.

May Jordan and Donna rest in peace, and may they never be forgotten.

Planned Parenthood Exposed In New York

It was proven in New Jersey and at multiple locations in Virginia, but in case you still want more proof, here's another example of Planned Parenthood workers aiding sex traffickers, this time in New York City.

Lila Rose of Live Action wrote about it at Big Government, and Live Action has the full footage available of the event which took place in the Bronx (as well as all of their undercover visits in New Jersey and Virginia).

It's horrifying as more and more evidence turns up exposing Planned Parenthood as an accessory in sex trafficking.  As Miss Rose puts it:

Planned Parenthood has poured millions of dollars (many of them taxpayer dollars) into carefully crafting a positive public image. They like to brand themselves as the “trusted provider of women’s health care.” But Planned Parenthood’s real agenda is emerging: in its daily operations, the organization is rigidly pro-abortion and pro-abuser, enabling the victimization of young girls by partnering with their abusers.

If you haven't bookmarked Live Action, do so; the information it possesses is nothing short of astounding.

“Implementation will continue”

I suppose I should've seen this coming; all of us opposed to President Obama's attempted takeover of the health care system should've seen this coming.  What outrages me a little bit about this is the scant attention given to this update.

Bill Wilson of Americans For Limited Government wrote at the blog NetRight Daily this past Monday:

On January 31st, when Judge Roger Vinson declared the individual mandate of ObamaCare to be unconstitutional, he also determined that the legislation could not be severed from the rest of the legislation, nullifying the entire law. This means that, unless and until a higher court stays or overturns Judge Vinson’s decision, ObamaCare is no longer the law of the land.

In other words, the implementation of ObamaCare should be stopping right now, yet three paragraphs later, Mr. Wilson related the response of the Obama administration:

Instead, the Obama Administration has responded with sheer arrogance. “Implementation will continue,” wrote White House Adviser Stephanie Cutter on the Administration’s blog. And surely it has. Call it the rule of Obama.

Yes, Mr. Wilson, that's what it is, the rule of Obama.  The ruling in Florida is a ruling coming from the highest court in the land to address ObamaCare to date, and that apparently hasn't stopped President Obama from continuing to impose government control of the nation's health care system.  This should serve as reason enough to say NO to four more years of Barack Obama come November of next year.

What I Got From Super Bowl XLV

I saw a hard-fought game between the Packers and the Steelers throughout.  It turned out much the same way as the NFC Championship between the Packers and the Bears, right down to even the ending.

There were more funny Super Bowl ads than last year (although there were a few ads I found to be either weird or just downright unfunny!).  Budweiser was 4-for-4 on its ads (especially the first two), Best Buy also had a good one, but the funniest for me came from Snickers: 

The Black Eyed Peas performed at the Super Bowl halftime show.  I didn't watch it (I'm no fan), but from the feedback I saw on Twitter, it was leaning more towards disappointment.  How about Sara Evans or Brad Paisley (or both)?  Is anybody at the NFL paying attention?

Finally, I was delighted at the Packers victory.  As I said before, it turned out a lot like the NFC Championship two weeks ago, where the Packers started out strong (at least in scoring) in the 1st half, but in the 3rd quarter, struggled against the Steelers' comeback.  Their offense, however, got their act together during the final quarter, ensuring a nail-biting end and a 31-25 victory.  Congratulations, Green Bay!

Thank You, Ronald Reagan

To start with, I don't know where to begin in writing a worthy tribute to Ronald Reagan on the occasion of his 100th birthday.  I've been having a hard time trying to come up with something decent, and with such excellent tributes written by Humberto Fontova, Michelle Malkin, and especially my former Congressman Mark Souder, it seems unnecessary for me to write one.  But Ronald Reagan was a great President and a good man; I feel like I owe him something.

What I can say about the man is well known to everybody; he was a good actor, a great speaker, a man of strong convictions, sound conservative principles, and a strong faith, one of the best Governors the state of California ever had (although not too many Californians have realized that, it seems), one of the finest Presidents in the 20th century (if not all time), one of the three major players responsible for bringing down the Evil Empire otherwise known as the Soviet Union, an eternally optimistic man who believed in the exceptionalism of Americans, and above all, a regular guy.

My earliest memories of President Reagan aren't much; just a warm, grandfatherly face, the face of somebody important (though I didn't knew how or why at the time). With what I've learned about him in the years since, I find the fact I was born during his first term as President as a point of pride.  I regard the the fact I am a Reagan Baby to be a badge of honor.  I thank God for placing Ronald Reagan at the right place and at the right time.

Thank you, President Reagan, for giving us the faith and optimism to resolve the problems we had to confront and have to confront now.  You will never be forgotten.

What do I expect from Super Bowl XLV?

Well, other than a hard-fought game between the Steelers and the Packers, I expect:

1. A lot of funny commercials.  Super Bowl XLIV was memorable for a shortage of truly funny commercials.  Except for a Doritos ad featuring a kid giving an ultimatum to her mom's beau and a Snickers ad featuring Betty White, I can't recall much at all by way of funny ads.  Very disappointing.
2. A decent halftime show.  Last year's show with The Who was truly disappointing, and has been the latest in a string of disappointing or just downright worthless shows which have been held during the halftime of the greatest football game to ever be played; the last time I enjoyed a halftime show was when Paul McCartney played there.  I don't know who will be playing at this year's show, but is it too much to ask for something good?
3. A Packers win.  For personal reasons, I'll be rooting for the Packers during the Super Bowl.  Hopefully, they'll do a better job in the 2nd half than they did in the NFC Championship against the Bears.  They played a solid 1st half in that game, then faltered somewhat in the 2nd half while still withstanding the Bears’ short-lived comeback.  The Steelers fared about the same during the AFC Championship against the Jets, but needless to say, the Steel Curtain is no pushover.  All the best to you guys in Green Bay; Go Packers!

I look forward to this year's Super Bowl!

Update (Feb. 7th, 11:54 AM EST): Thanks to a commenter, I realized I had made a mistake about when Randall Terry's graphic ads would air; they're supposed to air during next year's NFL playoffs.  I have since removed the section on Randall Terry, with my apologies.

Hoosiers For Sarah Palin: Our Time Of Choosing

I wrote this post at my new blog:

Hoosiers For Sarah Palin: Our Time Of Choosing

It's my 2¢ on Sarah's speech from last night which she gave at the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, on occasion of the Centennial Celebration of Ronald Reagan. If you haven't seen this speech, you need to SEE IT!

Reagan/Palin Appreciation Month

(This was posted originally at Hoosiers For Sarah Palin.)

If you're not aware, there is an effort to going on to remember our 40th President, Ronald Reagan, on his centennial, and our future President (God willing), Sarah Palin, known as Reagan/Palin Appreciation Month.

Begun as a response to the actions of some columnists in the media trying (and failing) to conduct a Palin-free month in their work, this effort has blossomed into a celebration of what both the late President and the former Governor were and are, what they have accomplished, and what they stand for.

If you wish to participate in this celebration, then please head over to this site and sign the petition.  If you also wish, you can send an e-mail requesting your blog to become a sponsor (just click on the button CONTACT PETITION SPONSOR featured below the list of sponsors to the right of the petition).

It's a great opportunity on this month to celebrate two great individuals, the Great Communicator and the Arctic Fox!

Planned Parenthood Exposed In Virginia

For some people who might think what happened at the Planned Parenthood facility in New Jersey was an isolated incident, take a look at this video of another PP facility in Richmond, Virginia, where a worker there does the exact same thing:



This isn't just isolated incidents being shown here; this is happening all over the nation at Planned Parenthood facilities, and it needs to stop.

Here's also a must-see video of Lila Rose speaking on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor (much thanks to the Susan B. Anthony List for the video):



Update (4:18 PM EST): There is more video footage of two other clinics in Roanoke and Charlottesville, Virginia from Live Action, which can be found at Big Government.

Planned Parenthood, Where's The Responsibility?

With the release of video footage taken at the Planned Parenthood clinic by Live Action, Planned Parenthood has tried to strike back by claiming the whole thing is a hoax.  Yet with the very recent firing by Planned Parenthood of the worker featured in the video footage, Lila Rose puts it best:

Why did PP fire her if they claim video is a "hoax" and they had already reported abuse?

Going through the article linked by Miss Rose, there was a section which caught my attention:

"If these visits are part of a ‘dirty tricks’ campaign, they must be condemned," said Stuart Schear, a Planned Parenthood federation vice president. "Falsely claiming sex trafficking to health professionals to advance a political agenda is an astoundingly cynical form of political activity."

Okay, so let's see if I get this right: the people at Planned Parenthood call what Live Action did a hoax, then reported the information to the Attorney General roughly two weeks after it happened, followed by the firing of the worker featured in the video just last night, and yet they condemn Live Action for “an astoundingly cynical form of political activity”?

If Planned Parenthood knew about possible underage sex abuse on the first day, why didn't they report it to the Attorney General on the first day?  Why wait approximately 13 days before reporting it?  Why fire the worker almost three weeks after it happened?  Judging by the video, the lack of obligation the worker felt in not reporting possible sex abuse and the delayed reaction of Planned Parenthood, I'd sooner suspect Planned Parenthood of trying to cover its bases amidst more scandal.

As Lila Rose also puts it: “PP, you can't have it both ways.”

Update (1:10 PM EST): Live Action released a statement on Planned Parenthood's recent actions.

Planned Parenthood Exposed (Again)

The pro-life group Live Action recently released video footage of a sting on a Planned Parenthood worker in New Jersey willing to help members of an underage sex ring, even going to the point of showing how to bypass regulations in order to get tested and have abortions:



Live Action has the unedited footage in two videos, totaling 22 minutes and 33 seconds: