Just read about this exciting news over at Conservatives4Palin. Seems the woman the lamestream media vilified as someone who doesn't read actually completed her book months ahead of schedule. Can't wait to read her take-down of the treacherous McCainiacs, and her plan to rescue America from the evil clutches of the radicals. Looks like I've found the perfect Christmas gift for all of the conservatives in my life!
I've been light on the political blogging since attending the 9/12 March on Washington, partly because I've been spending a great deal of time promoting Water Signs. This past Wednesday evening, I had the pleasure of speaking to the Hawthorne Writers Group in New Jersey, thanks to my good friends Don Smith and Sabrina Steyling. To Don and Sabrina, and all who attended, I hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did! Looking forward to seeing you all again when the sequel is completed, hopefully in the spring of 2010. Here are a few videos of my presentation, all of which can be found at my You Tube channel.
Last night we celebrated the 50th birthday of the most amazing person I know -- our brother Ralph. For a few hours at least, I forgot all about politics as I joined with family and friends to honor someone who will always be our hero. In addition to the WWF, Ralph absolutely loves movies, thus the Hollywood-themed party included a red carpet; cut-outs and photos of Clint Eastwood (one of Ralph's favorite actors) and other famous stars; and even an Oscar presentation to the guest of honor.
I tried to capture the evening's magic in these videos. Enjoy!
I have been scratching my head trying to remember the last time a political leader so angered the majority of the American people, as to cause widespread disgust and spontaneous public demonstrations of patriotism.
While it's true that George W. Bush was detested and vilified by the far Left, his detractors constituted a small fringe minority of the body politic. Bill Clinton was certainly disliked by conservatives like myself, but he never inspired mass demonstrations like we're seeing today. Similarly, Ronald Reagan, like Bush 43 was hated by the far left, but again we are talking about a very small, albeit vocal minority.
I then thought back to Richard Nixon, he of enemies list fame. While the Left despised him and he was in the White House at a time of large protests and mass demonstrations, the thrust of those public displays was opposition to the Viet Nam war. While many who attended were clearly anti- Nixon, the former President was not the sole driving force behind those marches. They started in the Johnson administration and would have continued had Humphrey been elected in 1968.
Still stumped, I looked further back in history. While Southerners, who comprised half of the country clearly hated Lincoln, we are talking about a time in history when the country was fighting a bloody civil war. Their anger was directed at all things Northern not just Lincoln, and the feeling was mutual. A review of the first fifteen Presidents also came up empty.
Who then could compare to the Chosen One? It hit me while watching a tea party protest on the news one night. Tea party was a term I had not heard used in modern times, until the President took office in January. Before its modern revival the last time the term "tea party" was in vogue was in the 1700s when American colonists threw a big party in Boston harbor. Who was in charge then? Who was the leader who provoked such outrage? None other that King George III, that's who. He's the leader who Obama most resembles. Remember him? Taxation without representation, imposition of government control over every aspect of American life, and loser of an important war. Sounds just like a guy who would be a good czar in the current Administration.
The President ought to study King George III, for he who does not learn from history is doomed to repeat it. Unless Mr. Obama soon realizes that he is a president and not a king, he will meet the same fate as the erstwhile British monarch. He will learn that it is unwise to attempt to take away the freedom of the American people. Should he continue to try to do so, the President like King George III will inevitably find himself on the losing side of the next American Revolution.
It's difficult to describe the overwhelming sense of pride, solidarity and excitement I experienced as I joined with approximately 2 million like-minded patriots from every state in country yesterday at the 9/12 March on Washington. At the risk of conjuring up an unpleasant image, I've never been prouder of my fellow Americans, many of whom traveled long distances and sacrificed hard-earned time and money to make their voices heard.
Since I am still in Pennsylvania visiting family, I rode down on a chartered bus with the West Chester Tea Party folks, a dedicated, passionate and friendly group. Mirroring what I witnessed in DC, they represented a broad cross-section of citizens, from 11 year-old Quentin Cody (who's quite famous in this area for his thoughtful, intelligent and articulate speeches delivered at Town Halls and other rallies) to stay-at-home moms and military veterans. Kudos to trip organizer Paula Stiles, one of the most efficient planners I've ever met. Not only did she expertly manage the inevitable cancellations, waiting lists and endless questions that accompany such an undertaking, she made the entire drive memorable and fun with raffles, patriotic music and even homemade brownies. And best of all, she'd even printed out maps of DC, to make it easy for us to get around, knowing we were all free to go our separate ways before meeting up again for the ride home.
I sat next to a wonderful woman named Beth, who appears at the beginning of my video below. From the beginning of our journey, which began at 6:30 a.m. at the West Goshen shopping center (site of our chartered bus pick-up), it was obvious that September 12, 2009 was going to be a historic day, marking a turning-point in our country. The excitement on the nearly three-hour drive down was palpable as we cruised along I-95. There were two buses in our caravan, but as we got closer to DC, we noticed several others. By the time we pulled into Union Station, any doubts or fears about the event's success were eliminated as one-by-one, every designated parking space welcomed another motorcoach.
As I proceeded through the station with map in hand, I got a call from my friend Sean Williams, BTR host of The War Room, who'd driven up from Orlando, FL. Before I could even inquire as to the crowd size, I heard him cry out exuberantly, "Holy Sh%^&*"! Hearing the roar of the crowd in the background, I couldn't wait to get to the Freedom Plaza and march back up to the Capitol, surrounded by like-minded patriots.
I met up with Sean in front of the building bearing Ronald Reagan's name, and we joined the endless parade. Amid a sea of flags and elaborate, homemade signs, we chanted "USA"!; "Here we come"; and The Pledge of Allegiance (with special emphasis on the phrase "Under God".) We sang God Bless America and The Star Spangled Banner, while above us the skies were partly sunny, with a nice breeze. But even if it had rained, as it appeared to be threatening to do at least a few times during the afternoon, the spirit of this enthusiastic, determined crowd would not have been broken. I can't remember a time when I've felt more connected to my fellow Americans; it's a feeling I will treasure always.
Sean and I then found Premo Mondone, BTR host of Red State Town Hall and his friend David, who'd arrived on a bus from Chattanooga, TN with their local Fair Tax organization. From there, we headed to the Capitol lawn to hear the speeches (at least as best we could from our vantage point) and interact with other 9/12 marchers. Unfortunately, I never did connect with the many others I'd planned to, including my good friends Ellen Snyder, Shona Daress and the wonderful Facebook "YaYa" group, but given the sheer magnitude of the crowd, I'd been lucky to locate anyone I knew.
And as always, these Tea Party Patriots were well-informed, smart, resolved and resolute. They unequivocally reject socialism, Czars, arrogant Congress Critters in both parties, our narcissistic President and his Marxist plans for the USA, and the rampant corruption that has overtaken our government. They want to restore the Constitution and get this country back to the vision of its Founders. Countless signs spelled out the solutions, including tort reform, interstate competition for insurance companies and medical savings accounts.
We met a nice family of five from Southern California (see them in the video), who informed us that contrary to popular belief, most Californians are NOT liberals. The reason they get saddled with liberal politicians like Boxer and Feinstein is because The Golden State allows illegals to vote, going so far as to provide them with ballots in Spanish. Is there any doubt why Obama yearns for the rest of the country to follow in California's heavily taxed, welfare-state footsteps?
A few other fun anecdotes: At one point, a woman walked by and happily informed me that she'd visited the CNN bus (which was parked near the area we'd settled in) and told them to "stop lying about us" and to "get the story straight today" in terms of the crowd numbers and description. Later when we heard ABC (ABC!) had reported 1.7 million, I wondered if the reporter had choked on the words. At one point, Sean got a misinformed Tweet announcing the death of Fidel Castro (which we later discovered to be false), prompting cautious rejoicing from everyone around us. How fitting it would have been on this day, but alas the Dictator lives for a least a little while longer!
No SEIU or any other thugs tried to disrupt the event as far as I could tell. There may have been some there, but we did not encounter any. Given the enormity of the turnout, there's no way they would've succeeded in causing trouble anyway.
Finally, I would also like to thank everyone responsible for planning and executing yesterday's protest, which was one of the most organized events I've ever attended. There were numerous volunteers in yellow tee-shirts offering help and directions, placed at strategic points all along the way. The protesters themselves, while vocal and enthusiastic, were also courteous and polite.
Overall, it was a day that will live on in history, marking a turning-point in the restoration of this country to the people from the grubby hands of special interest groups, self-serving politicians, secular progressive millionaires and billionaires (Gore, Soros etc) and their petulant, arrogant embodiment of "Hope and Change", Barack Hussein Obama. The sleeping giant has awakened with a roar, and "The Silent Majority" is silent no more!
Elizabeth of Daily Inklings wrote this remembrance of Timothy Daly and posted it on 9/11/08:
Tim Ward was born on Valentine’s Day, 1963, the son of Susie Ward Baker of Rancho Bernardo and the apple of his mother’s eye. He lived in nearby Scripps Ranch with his companion, Linda Brewton. He was an IT project manager for the Rubio’s Baja Grill chain of restaurants. He was an accomplished chef who would pack a chocolate confection in a picnic basket, an animal lover with a West Highland terrier named Sherman, and a devoted San Diego State Aztec fan who would travel to their games.
He was a passenger on Flight 195 when it was hijacked by terrorists and flown into the second tower of the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001.
I found a subsequent article, written in November 2008, on his mother's quest for his remains; an excerpt:
For seven years, 3,000 miles stood between Susanne Ward-Baker and her son Timothy’s remains.
Timothy Ray Ward, 38, was flying from Boston to Los Angeles on the morning of 9/11, on United Airlines Flight 175. After the plane slammed into the World Trade Center, all that was found of Ward were three shards of bone.
For seven years, those three pieces of bone sat in a Ziploc bag in a freezer at the New York City Medical Examiner’s office, waiting to be claimed. For seven years, Ward-Baker made phone calls to New York from her house in San Diego, searching a way to bring her son home.
“I’m just a mother who wants my son’s little teeny pieces of bone with me,” Ward-Baker told Downtown Express several weeks ago, beginning to cry during a telephone interview.
Ward-Baker, 67, finally got her wish on Nov. 14, when a seven-year impasse ended and her son’s remains arrived.
By all accounts, Robert Penninger was an exceptional man with a steadfast love of family, country, and life. An electrical engineer for BAE Systems, the Poway, California resident was 63 years-old when his plane -- American Flight 77 -- was crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
His wife, Janet Penninger, later described her husband to the Washington Post:
"Bob Penninger loved life, always living it to the fullest. He always tried to find humor in any situation. Bob also loved cars. In high school, he was always tinkering with the cars he and his friends owned, fine-tuning them to get more speed. So it seemed only natural that he buy a 1999 electric green Cobra Mustang with thoughts of making it into a show car. He added many Saleen extras including a speedster cover, spoiler and ground effects. He had a supercharger installed, as well as having the car lowered, putting on wider tires and a roll bar. He enjoyed every moment driving and showing this car and won a trophy at every car show he entered."
Among the entries for Penninger on the Legacy.com Guest Book, are these beautiful tributes:
To the family of Robert Penninger: Robert gave the ultimate sacrifice and will be held in the hearts of Americans forever. My deepest sympathy to you. We must never forget! Peggy Childers "Don't Let The Memory Of Them Drift Away" www.IraqWarHeroes.org
Peggy Childers, Carson City, Nevada
***
Bob was a friend and co-worker for many years, working on military projects that had terrific humanitarian applications. He was very excited about that because it would save so many from injury or death. Bob was a fine man who loved his family dearly. I miss his humor and kindness.
Dave Hunsaker,
Ramona, California
***
As I cross-stitched your name on the memorial that I am doing for all of the victims, I prayed for you and your family. Please know that your death was not in vain. We will always remember. God Bless.
Kristine,Tecumseh, Michigan
May Robert Penninger, and all victims of 9/11 rest in peace in God's presence. And may those of us left behind always remember their heroism, and live a life worthy of their sacrifice. God bless America and her fallen heroes.
Nathaniel Lawson was living the American Dream. Having grown up in Georgia in a family of 19 children, 61 year-old Lawson was a waiter and cook for Forte Food Service, and had been transferred to the World Trade Center, just three months prior to 9/11.
In The New York Times Portraits of Grief, Lawson's niece Brenda Weaver shares the story of Lawson's excitement over his new cable service, enabling him to watch his beloved New York Knicks and other teams, as well as gospel programs. He'd called her mother -- his sister -- Betty Moore, the day before the attack on the World Trade Center, to relate the news.
"He was a very spiritual man," Ms. Weaver said. "He always kept a smile. And he was helpful. Anytime you would call to talk to him about a problem, he was always willing to give good advice and willing to pray with you about anything that was bothering you."
The New York Times profile goes on to state:
Mr. Lawson lived alone in a tiny apartment in Flatbush, Brooklyn. His grown daughter, Pamela, lives in Germany. He was close to his sister, Betty. "For my mother, it's a lot like losing another half of her," Ms. Weaver said.
May Nathaniel Lawson enjoy the rewards of eternity, along with all of the victims of 9/11.
During my month-long visit to Pennsylvania, I've joined my parents at several Town Halls and Tea Parties, including Dom Giordano's healthcare panel at The Philadelphia Inquirer, where I witnessed Joe Sestak give John Edwards a run for his money for the title of sleaziest politician in America. I documented the entire experience on Facebook, along with photos.
And this past Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting more Keystone State patriots in front of the courthouse in West Chester, site of their weekly gathering. Among the crowd of 30+, I spoke with many dedicated activists from all walks of life, ranging from retired CEOs to small business owners to veterans. People like event organizer Mark Driver, a grass-roots activist since 1990. Among other things, Mark is a member of American Sheepdogs, Pennsylvania Conservative Council, six different Tea Party groups, and an organization named ACTION (American Christian Traditions In Our Nation).
When I asked about his biggest concern with Obamacare, Driver stated emphatically, "The very last page, where it is written, 'if you do not accept government healthcare plans, states' rights will be limited.' That is the most disturbing line in the entire 1,000-page bill for me, as it is another power-grab by an ever-expanding centralized government."
Fellow protester/organizer Craig Cody agreed. Though politically aware for the last 12 years, he'd never gotten active -- that is until he realized the necessity of getting involved. "Our Founding Fathers were smart," Cody told me, "They were great students of history, and that's what we have to get back to. I am thankful for the millions of regular citizens who are fighting for our freedom."
On such citizen is Cody's remarkable son, Quentin, just eleven years-old, and one of the Tea Party movement's most passionate orators. Quentin first spoke at the West Chester Tea Party on April 4, 2009, and is scheduled to address an Americans for Prosperity event this coming week. Along with his sister Shannon, Quentin offers hope that all is definitely not lost when it comes to future generations.
Finally, there was US Navy vet and event organizer Rich Davis, who gathered us together on the courthouse steps before we adjourned, to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, sing God Bless America and pray the Our Father. Rich also announced two other events taking place that day in nearby Exton and King of Prussia. Undaunted by the small group of counter-protesters across the street, bearing signs with drawings of aliens and slogans of "They're back" on them, he told me that they'd long ago come to an arrangement to stand on opposite corners to avoid any potential conflicts.
Once again, I was incredibly impressed by the vast knowledge, intelligence and passion expressed by my fellow patriotic Americans who -- despite every attempt by the mainstream media and the White House to marginalize and intimidate them -- refuse to back down. Can't wait to ride the bus to DC with the Chester County group!
Here's the story of Rich Davis and the Chester County Victory Movement:
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