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Archives for November 2007

You Tube Debate Links!

November 30, 2007 by 2 Comments

If you missed the You Tube Debates like me, you may want to watch the instant replay one question at a time. Here is the list of questions and their links. We’d love to read your comments.

Question 1. Giuliani on New York City as a sanctuary city
Question 2. Amnesty to Illegal Immigrants
Question 3. Guest Workers
Question 4. Huckabee on College Tuition for Illegal Immigrants
Question 5. Ron Paul on Conspiracy Theories
Question 6. National Debt
Question 7. Discretionary Spending – 3 Programs to Eliminate
Question 8. Elimination of Income Tax / Isolation vs. Intervention
Question 9. Opposition to Tax Increases (Grover Norquist)
Question 10. Farm Subsidies
Question 11. Trade with China
Question 12. Gun Control
Question 13. Giuliani’s Gun Exam
Question 14. Candidate Gun Collections
Question 15. Black on Black Crime
Question 16. Abortion Penalty
Question 17 – Roe v Wade (Federal Abortion Ban)
Question 18 – Death Penalty
Question 19 – Bible
Question 20 – American Image with the Muslim World
Question 21 – Waterboarding/Interrogation/Torture
Question 22 – Iraq-Mideast Stability
Question 23 – Giuliani Using September 11
Question 24 – Vice Presidential Power and Influence
Question 25 – Homosexuality in Military
Question 26 – Log Cabin Republican Support
Question 27 – National Debt and Social Security
Question 28 – Mars Exploration
Question 29 – Conservative African Americans
Question 30 – Confederate Flag
Question 31 – Infrastructure Repair Cost
Question 32 – Ron Paul Independent Run
Question 33 – Giuliani Red Sox Fan

All Questions

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections

Hitting it out of the park.

November 30, 2007 by 8 Comments

     Bruce Ash was the guest on this Friday’s Arizona Illustrated Roundtable. The video is posted on KUAT and should serve as a template on how to talk with the liberal media.

Filed Under: Media, Political Parties

What NAFTA Superhighway?

November 30, 2007 by 18 Comments

Jim Kolbe is resorting to threats of retaliation from Mexico to push the Canamex Corridor.

It is very sad to see such a fine publication as The Arizona Daily Star join Ron Paul in his belief that an ideology of globalism exists.

Filed Under: Border, International Trade

Henry Hyde, 1924-2007

November 29, 2007 by 5 Comments

Congressman Henry Hyde 

The Pro-Life Movement lost a great champion, hero, statesman and warrior today.

Congressman Henry Hyde passed away from complications from open heart surgery he underwent several months ago. He was 83.

Congressman Hyde will best be remembered as the author of the Hyde Amendment which prohibits taxpayer dollars being spent on abortions.

He was also an articulate spokesman for the movement having delivered thousands of speeches in defense of the unborn and their mothers.

One of my most favorite pro-life quotes came from Congressman Hyde when he said:

When the time comes as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I’ve often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God – and a terror will rip through your soul like nothing you can imagine. But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there will be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world – and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, ‘Spare him because he loved us,’ – and God will look at you and say not, ‘Did you succeed?’ but ‘Did you try?’

 National Right to Life has a beautiful tribute to Congressman Hyde at their website.

For many of us, Congressman Henry Hyde was a true hero and statesman.

Filed Under: Sanctity of Life

Huckabee On The Move

November 28, 2007 by 20 Comments

Governor Mike Huckabee

Earlier this year, I speculated that Governor Mike Huckabee would eventually win the support of cultural conservatives and move up among the top tier of presidential candidates. Today’s Rasmussen poll is a small indicator that Huckabee will likely be the candidate of choice for evangelical conservatives. According to the poll, Governor Huckabee has now eclipsed Governor Romney in an Iowa poll 28% to 25%!

Everyone in the GOP knows that cultural conservatives, aka “the religious right,” make up a sizeable and crucial voting block of the Republican party. In just about every “red state,” you simply can’t win without them. So it should come as no surprise that evangelicals are finally starting to congeal in their support behind one candidate – Mike Huckabee.

Despite Governor Mitt Romney’s efforts to woo this same crowd, he will continue to have difficulty bridging a theological gap that exists between Mormons and conservative Protestants and Catholics. Many of the hard core denominations still consider Mormonism a cult and this will continue to follow Romney when he ventures into evangelical circles.

Romney also has a credibility gap from his prior experience as Governor of Massachusetts. He pushed for and passed a health care program that some have equated to the botched 1993 Clinton health care fiasco. National Right to Life failed to endorse Romney even after he presumed he reconciled with NRLC’s Massachusetts affiliate. His prior endorsements of abortion can be found on YouTube and this will continue to haunt him despite years between. Evangelicals tend to choose based on the longest standing pro-life candidate.

Giuliani will never win the vote of evangelicals unless it becomes a matter of taking a bullet to a limb rather than to the head. Giuliani’s support of taxpayer-funded abortion (even former Congressman Jim Kolbe opposed this early in his career) demonstrates both cultural and fiscal anathema to conservatives. Romney also scares the hell out of libertarians and has become known as “Bush on steroids” within independent circles. Pat Robertson’s recent endorsement of Giuliani places Robertson in the position of either being either purely expedient or off the farm.

Fred Thompson, well Thompson has been a major disappointment – a real dud. When Thompson mustered enough ego and interest to finally get into the race, America collectively yawned. Thompson has been a non-start from the beginning and National Right to Life’s PAC endorsement will do little to jump start the Thompson campaign among cultural conservatives. His record with the religious right is based only on his voting record.

That leaves Governor Mike Huckabee.

It has been my impression that cultural conservatives have been holding off comitting to anyone in the top tier because they’ve been waiting for someone better to come along. Huckabee has come along and their starting to feel relieved that they might actually have someone to vote for in 2008. Mike Huckabee also represents the most consistent cultural conservative candidate among the religious right. As an ordained Baptist minister, Huckabee represents someone rising out of the ranks. (Even minor things like his commitment to improving his personal lifestyle by losing weight reflects well with the body is your temple faithful.)

But fiscal conservative groups like the Club for Growth continue to hammer away on Huckabee over his fiscal record and statements on taxes. These are his YouTube moments and the fiscal wing of the GOP isn’t going to let him off easy. But even despite the Club’s daily rants against Huckabee, this isn’t the most important issue amongst cultural conservatives. They want a candidate who will appoint pro-life justices, treat their faith with respect and uphold traditional marriage. They are far more willing to give a presidential candidate forgiveness on prior fiscal missteps than on attacking marriage, religion and the unborn. These are akin to political blasphemy and grace runs pretty thin in political circles. So Huckabee will go much farther than wooing cultural conservatives than any of the other candidates.

For many evangelicals, Mike Huckabee also represents an opportunity for a national do-over and doing that something over right. Maybe electing someone conservative from Hope, Arkansas will be that opportunity.

 

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections

Radicalization Act update.

November 28, 2007 by 2 Comments

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Matt at Sustainability, Equity, Development seems to share our concerns about HR 1955 and S 1959. He does admit that he expects this sort of thing from Republicans but that it was actually a Democratic bill. That being said he was not able to bring himself to discuss Gabby’s support for the bill.

All kidding aside about the congresswoman we greatly appreciate Matt’s interest in the issue.

more – Art at The Date Port is able to admit that Gabby voted for the bill.

Filed Under: Legislation

Scary bill update.

November 27, 2007 by 3 Comments

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The U.S. House or Representatives has passed HR 1955: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. Some people have speculated that this little more than Big Brother legislation that would enable the federal government to crack down on people for committing “thought crimes.” The Orange County Register had this to say about the bill.

Her bill threatens constitutional rights by creating an anti-terrorist commission with sweeping investigative power and a mandate to propose laws prohibiting whatever the commission deems homegrown terrorism.

Specifically, the commission is a menace through its power of hearings and subpoenas, a power expressly authorized for even a single member of the commission – little Joe McCarthy’s running around the country, holding their own private hearings. An aura of authority automatically accompanies its congressionally authorized mandate to suggest ways to stem homegrown terrorism, primarily through legislation the commission will propose.

Interesting all of Arizona’s congressmen voted for the bill with the exception of Jeff Flake (what next, an endorsement of Ron Paul?) Flake was joined by two other Republicans, Dana Rohrabacher (CA-46) and John Duncan (TN-2.) Among the few Democrats who joined Rohrabacher was Dennis Kucinich (OH-10.) The fact that Rohrabacher and Kucinich voted with only 4 others in the house against a bill should have been major news in itself. There has been very little news coverage of this bill. Interestingly the left leaning Arizona Blogs, who were all upset about the Patriot Act, seemed to have passed over the fact that all of the Arizona Democrats in the house voted for this bill.

The bill is now in the senate as S. 1959. If our readers have any insight into this piece of legislation we would appreciate comments. If there is a story here we may return with an update on this legislation.

Filed Under: Legislation

Whip way the senate Republicans?

November 26, 2007 by 45 Comments

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The Arizona blogosphere tripped over itself today covering the news of Jon Kyl’s candidacy for the Senate Republican Whip. Even the left leaning Daniel’s News & Views backs Kyl (although for different reasons than most.) Our favorite coverage of today’s news comes from Seeing Red AZ (it was not so much the text of the story as the title that stood out.)

Much of the coverage has focused on what a great conservative is Kyl. We would beg to differ (his American Conservative Rating for 2006 was 92.) We would like to recommend some alternatives to the whip position who are actually stronger conservatives. Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma is well spoken and had an ACU rating of 100 for 2006 and 2005. He has been in the senate since 1994. DeMint of South Carolina also had a 2006 score of 100 and would be an excellent choice. One more good option might be John Thune of South Dakota, also 100 in 2006. Both he and DeMint were first elected to the senate in 2004 so the advantage might go the Inhofe for his length of service.

These other senators have the added attraction of not having worked directly to undermine the efforts of the state Republican Party in Arizona. Best of luck to all.

We have not done a thorough investigation but our current information indicates none of the people above like to hang out in public rest rooms tapping their feet or hire call girls while preaching about family values. See, the party is making progress.

Filed Under: Political Parties

Institute For Justice Rally at the Capital

November 26, 2007 by Leave a Comment

Join IJ as they announce a legal challenge to “Clean Elections.”  If you support a candidate who shares your values, the government can take your tax dollars and give it to a candidate whom you oppose.  By punishing you for exercising your first amendment rights, it is restricting your right to free speech.

The event is Tuesday, November 26th at 10:30 at lawn of the Arizona State Capital.

Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Constitutional Law

Is Pat Right?

November 25, 2007 by 8 Comments

Day of Reckoning 

Drudge is reporting that Pat Buchanan is about to launch a new book tour with the theme that, “America is coming apart, decomposing, and…the likelihood of her survival as one nation…is improbable — and impossible if America continues on her current course. For we are on a path to national suicide.”

Buchanan, the 1992 equivalent to 2008’s Ron Paul, releases his new book, Day of Reckoning: How Hubris, Ideology and Greed Are Tearing America Apart an addendum to his earlier release, The Death of the West.

In his latest, Buchanan asserts the following:

• Pax Americana, the era of U.S. global dominance, is over. A struggle for global hegemony has begun among the United States, China, a resurgent Russia and radical Islam

• Bush’s invasion of Iraq was a product of hubris and of ideology, a secular religion of “democratism,” to which Bush was converted in the days following 9/11

• Torn asunder by a culture war, America has now begun to break down along class, ethnic and racial lines.

• The greatest threat to U.S. sovereignty and independence is the scheme of a global elite to erase America’s borders and merge the USA, Mexico and Canada into a North American Union.

• Free trade is shipping jobs, factories and technology to China and plunging America into permanent dependency and unpayable debt. One of every six U.S. manufacturing jobs vanished under Bush

• “Sovereign Wealth Funds,” controlled by foreign regimes and stuffed with trillions of dollars from U.S. trade deficits, are buying up strategic corporate assets vital to America’s security

• As U.S. wages are stagnant, corporate CEOs are raking in rising pay and benefits 400 to 500 times that of their workers

• The Third World invasion through Mexico is a graver threat to our survival as one nation than anything happening in Afghanistan or Iraq

• European-Americans, 89% of the nation when JFK took the oath, are now 66% and sinking. Before 2050, America is a Third World nation

• By 2060, America will add 167 million people and 105 million immigrants will be here, triple the 37 million today.

• Hispanics will be over 100 million in 2050 and concentrated in a Southwest most Mexicans believe belongs to them

He then goes on to recommend the following:

• A new foreign-defense policy that closes most of the 1000 bases overseas, reviews all alliances, and brings home U.S. troops

• A purge of neoconservative ideology and the “Cakewalk crowd” from national power.

• To avert a second Cold War, the United States should “get out of Russia’s space and get out of Russia’s face,” and shut down all U.S. bases on the soil of the former Soviet Union

• To reach a cold peace in the culture war, Buchanan urges a return to federalism and the overthrow of our judicial dictatorship by Congressionally mandated restrictions on the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.

• To end the trade deficits and save the dollar, Buchanan urges a Hamiltonian solution: a 20% Border Equity Tax on imports, with the $500 billion raised to be used to end taxation on American producers

• To prevent America becoming “a tangle of squabbling nationalities” Buchanan urges: No amnesty for the 12-20 million illegal aliens; a border fence from San Diego to Brownsville; Congressional declarations that children born to illegal aliens are not citizens and English is the language of the United States; and a “timeout” on all immigration.

Sonoran Alliance would like to know what Arizona conservatives are thinking. Is Pat right? Is he way off base? Is this tapping the same nerve as Ron Paul’s campaign? How does Arizona’s illegal immigration problem factor into this? What will Arizona look like in 5, 10, 20 years? Or is Pat out to make a buck on our illegal immigration woes? 

Filed Under: Border, Demographics, Economics, Federal Budget, Illegal Immigration, Immigration, National Security, Political Parties, Political Science, Race Relations, Spending, Taxation, Technology
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