Monday, December 31, 2007

The Stampede Has Begun

An impressive list of Republican legislators have already chosen their candidate for Governor, FRED SMITH. These are people who worked with Fred Smith closely and know him well. They are exicted about the down to earth man who is the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination for Governor.



Ad that is running in major newspapers statewide
(click on thumbnail for full size ad)


Part of the reason that Fred is so well respected? His 2006 reelection where Fred carried 65 percent of the vote in a traditionally Democrat District in a really bad year for most Republicans. Polls found Smith's support included 42 percent of registered Democrats and 27 percent of black voters. These results were acknowledgment that Fred is a special person who connects with people because he cares.


Voter Fraud Expands

I just received a copy of an interesting email forwarded by a friend in California. The email is from the Democrat Party in the County of Los Angeles. With my background in computers, I found the email extremely discomforting. The way the voting system works in California, with its total lack of required identification, letting people register by email is another step in an ongoing campaign by Democrats to subvert the fair election of officials by citizens only. Voting on-line has already been touted and is being actively pursued.

The Democratic Party (which controls California) already allows any illegal alien to vote by permitting them to be registered when they get a drivers license. Contesting these phony voters was made a felony. That's right contesting them is the felony, not illegally voting. The estimates of the number of illegal aliens who vote in California is around a million, or nearly 10% of the active voters.

The email in question (shown below) talks about registering to vote by mail, but towards the end they also talk about the new Democrat Party system to register to vote online. The friend who forwarded it on to me used to be a Democrat, but left the party over their clear and blatant attempts to assure that illegal aliens were permitted to vote. Ronald Reagan used to say he did not leave the Democrat Party, it left him. It is hard to see how any patriot could continue to remain a part of a political party that actively promotes voting by illegal aliens.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

December 29, 2007

A Message from Eric C. Bauman, Chair of the
Los Angeles County Democratic Party

Status Quo Making You Sick?
Stick It To The Status Quo!
Sign Up to Vote By Mail...

It’s never been easier to stick up for your beliefs and fight the status quo.
Simply click the link below, complete the on-line application, or print it, sign it and stick it in the mail. Your ballot will arrive a few weeks before the election. Your application must be received by January 29, 2008.

No traffic. No lines. No excuses.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For Voters in Los Angeles County
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO VOTE BY MAIL ON-LINE
CLICK HERE TO BECOME A PERMANENT VOTER-BY-MAIL

For Voters Outside of Los Angeles County
OUTSIDE LA - CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO VOTE BY-MAIL

If you intend to vote by mail, your completed application must be received by the Voter Registrar's office no later than January 29, 2008. For more information about voting by mail in Los Angeles County. CLICK HERE.

If you have moved, changed your name or wish to change political party affiliation, you must reregister to vote no later than January 22, 2008, to be eligible to vote in the February 5 Presidential Primary Election.

To register to vote on-line, or to download a voter registration form CLICK HERE.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paid for by the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee (LACDP),
3550 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1203, Los Angeles, CA 90010.
FPPC # 744554 - FEC # C00300731

Not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee


It will not be too long before this Democrat campaign spreads to North Carolina. Governor Easley has already attempted to assure that illegal aliens get in-state tuition in our community colleges. The campaign to woo illegal alien voters into the Democrat Party has been under way for may years. Letting them vote is the next step.


Sunday, December 30, 2007

Bill Kristol Gets New York Times Op-Ed Slot

by Katha Pollitt - December 29th, 2007 - The Nation

Just shoot me. First, it was Sam Tanenhaus, conservative editor of the New York Times Book Review being put in charge of the News of the Week in Review section. That means one conservative will determine how politics, culture and ideas are covered in TWO of the most important sections of the supposedly liberal newspaper of record. Now, says the Huffington Post, the Times is set to announce that Bill Kristol will be writing a weekly op-ed column. That's Bill Kristol, Fox commentator, editor of the the Murdochian agitprop factory Weekly Standard, George W. Bush's propagandist in chief, co-founder of the Project for a New American Century, relentless promoter of the war in Iraq, ideological bully and thug.

This is typical of the outraged reaction among liberals over the fact that the New York Times is going to have ONE op-ed writer they call conservative. Kristol will not cover news for the Times. That will still be 100% in the hands of liberals. However on their op-ed page they are going to have ONE moderate writer. Wow! As noted the liberal press of our nation was already outraged that a conservative (in their view) had been allowed to be editor of the Book Review. Now they have a second they call conservative!

Key to how amusing is this outrage is that Kristol is not conservative. Conservative reaction has been along the lines of, why did they have to pick a moderate like Kristol? Why can't they get a real conservative like Mark Steyn or Charles Krauthammer?

It is going to be interesting to see if the New York Times can stop hemorrhaging readers. That is the major reason for this move. They are losing readers constantly, now being below a million distribution in a town of twenty million people. Plus people are starting to recognize they don't represent leadership in news or editorial reporting any longer. Too many episodes of reporters lying and inventing news, liberal biased news. If the world stopped thinking of them as the leading newspaper, they would drop another hundred thousand distribution in a flash.

Equally interesting will be to see if any other liberal dominated newspaper, magazine or TV network follows the lead, or whether this is just a token move because the Times is in so much trouble.

Almost all major city newspapers are in trouble. They don't seem to get the fact that 36% of Americans identify themselves as conservatives, 35% as moderates. Only 26% still think of themselves as liberals. Among news reporters, most come from the far left of that 26% liberal element. A large number are socialists and Marxists. More and more Americans are aware that the MSM does not represent them.

The Times now has ONE writer who represents the 35% of moderate Americans. That is at least an improvement. When are they going to even acknowledge the 36% that see themselves as conservatives, much less actually hire one for their newspaper? My best advice is "don't hold your breath!"


Friday, December 28, 2007

Social Conservatives Are “Mad as Hell”

by Paul Edwards - December 25th, 2007 - Townhall.com

Huckabee is not the fiscal conservative the Republican establishment would like. Horror of horrors, he has actually advocated using tax dollars to help the poor. Huckabee, it seems, actually applied what the Gospels say about our responsibility to the poor and suffering to tax policy in Arkansas. On issues like HIV/AIDS, the plight of the inner city poor, and education, Huckabee’s positions are admittedly more center left than center right. And while he believes in securing the border, Huckabee reminds us that there is lady standing in New York Harbor with a torch raised high beckoning ”your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” to come here, to the land of the free. Can we fault them when they actually do?

The Republican establishment has looked down its nose at social conservatives far too long, tolerating us because they need our votes. But now the tables are turned. The grass roots are looking up at the establishment with the will of a Lech Walesa, demanding that fiscal issues take a back seat to moral issues for a change. It’s long past time for the moral and social issues of our times to be given more than just lip service. It’s now time for our fiscal policies to be informed by our social policies rather than sacrificing our morality to our economic standing in the world.

Government goons are going to enforce moral policy? I have never looked down my nose at social conservatives as this writer claims and yet when I wrote him a private email to disagree with his socialist agenda, he would not discuss it without first insisting I acknowledge believing things I do not believe. I used to think I was a social conservative, mostly. But this writer is now claiming Social Conservatives are nothing but socialists. Where in the bible did Jesus Christ say it was okay to tax your neighbor to force them to do good works for the poor? When did the power of the state, armed goons, become the collection element in our tithing? What part of God granting "free will" does this writer not understand? His agenda is not Christian or even moral.

Socialism and government forced welfare are evil. If Social Conservatives have become socialists it is time to run them out of the party. The Republican Party, and the governing coalition it represents, is not and will not, become the party of socialism. If this writer, Paul Edwards, honestly thinks that it is okay to tax people to provide charity, might I agree he is "Mad as Hell". "Mad" as in one meaning of the word, insane. The Republican Party will never accept socialism as a part of our philosophy. If his views are really where these so-called Christians are going, they have not just proven themselves to be intolerant, the standard criticism of social conservatives. They have proven they have left both the church and conservative philosophy. I also feel they are making a mockery of what the bible says. This man is a pastor? Has he not participated in any of the many dialogs about the incompability of socialism and Christianity?

If this is the new agenda of the social conservatives, I would resign as a social conservative and suggest that we not just let them leave, but actively run them out of the party. Political power is not a goal in its own right. Embracing the evil of socialism is not what the Republican Party is about. I just added Huckabee to my list of candidates I will not support. And I added this writer to my list of socialist writers. I will not be reading him for advice but solely to argue against him. If social conservatives require we become socialists to retain their votes, I personally would rather lose elections.

However I don't think that is necessary because I don't think that is what most social conservatives really want. Conservatism, even social conservatism, starts with freedom, not tyranny. This writer is off the reservation.


Thursday, December 27, 2007

At The Foggy Bottom Of The Iraq Story

by Michael Ledeen - December 27th, 2007 - New York Sun

When we went into Iraq, the spooks and diplomats argued repeatedly that the Iranians were not acting against us, only to discover that they were in fact up to their necks in Coalition blood. And the best that can be said about their assessments of Iran's nuclear program is that they expressed high confidence in 2005 that Iran was trying to make nukes, and two years later expressed high confidence that Iran had stopped trying.

It is pretty clear that our state department and a large element of the CIA continue to be dedicated to goals that are opposed to our national interests. They consistengly espouse opinions and positions that are consistent with global socialists. The MSM media of course always quotes these anti-American dilpomats and spys, as pointed out in the difference between the page one article and the page fourteen article discussed by Michael Ledeen.

Every American who loves out nation needs to start demanding that the people who consistently tout the global socialist positions be removed from our state department and spy network. It is clear they are not misguided. Like the communists of the 50s and 60s, they are actual traitors to America.


If Blacks Want Status Quo,
They Should Continue Voting For Dems

by Donald Anderson - December 25th, 2007 - Daily Advance

Many black children across America are stuck in failing schools and do not have the economic means to acquire a private school education. Vouchers, which blacks highly support, is one answer to that dilemma. Blacks do not oppose public schools, but cannot accept their continued failure. Democrats are opposed to vouchers and this is not helping our kids when they need it most— which is now!

Mr. Raines' arguments fail to make a case for why most blacks should continue to vote Democrat and accept the same old, same old, for anther 50 years.

Interesting article. I still remain confused at the willingness of so many blacks to insist that being Republican makes you a racist but being a democrat means you are not. It has been my experience that only about 1 in 50 blacks in America are aware that Everrett Dirksen (a Republican) wrote the 1964 Civil Rights Bill and that more Republicans than Democrats voted for it. Maybe this is changing. We are not interested in getting liberal blacks to vote Republican. However it does not seem reasonable for conservative blacks to continue to vote for a party that is opposed to everything they believe. We welcome conservative blacks to the party of the American Dream.


GOP's Last Man Standing

by Robert Novak - December 27th, 2007 - Real Clear Politics

If Romney loses to Huckabee in Iowa, he becomes vulnerable to McCain in New Hampshire. If McCain wins there, he will be favored to sweep through subsequent primaries despite meager finances and organization.

This scenario does not connote a late-blooming affection for McCain among the party faithful. Indeed, he remains suspect to them on global warming, stem cell research, tax policy and immigration controls, not to mention his original sin of campaign finance reform (with authorship of the McCain-Feingold Act). Rather, his nomination would result from him being the last man standing, with all other candidates falling.

It is only the fact that Robert Novak is so often wrong that this prediction gives me some hope. I was just as concerned when Bob Steinburg, our Edenton sage, predicted McCain's victory a couple of days ago. (You can check out Bob's thoughts and my reaction here.)

I have not changed my mind. John McCain is not fit to be President. An angry old man, his major claim to fame, the torture he endured as a POW in the Vietnam War, has left him both a hero and unhinged. I can admire him as a soldier without thinking that he should ever be in a position of power over our nation.

John McCain frightens me.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Ladies' Choice

by Dana Goldstein - December 26th, 2007 - The New Republic

For Barack Obama, it has all come down to the mommies.

Hillary Clinton's commanding lead among Democratic women--as high as 20 points in some nationwide polls--has long been cited as a strength Obama can't overcome. A November Zogby poll found that nationwide, Clinton's 11 percent advantage over Obama was due entirely to her 18 percent lead among women.

But in recent weeks, Obama brought female voters into his column as he pulled even with Clinton in the early primary states. The Des Moines Register's December 1 Iowa poll showed Obama not only winning the overall race by a narrow margin, but for the first time beating Clinton among women, 31 to 26 percent. As the air of inevitability around Clinton vanishes, so does her lock on female voters. And the Obama campaign is trying to lock down his new supporters with a very special appeal to the peacenik earth mother it apparently believes is lurking within every woman (or at least every Democratic primary voter).

This is an interesting article. What women want has been debated since they earned the right to vote through the 19th Amendment in 1920. This still surprises many men, to think how recently women were allowed equality in the right to vote. They have not even had the right to vote for 100 years yet. That is the blink of an eye in the history of mankind. It is actually an indication that for almost half of the life of our nation, women were only indirectly allowed a say in government. No matter how influential they were with their husbands, the secrecy of the ballot box assured that ultimately men did what they wanted and were not accountable for the discussions they had with their wives. You have to be somewhat sympathetic to that due to the past injustice.

Yet one of the most egregious examples of new evil in trying to level the playing field is the injustices that have been perpetrated under a bill called Title Nine Sports. Men have been denied participation in sports where they are willing to compete without compensation due to the insistence that women in equal numbers had to be found to also participate in some sport. The problem is there are not enough women who have an interest in sports. We have gone from a situation where women who were interested in sports were not given an opportunity to where men who are interested in sports are denied opportunity because of women demanding an equality that is not equal. How is the second evil less egregious than the first?

Today, there are a large number of women who determinedly believe that unless and until some woman is voted into being President, they are still second class citizens. The evil in this idea is that they will vote for almost anyone, no matter how corrupt, to make sure a women wins.

The current idea that among those who have decided on a candidate, Obama leads Clinton, ignores the fact that almost half of the democrat women voters are still failing to state a choice. The polls that indicate a leaning (something that has long predicted the ultimate choice that happens when people go into a voting booth) still gives the overwhelming lead to Clinton. That intangible idea, that it is time for a woman to be on top, will give Clinton a big edge.

However Clinton could not be a worse choice for the first woman President. She has ridden her husband's coat tails throughout her career. Her victory will permanently enshrine the idea that a woman cannot stand on her own, but has to use a man to get ahead. There has already been a huge increase in oral sex in America due to the dysfunctional relationship proved by Hillary "standing by her man" when he cheated in the Lewinsky matter. Young women got the message.

Hillary Clinton is not a good choice to be the first woman President. I wonder whether women see that through their still unhealthy belief that they have to get special rights and hold men back, like they do in Title Nine Sports, in order to be equal. This attitude is not a good sign. Neither is their support for Hillary.


Gloomy Signs For Holiday Sales

by Staff - December 25th, 2007 - CBS News (AP)

A broad gauge of consumer spending released by MasterCard Inc., which includes estimates for spending by cash and checks, showed a modest 2.4 percent increase in holiday spending, excluding gasoline and auto sales.

[snip]

"It's a continuation of a slowing trend we've been monitoring for two years," McNamara said.

Outrageous!

2.4% GROWTH would have been touted as robust growth during the Clinton Pesidency, especially since they had to exclude gasoline and auto sales to get it that low. Even the minor recession during the last two years of Clinton was explained as a good economy, despite the Internet bubble busting which ended Clinton's lucky economy. The Clinton contribution to that collapse was never mentioned. The press ingored it because they didn't want to hurt Gore's chances in the election.


What is the difference today? We have a Republican President and the MSM wants a democrat elected so they are doom saying everything to make it sound like the world is coming to an end even when things keep moving ahead. Economic growth is slowing but it is still GROWING! It is hard to do grow faster when we have close to full employement.

Total growth, including fuel, shows GDP growing at 3% and core inflation at 2%. Both are good numbers. Trying to convince the American people times are bad is simply proof of what a contemptible group of liars populate the MSM. No matter what the numbers they will be downplayed for all of the next year. 2008 will be doom and gloom until a democrat is elected. Just watch.


Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Hillary's First Day Goal
- Increase Abortions

On Christmas Eve the Presidential candidate that put up a "Christmas Card" Ad mocking the purpose of Christmas, touted her first day goals in the office she plans to win. Increasing abortions by making sure that abortion advocates get government funding was one of those shocking goals.

The socialist list of government entitlement programs listed in her "Christmas Card" to the American people should have been frightening enough. Her repeated claim that she plans to increase taxes is another example that this lady has never been a "moderate", the label she campaigns under. All signs indicate she remains the extreme socialist she herself claimed she was in her college days.

Her second shocking first day goal? Passing legislation funding embryonic stem-cell research. Every single successful medical treatment developed so far using stem-cells has been based on adult stem-cells, NOT embryonic stem-cells. In addition, a major scientific breakthrough was recently announced that eliminates the need for embryonic stem-cells, as the same stem-cells can now be created using human skin (click
here for the article covering that breakthrough). However Hillary does not care if there is no value in killing embryos to get stem-cells. Her goal, it is clear, is to insult Christians concerned about when life begins.

The claims above are covered in a pro-Hillary article in the Concord Monitor (Concord, New Hampshire) for which she was interviewed. She spends a significant portion of the interview, "Agenda will be clear from day one", defending her plans to promote same sex marriage. You can read the rest of the article by clicking on the title above or
here.

by Sarah Liebowitz - December 24th, 2007 - Concord Monitor

For Hillary Clinton, it's none too soon to begin contemplating her potential first days in the Oval Office. "I don't think it's presumptuous; I think that it is sensible to say I intend to be elected president, I'm going to run a winning campaign against the Republicans, and here are some of the things I'm going to do on day one, day two, day three," Clinton said in an interview with Monitor editors and reporters Friday.

Hillary thinks she is going to win. She also thinks that government is all about redistribution of wealth. Though socialism has failed everywhere it has been tried, this egotistical candidate makes it clear she thinks it is because she didn't control it. Though she failed her bar exams on the first try, she still proclaims she is the smartest person in the world, always by having supporters make the claim for her. No failure is ever her responsibility. Her role in her husbands administration was to find others to blame. The experience she proudly touts was primarily handling the PR fallout from his "bimbo" eruptions. If she wins . . her Presidency will be the biggest disaster in our history.


Monday, December 24, 2007

A Different Christmas Poem

This was forwarded to me in an email from a friend. The originator, and I assume the author of the poem, was indicated as LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN 30th Naval Construction Regiment OIC, Logistics Cell One, Al Taqqadum , Iraq. Thank you sir. The poem is quite moving. And thank you also for your service. Merry Christmas.


The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?", I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here.
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve.

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light.
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me."
"I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,'
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
"My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile."
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home."
"I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother."
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?

It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.

To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long."
"For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.

Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."


I recently had the pleasure of meeting Michael Reagan, President Reagan's son. In an interview I watched him give he proclaimed how proud he was of our young men and women in Iraq. After describing their character and courage he observed, "With young people like these, our nation is in good hands."

I agree! God bless them in this season of love.



Sunday, December 23, 2007

FARC's Real Aim: Ending Democracy

Editorial - December 21st, 2007 - Investor's Business Daily

Terror: International pressure is building on Colombia to negotiate with FARC terrorists to free hostages. But that's just emboldening these killers. They now demand an end to democracy.

The Islamo-fascists are not the only forces of socialism that are hostile to America. We also have the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC - for the Spanish equivalent) who are the enemies of America. However these enemies have defenders here in America and in the capitals of Europe.

To some extent the desire of George Bush to not name the groups but simply bundle them all together by their tactic of "terror" is interesting. I have a slightly different take on this though. What I feel groups them together is their love of socialism.

We need to recognize that America is under attack from the global socialist movement as well as the global Islamo-fascist movement. Both seek socialism as the new economic order. The socialist movement has open defenders such as U.S. Democrat congressmen from Massachusetts, Bill Delahunt and Jim McGovern. It is curious how they defend people who kill others, like the FARC extremists, yet claim they are exempt from being criticized for what FARC does. The press allows them this double standard, but it is frightening because of the history our nation experienced during the 50s with communism. This is not the first time we have people who seek our destruction yet claim they are just defending the poor and pretend they are not working together.

You should keep watch on both the FARC actions in Columbia and the socialists here in America. They are part of the same evil conspiracy to undermine our nation and establish a socialist world order. Chavez, Castro and others (including democrats here at home) are supporting FARC. It is amazing how American socialists are never held accountable for the actions of their cohorts overseas.


Questions And Doubts In A Texas Shooting Case

by Ralph Blumenthal - December 23rd, 2007 - New York Times

PASADENA, Tex. — Even before the police called the night of Nov. 14, Stephanie Storey said, she knew that her fiancé of two days, Miguel Antonio DeJesus, was dead.

She knew it, Ms. Storey said, because she had not been able to reach him all day, and because she was watching the news at 9 o’clock when she saw his body.

It was lying on a front lawn decorated for Christmas in a middle-class subdivision in this Houston suburb ringed by refineries, not far from the body of his sometime construction partner and childhood friend from Cali, Colombia, Diego Ortiz.

Both men, illegal immigrants, one with a prison record, had been riddled with shotgun pellets fired by a retired computer manager, Joe Horn, who called 911 that Wednesday about 2 p.m. to say he was watching them break into the house next door. “I’m not going to let them get away with it,” he told the emergency operator. “I’m going to shoot.”


Oh Boo Hoo! Two criminals are defended by the New York Times. One criminal was sentenced to 25 years and then let out after only 5 years. He was ordered deported but 8 years later he is still here. If he had left our nation he would not have been in a situation to rob Horn's next door neighbors and get himself shot dead. You also have to note, the two criminals came onto Horn's property too, while still in the act of committing a crime. At what point does their conduct reach a level that the New York Times (and fellow liberal-democrat sympathizers with these criminals) concede they no longer have rights. After they kill somebody?

The only question I see is what award should we give to Horn for taking action when our government is so clearly unwilling to protect us?


A Nation Of Dim Bulbs

Environmentalists Abuse Eastern North Carolina.

Do you use a light bulb to keep your well house from freezing? A huge number of rural residents in Eastern North Carolina do. Environmentalists just decided you need to spend a fortune for a heater as the light bulbs that warm your well house were just banned!

And with all of the concern about mercury, environmentalists just decided that mercury is not that big a deal if they want mercury in your home. The new lights you will have to buy for your home are based on mercury and under careless handling can kill your kids. If a bulb breaks you have to open the windows and leave the house or mercury poisoning is almost certain. This article trys to blame passage of the bill on George Bush (You know everything is his fault!) but in reality it is the socialist agenda of democrat special interest groups that got this passed.

Thank you democrats.


by Andrew Ferguson - December 31st, 2007 (Publicantion Date) - The Weekly Standard

American environmental groups have long called for an outright national ban on the old-fashioned bulbs. But then they came to the realization, as a spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council told the New York Times this spring, that such a ban might "anger consumers." "We've given up a sound bite, 'ban the incandescent,'" the spokesman said.

People wonder why I am so outraged at our cavalier willingness to tolerate the tyranny of the democrat party socialist agenda. This is a great example. Many people's lives will be harmed by this nonsense. Enviromentalists have actually tried to have laws passed making the manufacturer of a standard light bulb a crime. They finally settled on a stealth process of "standards" to accomplish secretly what they could not get people to support . . . . since what they want is so stupid.

Tyranny comes in many flavors and this is one of the small but critcal examples of the evil that creeps into life when democrat pressure groups get their way.


Saturday, December 22, 2007

Top News Story: Virginia Tech Killings

David Crary - December 20th, 2007 - Yahoo News (Associated Press)

NEW YORK - The massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech by a mentally disturbed student gunman was chosen the top story of 2007 by U.S. editors and news directors in The Associated Press' annual vote.

The rampage, which prompted colleges nationwide to reassess their emergency response systems, received 82 first-place votes out of 271 ballots cast for the top 10 stories.

The mortgage crisis, which roiled the U.S. housing market, was the No. 2 story, and the war in Iraq placed third.

Is there any reason to doubt the irrelevance of the MSM? Like my story below on Rielle Hunter, their choices of top news stories for the year is proof positive the MSM is biased against our nation. Our political campaign to choose the most powerful leader in the world is considered to be the eighth most important story. What? Well of course the democrats are not looking too good in their campaign, so lets not make too big a deal about that story, right?

The Iraq front in the war with the Islamo-fascists is story number three? Of course it is not number one since we are doing so well they cannot portray this as America losing. Therefore the MSM has lost interest in that story too.


My favorite part of the story?
Among stories about pop culture celebrities, the saga surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith got the most votes, finishing in 32nd place ahead of such stories as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the departure of Tony Blair as British prime minister, and the military crackdown in Myanmar.

"Anyone who picks the Anna Nicole Smith story in the Top Ten should be beaten with sticks," commented Mike Bailey, managing editor of The Courier News in Elgin, Ill.


Mr. Bailey, I agree! However I am not sure anything about the voting results reflects favorably on your industry.


Who Is Rielle Hunter?

Good morning folks. It is Saturday and this week has been a long one. Some friends have complained that I am not keeping up the blogs like I should. I have to admit that recently in the mornings and evenings, the times when I used to take a break and work on the blogs, I find I am still working on computer work and politics instead. My blogs are the most fun thing I do so missing them is not because I want to. Work is simply piling up, usually work on the campaign for congress.

One thing that is clear is that some things have happened in the world recently that I am just catching up on today. I have been reading constantly for two hours and there is much to think about going on in the world. As I go through the process of deciding what to blog about on these early mornings I usually have seen one story to focus on by now. It will usually have a common attribute, both the liberal and conservative blogs I read, as well as the major Internet news sites I visit, will be focusing on it. Or it will be an important analysis by one of my favorite writers. Today an article caught my attention by a writer I don't usually follow, but which fit into my concern that I have not been keeping up with the world since I have not had time to read the Internet news sites lately.

Mickey Kaus wrote an article entitled
"News and Undernews" on the Internet news site "Slate". The article is all about the revelation that I had around the start of the new millennium. That revelation? The New York Times and the Washington Post are pathological liars. People who rely on these two papers for their news do not have a clue what is happening in the world. People who read these are people who think of themselves as our intellectual leaders, but today they are totally ignorant and refuse to admit it. They are simply in denial. Even worse are the people who get their news from one of the prime time TV news programs, arguing that they just don't have time to read a major newspaper from cover to cover, but that TV news will keep them informed. (Can there really be any credible argument the MSM, especially TV, is not lying to them? The proof has been offered so many times they have to have heard it at some point.)

The proof offered in Mickey Kaus' article is the name "Rielle Hunter". Haven't heard of her? Then you probably are not a regular reader of the Internet, nor get your news from talk radio. John Edward's purported mistress and who made her pregnant has been a major topic this last few days. It is not directly an article that I think important. My problem is that though I am a conservative, I am simply not surprised that democrats would cheat on their wives. Even a wife that has proved her dedication the way Edwards wife has supposedly done.

Some wives are not married to these men for the usual reasons of love and loyalty, but are themselves enamored of the power that politics can confer. They don't care if their husbands cheat as long as they are powerful. My personal opinion is that Hillary Clinton shares this indifference to a husband who cheats as long as she gets to be a part of the governing process.

However this is really off the point of Kaus' article. His key point is that today, there are two Americas. One America gets its news from the Internet, where articles are exhaustively analyzed and dissected, and one America still gets its news from the MSM, where lies and omissions are standard. One America knows what the DailyKos is, and reads it (as I do) even when the political slant is anathema, just to know what the other side is saying. The other America may agree politically with the DailyKos but not have a clue what they are covering. They are therefore uninformed.

Both ends of the political spectrum, liberal and conservative, are represented on the Internet, but only liberals are represented in the MSM. The Internet started off overwhelmingly libertarian. Then conservatives joined in. Now liberals are represented. The only discussions that are worthwhile are going on there. It is wide open and many views are expressed. Conversely, the MSM is so cloistered and controlled that listening to them is a waste of time. However a question that concerns me is where are the moderates?

Moderates unfortunately primarily listen to and read the MSM and therefor only get the liberal view. That is actually the concern I have about Mickey Kaus' point. The political spectrum is more complicated than liberals (democrats) and conservatives (Republicans). That is proved by the fact that though most people self identify as conservatives (36%), self identified moderates (35%) out number liberals (26%) and some refuse to say or don't have a position at all (3%).

Moderates are mostly democrats or independents. However they are led by liberals since the democrat party leadership is overwhelmingly liberal and they get their news from a liberal dominated media.

Where does that leave a party that is mostly conservative of some flavor? The Republican Party is said to be composed of three main groupings; fiscal conservatives, social conservatives and libertarians. Even that can be misleading as people have opinions on different issues that are rarely consistent with a single group. Ronald Reagan himself, a man who really studied politics and understood the definitions well, called himself a libertarian-conservative. He recognized the complexity of the breakdowns even as he used the process to push an agenda that crossed many of the groupings. Some people today who call themselves Ronald Reagan Republicans are far from Reagan on some of the issues he supported.

This gets us back to Rielle Hunter. Without any concern for what the parties stand for, her situation will affect the election outcome of someone who has to understand our nation to govern. If you are getting your news from the MSM, you have not heard of her, and yet the decision of which candidate the democrats will put up will be impacted by the truth or falsity of the accusations about her.

How can our nation make rational decisions when a major portion of the electorate does not even know what is happening?

You can help with this today. Ask a friend if they know who Rielle Hunter is. If they don't, tell them to stop watching TV and catch up with the world's true information source. Read the Internet news sites instead. It is critical to any nation where elections are decided by a hypothetically literate populace.


Friday, December 21, 2007

U.S. Economy Growing At Record Rate

by Staff - December 21st, 2007 - Reuters (theage.com)

The U.S. economy has grown at its fastest rate in four years during the third quarter, the government has confirmed.

However a surge in new claims for jobless benefits showed the US labour market is softening.

The Commerce Department said gross domestic product, which measures the total output of goods and services within US borders, expanded at a 4.9 per cent annual rate in the third quarter, the same as it estimated a month ago and the strongest since the third quarter of 2003.

The effects of the subprime mortgage crisis and the housing slump worsened during the quarter - and continue to cut into the outlook for growth.


The "surge in new claims for jobless benefits" is a minor uptick in a labor market that is bordering on fully employed. To call it a "surge" is asinine. That is one example of the bias in this article.

The sub-prime mortgage crisis is old news and any honest assessment would be that the economy is amazingly strong and resistant to the impact. The crisis has passed. That is bias number two.

So why do you think they are making this cautious criticism of the economy? Take a look at who the article is from. Reuters, like most of the Main Stream Media, has to downplay any good news as long as Democrats and socialist-progressives do not control the nation. This is in accord with John Edwards two Americas theme.

Amazingly the poor in America are better off than the middle class of most other nations. The "poor" here own more cars (74%), own more houses (46%), get better health care (free in any emergency room) and live more comfortably (97% Color TVs, 76% air conditioning) than all but the richest people from the last century.

However the socialists - liberals - democrats use exagerated fears and claims of poverty to maintain their goal of ending free enterprise and taxing the middle class to redistribute wealth to the poor. As long as America is the land of free enterprise, and democrats are not in control, the news will remain BAD. Count on it.


Parton With The Money

by Staff - December 19th, 2007 - Charlotte Observer

The last time Roanoke Rapids had been so involved in entertainment was its reluctant role as a backdrop for the 1979 movie "Norma Rae," starring Sally Fields, about the campaign to unionize J.P. Stevens textile plants. The textile mills have mostly gone away, and Roanoke Rapids decided to borrow $21.5 million to build an attractive theater to lure travelers, including the thousands who pass by every day on I-95, the main East Coast Interstate highway.

The effort started with fireworks when Randy Parton, brother of country music star Dolly Parton, agreed to participate. He inked a handsome deal with the city for a $750,000 annual artists' fee, his name on the new theater, and access to a $3 million startup fund to get the ball rolling.

It hasn't worked out so well.

For those of us who understand the vastly superior nature of free enterprise to create jobs and growth as opposed to the socialist agenda of government "development" agencies, the Randy Parton Theater is a story that cannot be repeated often enough. Rick Watson of the NE Partnership sold Roanoke Rapids on the idea of an entertainment complex based on a minor musician who was related to a star. No capitalist would have gambled so stupidly on an investment this big with so little chance of success. With no risk at all Randy Parton has made a fortune off the local Roanoke Rapids taxpayers.

Even with the State of North Carolina spending millions for local road improvements, this outrageously overpriced Taj Mahal like theater has failed miserably so far (crowds of around 200 in a theater that seats 1500), and shows no signs of recovery any time soon. The taxpayers of Roanoke Rapids will be picking up the bill, and it still will fail.

Why is it that in Eastern North Carolina we oppose Walmarts and freeways but embrace Randy Parton Theaters and government subsidized Ferries?


Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Person Of The Year 2007
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin

Choosing Order Before Freedom

by Richard Stengel - December 19th, 2007 - Time

Russia is central to our world—and the new world that is being born. It is the largest country on earth; it shares a 2,600-mile (4,200 km) border with China; it has a significant and restive Islamic population; it has the world's largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction and a lethal nuclear arsenal; it is the world's second largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia; and it is an indispensable player in whatever happens in the Middle East. For all these reasons, if Russia fails, all bets are off for the 21st century. And if Russia succeeds as a nation-state in the family of nations, it will owe much of that success to one man, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

It is obvious to many that the socialist party of America (called the Democrat Party) is still more impressed with Russia's view of the world than with any other. Putin is more in tune with the Democrat view of how to handle the war against the Islamo-fascists than either is with the Republican Party or the Libertarian Party view. Putin clearly does not seem to fear Iran, or fear Iran getting the nuclear bomb.

It is curious why Putin feels this way. With a large Muslim population inside his borders, with the Cechnyan war as background, Putin still seems unconcerned with the growing threat of Iran having the bomb. So much so, that Russia is giving Iran huge quantities of nuclear material.

Clearly Putin seems convinced that no matter the confrontation with his internal Muslim population, Iran will focus its use of nuclear bombs against us rather than against Russia.

I guess I can see why this does not bother Putin. I cannot understand why this does not bother Democrats.


Year Of Global Cooling

by David Deming - December 19th, 2007 - The Washington Times

South America this year experienced one of its coldest winters in decades. In Buenos Aires, snow fell for the first time since the year 1918. Dozens of homeless people died from exposure. In Peru, 200 people died from the cold and thousands more became infected with respiratory diseases. Crops failed, livestock perished, and the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency.

Unexpected bitter cold swept the entire Southern Hemisphere in 2007. Johannesburg, South Africa, had the first significant snowfall in 26 years. Australia experienced the coldest June ever. In northeastern Australia, the city of Townsville underwent the longest period of continuously cold weather since 1941. In New Zealand, the weather turned so cold that vineyards were endangered.

Last January, $1.42 billion worth of California produce was lost to a devastating five-day freeze. Thousands of agricultural employees were thrown out of work. At the supermarket, citrus prices soared. In the wake of the freeze, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked President Bush to issue a disaster declaration for affected counties. A few months earlier, Mr. Schwarzenegger had enthusiastically signed the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a law designed to cool the climate. California Sen. Barbara Boxer continues to push for similar legislation in the U.S. Senate.

In April, a killing freeze destroyed 95 percent of South Carolina's peach crop, and 90 percent of North Carolina's apple harvest. At Charlotte, N.C., a record low temperature of 21 degrees Fahrenheit on April 8 was the coldest ever recorded for April, breaking a record set in 1923.

This will not end the liberal-democrat fantasy that carbon dioxide is causing global warming. They are convinced it is that evil system of free-enterprise that is the root cause. To them, that must be ended and no facts are ever going to be allowed to get in the way. Of course since the liberal-democrats have passed laws against global warming, if it turns out that it does not exist, they will insist that their laws fixed it. No matter if the laws never did anything. It is all about impressions and feelings anyway. They "feel" that global warming is caused by carbon gases so it has to be true. The reality that carbon dioxide goes up or down as a trailing indicator of global heat, not a leading indicator, just never seems to get through to these chicken little idiots.


Saturday, December 15, 2007

Last Senator Fred Smith BBQ In 2007
Held In Lenoir County

Kinston High School in Lenoir County was a milestone for the Senator Fred Smith 100 County BBQ Tour. Due to the Christmas and New Year Holiday Season, Senator Smith is suspending the Tour until 2008. Senator Smith was proudly announcing that he has passed the TWO THIRDS MARK in the Tour already since Lenoir County is the 68th BBQ Tour event in what has been a rapid and tough schedule criss crossing North Carolina. Click on the title to this article above and you can see from the map he has been to every region of North Carolina as the sea of red on the map indicates.




Joe Humphries is one of the dedicated staff members who is making this Tour such a great success. Here Joe (shown above seated) registers attendees as they arrive.




The crowd at Lenoir County started arriving even earlier than most other counties. The momentum that is apparent in Senator Smith's campaign is increasing the enthusiasm of everyone.




Stephens LaRoque, Chairman of the Lenoir County Republican Party, and former Representative from this area, acted as master of ceremonies.




Danny Daughety gave the invocation.




Barry Seay led the Pledge of Allegiance.




Deidre Jersey sang the National Anthem.




P.C. Barwick, a long time friend, introduced Senator Smith after everyone had finished eating their free BBQ.




As he usually does, Fred waited patiently in the back of the room during the introduction.

P.C.'s introduction was followed by playing the standard video about Fred.The Video always ends with the playing of the Lee Greenwood written campaign song.

Click
here to listen to what is a really great campaign song.

On this evening Fred surprised everyone, including Paul (shown below) by welcoming Paul home to Kinston High School where Paul went to school. It was a great moment since Paul is the paid democratic party staffer who follows Fred around and tapes all of his speeches for campaign research. It was typical of Fred! Fred meets everyone, listens to them and remembers things about their lives. He cares about people.





After that light moment, Fred gave his usual campaign speech. In it he talks about why he is going to all the effort to visit all 100 counties in North Carolina at least once each during this primary campaign. He tells about growing up in the Methodist Orphanage in Raleigh, and the struggles in business which ultimately were rewarded by success.




Senator Fred Smith spoke of his love for our State of North Carolina, and his belief that government is out of touch with what the majority of people want. He talked about the things that make us great and the things that help us enjoy the freedom of our great nation America. These talks are always a great dialogue.




The crowd was a good one, and the speech was interrupted by applause on many occasions as Fred hit on the points that people really care about.




When he finishes his speech there are always a great number of people who want Fred to autograph his biography for them.

Fred really lives the theme of his autobiography, "The difference between good and great is a little extra effort." The Lenoir County stop on the Fred Smith Statewide BBQ Tour was a resounding success thanks to all the great people who came out.

Greene County Meets Senator Fred Smith
On 100 County BBQ Tour

Today the Senator Fred Smith 100 County BBQ Tour for his Campaign for Governor came to Greene County, a rapidly growing community which is moving from heavy farm country to bedroom community for 4 cities surrounding it.




Bill Fields and Joe Humphiries (shown above) are finished setting up the room and ready for people to start arriving.




A good crowd shows up as the momentum of Senator Smith's campaign is starting to spread the word and more and more people are coming out for these events.




Carolyn Newcombe acted as Master of Ceremonies, Drew Barrow led the invocation and Deidre Jersey (shown above) sang the National Anthem.




After everyone had eaten the free BBQ, Stephen LaRoque, former State Representative for this area, gave the introduction for Fred, which was followed by playing the standard video about Fred.

The Video always ends with the playing of the Lee Greenwood written campaign song. Click
here to listen to what is a really great campaign song.




Fred gave his usual campaign speech, in which he talks about why he is going to all the effort to visit all 100 counties in North Carolina at least once each during this primary campaign. He tells about gowing up in the Methodist Orphanage in Raleigh, and the struggles in business which ultimately were rewarded by success.




Senator Fred Smith spoke of his love for our State of North Carolina, and his belief that government is out of touch with what the majority of people want. He talked about the things that make us great and the things that help us enjoy the freedom of our great nation America. These talks are always a great dialogue. Though I have seen Fred make a powerful speech in a more formal environment, these talks are always low key, personal and sincere. It is part of what makes them such a great connection between Fred and the people who come out.




When he finishes his speech there are always a great number of people who want Fred to autograph his biography for them.

Fred really lives the theme of his autobiography, "The difference between good and great is a little extra effort." The Greene County stop on the Fred Smith Statewide BBQ Tour was a resounding success thanks to all the great people who came out.


Thursday, December 13, 2007

Battle Hymn Of The Republic

This is the most important song from a period of our nation which is both tragic and still magnificent. It is a key lesson for our future as well as a reminder of our glorious past.

At that earlier time we tested the national will to be true to two great commitments of our people. Whether we truly believed in the concept that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights." Just as important, whether our magnificent new form of government, a Representative Republic, "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."


It seems more and more that the purposes of that war are slipping from our consciousness; the magnificence of its struggle; the memory of Abraham Lincoln getting people who wanted to live in peace to die for a noble cause, the value to mankind of keeping our unique form of government. The people of that time could have simply allowed this nation to split up . . . . guaranteeing that we would become a fractured and warring continent in the mold of Europe. Instead Abraham Lincoln continued the battle of Britisher William Wilberforce to end the scourge of slavery within the English speaking nations of the earth. He also saved, at least for a time, the concept that a Representative Republic which included limited democratic selection of leaders within a Constitutional framework guaranteeing individual freedom, could provide a better way of life for more citizens than any other form of government ever previously envisioned. That is the foundation of the American Dream.

At this current time of war with the Islamo-fascism movement creating a new form of slavery, threatening the world's freedom, the magnificent music and words of this song are a special reminder of what mankind can do when they believe in great concepts and are willing to die to defend them!

Turn your speakers up and click on the link below to listen to this song by young kids of the next generation of America. It is inspiring.

http://www.trdaniel.com/Battle%20Hymn/index.htm


Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Nash County Second Stop of Day For
- Senator Fred Smith 100 County BBQ Tour

The second BBQ on the day in the 100 County BBQ tour was held in nearby Nash County on the other side of Rocky Mount, after we started the day in Tarboro.




Bill Fields (shown above on left), Eastern North Carolina Campaign Manager, Bill Tarpenning and Deidre Jersey (leaning on table making a name tag), set up the front desk for registration in anticipation of a big crowd.




And the turnout was good as you can see.




Burce Harris, Chairman of the Nash County Republican Party was master of ceremonies.




Mark Edwards gave the invocation.




Robbie Davis gave the Pledge of Allegiance.




Deidre Jersey sang the National Anthem.




After everyone got a chance to eat some of Fred's Free BBQ, Gene Arnold (shown above) came up to introduce Fred to the audience.




While waiting to go on, Fred waited patiently in the back of the room.




Mr. Arnold gave a great introduction, which was followed by the now tradional video. The Video always ends with the playing of the Lee Greenwood written campaign song.

Click
here to listen.




Fred gave his usual campaign speech, in which he talks about why he is going to all the effort to visit all 100 counties in North Carolina at least once each during this primary campaign. He tells about gowing up in the Methodist Orphanage in Raleigh, and the struggles in business which ultimately were rewarded by success.




Senator Fred Smith spoke of his love for our State of North Carolina, and his belief that government is out of touch with what the majority of people want. He talked about the things that make us great and the things that help us enjoy the freedom of our great nation America. These talks are always a great dialogue. Though I have seen Fred make a powerful speech in a more formal environment, these talks are always low key, personal and sincere. It is part of what makes them such a great connection between Fred and the people who come out.





The meeting was closed by singing "God Bless America", led by Deidre Jersey (shown above). This is the traditional way that Fred closes his BBQs and it is always a great ending.




When he finishes his speech there are always a great number of people who want Fred to autograph his biography for them.

Fred really lives the theme of his autobiography, "The difference between good and great is a little extra effort." The Nash County stop on the Fred Smith Statewide BBQ Tour was a resounding success thanks to all the great people who came out.


Senator Fred Smith's BBQ Tour Visits Edgecomb County

Tuesday morning the Senator Fred Smith Bus for the 100 County BBQ Tour pulled in to the parking lot beside the Abrams Restaurant in Tarbaro. Senator Smith is now past the two thirds point in his BBQ Tour to visit every county in North Carolina.




Joe Humphries (shown below in the white shirt with his back turned ) is working hard to register the crowd as it arrives. The attendees were nearly three times as many as had been expected as Senator Fred Smith's campaign continues to build momentum.




Senator Smith greets people, including both old friends and new supporters there to get to know him.




James Proctor (shown below), Chairman of the Edgecomb County Republican Party, acted as master of ceremonies and started the event off with a welcome.




Ricky Forkum gave the invocation.




Roscoe Kirkland led the Pledge of Allegiance.




Joy Acree led the attendees in singing the National Anthem.




Everyone then got to enjoy the Free BBQ, symbol of the 100 County Tour by Fred Smith to have a conversation wit the people of North Carolina.




After everyone had eaten, Garland Shepheard (shown below) introduced Senator Fred Smith to the crowd.




As noted above, it was a huge crowd and many people had to jam in to the back of the room with extra chairs brought in to handle the overflow.




Garland had a novel way of introducing Fred, and brought along some props. He described Fred as a new type of broom that would be a "swifter" way of cleaning up the problems in Raleigh.




Fred as usual was waiting in the back for the introduction video which has become the standard part of the BBQ Tour. The Video always ends with the playing of the Lee Greenwood written campaign song. Click here to listen.




What has become another standard part of the BBQ Tour is the Democrat campaign staffer, Paul, who is there to video tape everything Fred says! (Paul is the young man in blue standing just to Fred's right in the picture above.)




Fred gave his usual campaign speech, in which he talks about why he is going to all the effort to visit all 100 counties in North Carolina at least once each during this primary campaign. He tells about gowing up in the Methodist Orphanage in Raleigh, and the struggles in business which ultimately were rewarded by success.

Senator Fred Smith spoke of his love for our State of North Carolina, and his belief that government is out of touch with what the majority of people want. He talked about the things that make us great and the things that help us enjoy the freedom of our great nation America. These talks are always a great dialogue. Though I have seen Fred make a powerful speech in a more formal environment, these talks are always low key, personal and sincere. It is part of what makes them such a great connection between Fred and the people who come out.




The meeting was closed by singing "God Bless America", led by Deidre Jersey (shown above). This is the traditional way that Fred closes his BBQs and it is always a great ending.




When he finishes his speech there are always a great number of people who want Fred to autograph his biography for them.

Fred really lives the theme of his autobiography, "The difference between good and great is a little extra effort." The Edgecomb County stop on the Fred Smith Statewide BBQ Tour was a resounding success thanks to all the great people who came out.