Monday, July 31, 2006

The World Has Gone Mad

AND YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST

If you follow the news, you have probably heard about the bombing in Lebanon yesterday that killed more than 50 people including children. That is a tragedy, but dont let people brain wash you into thinking that it is Israel's fault. Israel is beginning to see how hard it is to fight a war with the media covering its every move. A media by the way which hates war and will harp about every single civilian casualty. It is extremely difficult to be successful in a campaign like this, and I think Israel is learning this the hard way. But we cannot allow the media to side track us on the real issue here, which is terrorism. Israel is fighting against the same extremists that we are in Iraq and Afghanistan. The enemy is full of cowards. They hide behind innocent people exactly for the purpose of swaying public opinion. They need that opinion. If the Muslim world would wake up, terrorism would be ended tomorrow. But they are too full of hatred of Israel and the west to realize that they are being held captive by Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, Hamas and others.

The big story yesterday was the civilian deaths, yet little attention was paid to the fact that Hezbollah was firing rockets at Israel from just behind that building. The international community is quick to condemn Israel and the US for harming civilians, yet the terrorists use killling civlians as their number one weapon. Israel is trying to blow up Hezbollah, but regular people get in the way, while Hezbollah has fired more than one thousand rockets aimed directly at heavily populated Israeli towns. They are not targeting any military installations, they just want to kill innocent Jews. But, that story gets lost in the agenda of the news media, and other nations who constantly give the terrorists the benefit of the doubt. I do feel bad for the innocent people killed in the Middle East, but if they are willing to harbor these terrorist groups, who live amongst them and fire weapons from city streets and houses, then they will continue to do until they themselves throw the terrorists out. And that is the way it should be.

I dont know what it will take for the Muslim world to realize what is happening to them. We, meaning the United States and Israel, are once again fighting against fascism. These terror groups want to take over the world, much like Hitler and his buddies did. They will kill anyone who gets in their way, whether it is Americans, Jews, or even other Muslims. Look at Iraq for example, about 6 times more Muslims have been killed by terrorists there than Americans, but we are still the bad guy. Everything is our and Bush's fault. Nobody can blame the true perpetrators.

I dont know how this will all end. All I know is that we have to do one of two things. We must either completely commit ourselves to ending terror by aggressively stopping it, and I mean much more aggressively than we are now, or we must pull all our troops out of the area and hope and pray we do not get attacked again. I certainly support the first part of that, but many around the world would rather do the ladder. Rememeber when George Bush said after 9/11 that we would go after not only terrorist groups, but those who harbor them? What ever happened to that? We cannot be worried about civilian casualities if those civilans support the enemy, that makes them the enemy too. Until the Muslim world rids themselves of the cancer among them, they will have to feel the wrath of the United States and Israel. We cannot allow this problem to grow and spread any longer. And also I say to you, remember who the real enemy is. Remember who blew up the trade towers, and remember who kidnapped the Israeli soldiers, and remember who is blowing up American troops around the world as we speak. Just remember that.

-Brad

Friday, July 28, 2006

Sometimes Art Says it Better

HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED



Enough said.

-Brad

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Why Bolton Should be Confirmed

DEMS = OBSTRUCTIONISTS

I was just reading a story on CNN that was headlined this way: "Democrats: Bolton Still A Bully." It really is laughable. Today, Mr. Bolton went before a Senate committee to be permanently assigned the U.S. ambassador to the worthless United Nations. When John Bolton was first nominated last year by President Bush, many people had their reservations about the man. Even GOP Senator George Voinovich sided with Democrats in opposing Bolton's nomination. But in the short time he's been in New York, I believe that most American's would agree that he has done a great job trying to push the United Nations to do anything constructive, including Voinovich by the way who says he will support Bolton this time around. Obviously, he cannot do it alone. He is only one small piece in a large organization of appeasers and terrorist sympothizers. Bolton was criticized last year for being to brash, and having a bit of an attitude problem. Those are exactly the reasons I supported him, and also the reasons he has been successful thus far.

The Democrats would rather have somebody representing the US over there who are more intouch with their diplomatic beliefs, which are negotiate with anybody and everybody all the time. Democrats will threaten to use force and action all day long, but they will never back it up, never. Proof of this was evident today, when Democrats called Bolton a bully. They must not have gotten the memo that a bully is exactly what we need in the UN. The UN has been impotent for years, especially during the Clinton years when Billy relied on them for everything, and nothing got done unless the United States took the lead.

The prolems involving the UN will not stop even with John Bolton in there representing the United States. Then only way to reform that organization is to get Kofi Annan's butt out of there. Luckily, I believe Annan's term as Secretary General will expire by the end of this. While I have not decided on who I would like his successor to be, one name I like currently is Tony Blair. Im getting ahead of myself. The bottom line is that we need John Bolton in the UN, especially with all the crap going on as we speak in the Middle East. I fully expect him to be confirmed in the very near future, even with the whiney Democrats complaining about how meaaaaaaaan he is. Somebody call the wahhh-mbulance.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

*New bradsjournal.com Poll*

DO YOUR DUTY AND VOTE!

Ok its been awhile since Ive posted a new poll, but this one should be interesting. Im asking you, the consumer, who you personally think is responsible for the outrageous gas prices we see today in the USA. I know that everybody has an opinion on this one, so tell everyone you know to vote. You have a variety of options to choose from, and I dont think Ive left anybody out. So please vote. Thanks.

-Brad

'The Hill' Interviews Craig Foltin

OUR ONLY HOPE

'The Hill', which is a very respected organization when it comes to national politics, recently interviewed Craig Foltin, who is running congress in my 13th Ohio Congressional district. As this good article illustrates, Foltin is facing an uphill battle as the 13th district is overwhelmingly Democratic. Sherrod Brown has been our congressman for 14 years now, and has watched this part of the state erode, while doing nothing about. While Foltin is a Republican, he was able to win the job of Mayor in the city of Lorain, a feat that was deemed impossible.

He is respected there and had done alot to better that struggling community. Many Republicans, including myself, see Foltin as an opportunity for the GOP to pick up a much needed spot in congress this year. Foltin is not the most conservative of Republicans, but still will serve our party well if elected. Recent polls show him down to his Democratic challenger Betty Sutton by double-digit margins. But with more than three months left until election day, anything can happen. I hope you will all read this article, because it is very informative and well written.

-Brad

Monday, July 24, 2006

Just Another Manic Monday

BIAS AT THE DISPATCH?

Some new polls came out today that are rather alarming if ya ask me. Both show the Democrats ahead in the two biggest races that Ohioans will vote for in November. According to the poll, which was conducted by the Columbus Dispatch, Ted Strickland has a 20 point lead over Ken Blackwell in the Governor's race, while Sherrod Brown is beating Mike DeWine by 7 points. For the record, neither Democrat is getting 50% of the vote, and both polls show about 1/4 of those asked are undecided. So what does this mean? Well its not good. I honestly do not think that either is entirely accurate, but regardless people are going to see these polls and use these polls to their advantage. I do believe that Blackwell has an uphill battle, but he should be able to gain alot of ground once the debates begin. About the Senate race, I simply cannot believe that DeWine would be losing this race. Sherrod Brown really has no name recognition in most of Ohio, and he is a far left-wing guy. DeWine should win it easily, so this particular poll doesnt make much sense. The bottom line is that I have a hard time believing that a state that has elected George W. Bush twice would be so willing to vote in such liberal people. That is why Im still confident about November.

As I wrote about yesterday, Condoleeza Rice is in the Middle East trying to work some diplomatic magic to calm down the situation over there. In a shrewd and brilliant move, she made a surprise visit to Beirut today to pledge millions of dollars in aide to that hurting country. She will now go on to Israel to talk with Prime Minister Olmert about their current situation. It seems to me that Condi is more worried about the humanitarian aspects of this conflict, rather that bringing it to an obrupt end. And that is just fine with me. Let them fight.

In today's worst person in the world segment, we honor jackass of the year Keith Olbermann. Olbermann whipped out a mask of Bill O'Reilly at some breakfast party on Saturday, then proceeded to raise his right arm into a Nazi salute. I fully understand why Keith would not like O'reilly, because The Factor's 4 a.m. show gets more viewers than The Countdown's 8 p.m. broadcast. But its not O'Reilly's fault that Keith's show is an unentertaining piece of liberal garbage, with all due respect of course. Nothing like blazing the Hitler salute while Israel is involved in a war to defend itself. Lets hear it for Keith Olbermann's judgement ladies and gentlemen. What a bafooooooooon.

And finally today, the violence in the Middle East continues, with no real end in sight. Israel continues to launch airstrikes and limited ground invasions against Hezbollah strongholds, while the terrorists continue to send missles into Israeli cities. I just wish Israel would land a huge punch to Hezbollah already, but it seems they want to keep going the route of surgical warfare. Well whatever, maybe they know something I dont. Imagine that. Alright Im out, but Ill be back if anything significant happens. Bye.

-Brad

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Condi Goin to the War Zone

I WOULDN'T EXPECT MUCH

President Bush is sending Secretary of State Condi Rice to Israel this weekend. The world seems to be on Bush's butt to do something about the ever escalating situation over there, but so far he has done the right thing and simply stayed out of it. Condi is going over there for PR, and not to get anything done. Why you ask? We have seen over the past 30 years how worthless diplomacy is in that part of the world. Cease-fire after cease-fire has been attempted, and numerous UN resolutions have been passed, but nothing has been accomplished. When will the world realize that negotiating with terrorists simply doesnt work. Madeline Albright to this day is clueless on how to confront the evil of terror. People like her would rather run their mouths than flex their muscle.

The Israeli's on the other hand understand how worthless another arbitrary peace offering would be. They are the ones gettin kidnapped. They are the ones getting blown up by suicide bombers. They are the ones constantly under the threat of rocket attacks from an invisible enemy, whom is being supplied and financed by two enemies of peace whom thus far havent been held accountable by anyone. The rest of the world could learn alot of lessons from Israel. Obviously their geography plays a huge role in their level of aggresivness. But this time, I think they realize that just pushing back Hezbollah wont solve the problem, rather it will only delay they next round of attacks which will definetaly come.

Israel wants peace. Terrorists dont. Until people like Kofi Annan are willing to understand that fact, nothing will be accomplished. Besides the United States, England, and Israel, the world is more than willing to appease terrorists. We see it on a daily basis. If the free world would come together and be as aggresive against terror as Israel is, we wouldnt have this problem. Their would be no nuclear standoff with Iran, or North Korea. Economic interests have become more important than national and global security to more nations. Its a shame, because the problem of terrorism isnt a hard one to solve, yet most are unwilling solve it. Ask yourselves why.

-Brad

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Indians Trade Bob Wickman

FOR ABSOLUTELY FREAKING NOTHING

I want to take a break from politics to discuss a truly pathetic subject...the Cleveland Indians. Today, the Indians traded away their all-time leader in saves to the Atlanta Braves for a single A catcher. Yes, single A. This is just an extension of a pattern we have seen from the tribe over the past decade. They consistantly trade away impact players for a bunch of nobody's. Im sure this catcher they got is a decent young player, but come on, why not just start giving people a way.

The team has been on a downward spiral ever since Larry Dolan took over the team from Dick Jacobs. Most people, including myself from time time, like to blame GM Mark Shapiro for their horrible record, but at the end of the day, the buck stops at the owner. Whats the point in owning a major league team of any kind if you are unwilling to spend the money to get good players. I am not saying we have to spend like Steinbrenner, but at least be willing sign a big name from time to time.

I really wish Dolan would sell the team to someone willing to bring winning baseball back to Cleveland. Maybe we were all spoiled in the late 90's when we had all-stars up and down the batting order. But whatever the case may be, we cannot rely on luck while our division continues to get tougher and tougher. Detroit should be an example to all MLB teams currently near the bottom of the standings. Two years ago they were the worst team in baseball, and now they have the best record. Larry Dolan should take notes, and start spending some dead presidents to buy a winning team, because just praying that a team full of young prospects will get you to the World Series is completely dillusional. Its time for Larry to put up or shut up.

-Brad

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Media: Blame Bush for Everything

WE'VE SEEN THIS DANCE BEFORE

I was just watching CNN and they are unbelieveable. Since the liberal media is obviously hesitant to come out and completely condemn Israel for the the violence in the Mid-East, even though most would like to, they once again have decided to lay the blame for everything going on over there on the door steps of the White House. Whether it be the length of time it takes to evacuate Americans from Lebanon, or even the reason for the violence itself, Bush gets the blame.

Its getting quite comical really. The media is up in arms over the fact that Condi Rice wasnt over there the first day a bomb was dropped. This shows the fact that liberals just dont understand how you effectivly fight terrorism in the world. Their obsession with peace has blinded their judgement. Isnt in the interest of the world to let Israel dismantle as much of Hezbollah as possible? Wouldnt that not only help the Israeli's, but also the Lebanese citizens, the same Lebanese citizen they are care so much for. Nobody, including Israel wants to kill innocent people in Beirut and the surrounding areas, but Hezbollah, and terrorists in general as we see in Iraq, have their infrastructure withing major metro areas.

The U.S. is absolutely doing the right thing by letting the Israeli's play this one out for themselves. We really have no right to tell them what the appropriate response is for the acts of terror that have been committed against them. The media in this country does care about that, they are just waiting to jump on anything they possibly can to bash the Bush administration. Like I said earlier, the newest beef is about the evactuations of people out of Lebanon. The media seems to think that getting 5,000 people out of a warzone half way around the world is an overnight process. Remember, this conflict is not even a week old, however according to liberals in the media, we should have already flown each and every person willing to leave outta there. Luckily for us who love this country, and support the president, the blame Bush media is actually losing the fight. Today, the New York Times announced it was cutting about 25% of its workforce...this is no coincidence. The fact that paper has undermind this country and this war has taken a significant toll on that paper and other like it. To them, I say with the utmost respect, naah nah naaaaah nah nah nah.

-Brad

Monday, July 17, 2006

World Leaders Feel the Heat

WHY I LIKE GEORGE W. BUSH

I took the weekend off from blogging, but I have still been keeping aprised of what is going on in the Middle East. Perhaps the only funny thing about the situation is the way that the leaders of the world, who are gathered in Russia for the G8, are trying to spin the situation. Well, all the leaders except ours that is. President Bush this morning, without his knowledge, said a swear word to Prime Minister Tony Blair while discussing Syria. The media is abuzz about this, I personally just think it was extremely funny. You can watch it here, and I recommend you do. I really wish Bush would talk like this publically, because it is the truth. Here is the exchange:

Blair: Well...its only if I mean...you know. If shes got a..., or if she needs the ground prepared as it were...Because obviously if she goes out, shes got to succeed, if it were, whereas I can go out and just talk.

Bush: You see, the...thing is what they need to do is to get Syria, to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and its over.


Awesome. Sure, Bush didnt know the mic was on, but I still love the candor.

Now, about the actual war. Israel is still pledging no mercy on the enemy until their soldiers are returned. I dont even know if the Israelis are sure those who were captured are still alive. Maybe they know, but I dont. Israel actually sent ground troops into southern Lebanon last night to attack some Hezbollah targets, but the IDF still says that an all out ground attack in Lebanon wont happen. We shall see about that. The conflict continues to heat up, along with the pressure on both sides to stop the fighting. Everyone seems to want to jump to peace, when some of us see an opportunity to cut this snake off at its head. Israel should not relent until they end Hezbollah, and the world should unite behind them by getting rid of the Iranian regime. I know that will never happen, because many world leaders sympothize with the terrorsts, while others are completely impotant, like the United Nations. If you want more on the backround of this violence, read here, so you can understand the severity of the situation, and why it must be dealt with now.

In some other news, the space shuttle Discovery returned this morning safely after almost 2 weeks in space. I have to admit I was wrong, NASA pulled this one together without a problem. I still think that the space program is a waste of time and money because they arent doing anything new, but I am very glad that the astronauts were able to successfully complete their little mission and return home safe and sound.

Another big story today is the freakin heat. Goooooooood Lord its hot. The temp could top out at 96 today in cleveland, with a heat index, which is the heat plus the humidity, could go over 100! Make sure you keep an eye on babies and old people, because they are obviously the most vulnerable in this kind of weather. The forcast shows a bit of a cool down for the rest of the week, but its still gonna be in the upper 80's. Thats about it for now, Ill post again if anything major happens. Stay cool.

-Brad

Friday, July 14, 2006

The Fight Continues

TIME FOR U.S. INVOLVEMENT?

For a third straight day, the Israeli's and Arab terrorists have traded bombings as no solution appears in sight. The horizon is extremely dark if you are someone who wants this to end peacefully, but for those of you who are like me, and want the Israeli's to spank Hamas, Hezbollah, and any nation who helps and harbor's them, then you're in luck. During the fighting today, an Israeli warship was struck by a Hezballah missile, some crew are reported missing. Meanwhile, Israel was busy doing some bombing of their own, completely distroying the headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut, but missing the leader of the organization, who said today he is ready to wage an open war against Israel. Of course, Syria pledged their support of Hezbollah, and even French President Jacques Chirac got in on the criticizm of Israel. Chirac is a complete idiot by the way.

Now that you are up to date on the news, let me give you some opinion. I think it is time for the United States to join Israel in the airstrikes against terrorist targets. Hezbollah has long been an enemy of the US, but we have yet to do anything to the group, even after they killed hundreds of marines twenty years ago. These types of groups have been around for far too long without any consequences, and now that the Israeli's are acting, I say we join the fight. I understand the situation in Iraq, and I do not support sending in American ground forces, but we have plenty of aircraft ready and able to hit targets all throughout the effected region. Its time to get tough once and for all. I actually see this as a golden opportunity to give terrorism a serious blow in that part of the world, I just wish the Bush administration was willing to do the right thing in this case. Sure, it wouldnt be popular with the rest of the world, but I say screw 'em, we must defend ourselves and our allies. Lets get down to business.

In some other news, Valerie Plame, whom I briefly mentioned yesterday, is going ahead with a lawsuit against the VP, Karl Rove, and Scooter Libby. She says that the government betrayed her, and now she wants them to pay. First of all, shes out of her mind, and her husband is an even bigger looney. But can I just say quickly that she is very hot! I saw her speaking on TV today and she is a veeeeeery attractive women. Too bad shes out of her mind. But that dont matter.

And finally, a little local news. Mike DeWine's campaign has made a new website called brownvotes.com. Its brilliant. It illustrates just how wrong and out of touch Sherrod Brown is when it comes to the security of our nation and the war on terror, two of the most important issues in the country. Im very pleased with what they are doing, and I hope that everyone will pass it along to expose the truth about Sherrod. We cant let this guy win. Its imperative. Bye.

-Brad

Thursday, July 13, 2006

A Letter From Israel

THE TRUTH FROM THE WARZONE

My girlfriend, who is Jewish, recently went to Israel with some of her college classmates and the guy who was in charge of her group is currently in Israel. His name is Dovev Barak, and he recently sent this dispatch to her from Israel:

If you are wondering what is going on let me tell you the story because Im guessing that the news in the US is not so accurate sometimes...

During the last 3 years a few Israeli town in the south have been attacked by home-made missiles (called 'Kassam') from Gaza. Every day at least 10 missiles or more hit the Israeli town of Sderot.

Three weeks ago three groups of terrorists (including those from Hamas which is backed by Iran) attacked an Israeli outpost close to Gaza by digging a tunnel under the border between Gaza and Israel. They killed two soldiers and kidnapped another demanding the immediate release of 1000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for some information about the kidnapped soldier. According to the Geneva Convention they must allow the Red Cross to visit the soldier but the terrorists havent allowed access.

Yesterday, a group of terrorists from Hezbollah crossed the border into Israel and attacked 2 Israeli Jeeps. The terrorists killed 3 soldiers and kidnapped 2 soldiers. Another 4 soldiers were killed trying to rescue their kidnapped friends when their tank ran over a roadside bomb planted by the Hezbollah terrorists.

Israel, of course, responded by attacking the infrastructure (roads and bridges) in southern Lebanonin order to prevent the terrorists from taking the kidnapped soldiers even farther into Lebanon. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah told reporters that the two soldiers had been taken to a place "far, far away" and that an Israeli military campaign would not win their release. Hezhollah also fired missiles at towns like Tzfat, Karmiel, and Nahariya.

Today Israel responded again. Firing missiles and rockets from Lebanon or Gaza into Israel terrorists entering Israel and attacking civilians and military personel is an act of war. Israel cant allow another country to attack her and because of that Israel attacked Lebanese strategic locations. Just an hour ago another 2 missiles hit Haifa. So far, two civilians have been killed in those attacks, seven soldiers have been killed, and 2 other soldiers have been kidnapped.

Are we at war? I think we are, although everything continues like normal in the center of Israel. Everyone is going to work although some people are being called up to duty in the Israeli Army reserves.

I know that in the American and European news it seems that Israel is the bad guy and world leaders might be condeming Israel, but honestly, Israel, like the US and any other normal country, cant let its citizens and soldiers be attacked like that. To do nothing would invite the other terrorist organizations to attack.


Well said Dovev. I hope to hear more from him soon, so check back frequently.

-Brad

Busy News Day

HOW THE MIDDLE EAST IS MAKING ME GO BROKE

I wrote about the escalating tensions in Gaza yesterday, but now we are going to feel the effects here in Ohio. As no surprise to any of us, oil has begun to riiiiiiiiiiise because of 'tensions' in the Middle East. Is it just me, or does everything in the world effect the price of oil? It is seriously getting out of control. With that said, the price of crude is approaching an all time high of $77 per barrel, because of problems in an area where we get not one drop of oil. But I guess that doesnt matter anymore. As far as military operation in Israel are going, they have bombed an airport in Lebanon and Hezbollah has appearently retaliated by launching a missile into a highly populated Israeli city. Both sides are now beginning to take prisoners as the situation continues to spiral out of control. Dont expect an end to this anytime soon, but prepare yourself for even higher gas prices, yipppppie.

Besides all that fun, President Bush was in Germany today feasting on wild bor with the new chancellor of Germany, who has become quite a good friend of W's. This is just a small stop on his way to the G8 Summit in Russia, where the leaders of the world will have to tackle some extremely tough issues, but dont expect much to get accomplished. I expect alot to be praised in public, with alot of bitching in private, with little coming in the way of solutions since most world leaders cant agree on anything.

Back in the states, Democrats continue to make asses of themselves by running a campaign add showing the flag draped coffins of KIA US troops. Republicans are outraged, as most of the country should be, but dont expect anyone in the media to hold the Dems accountable for using poor taste, since most in the media agree with them. We can only hope that everyday Americans, especially those moderate among us, will finally see the Democrats for who they are, a bunch of whiney losers who complain about everything while offering no answers.

Finally, just coming over the wire as I type these magnificent words, CNN is reporting that Valerie Plame is suing Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Scooter Libby, evidentally over the fact that she was allegedly outed as a covert agent for the CIA, which she was not. This whole thing has gotten so political its pathetic, and now that Patrick Fitzgerald has no case against anyone because nobody did anything wrong, Mrs. Plame is going to take matters into her own hands. Hilarious. More on this story as details warrant. Busy news day, be back soon.

-Brad

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Another War in the Middle East

HERE WE GO AGAIN

As I sit here and type this to you, Israeli war planes are probably bombing the crap out of Palestinian targets in Gaza City. This is in response to the Hezbollah report that they have captured a couple more Israeli soldiers. Remember, it was the capturing of a lone Israeli soldier that started this latest set back in peace back on June 25th. This war seems to me like it could be a very big deal. On one side, you obviously have the Israeli's who will mostly have to go it alone, but have the resources to do so. On the other side, you have the Palestinians and Hamas, who are funded and helped by terror groups like Hezbollah and the Governments of Syria and Iran.

I hope that this entire ordeal can be solved peacefully and diplomatically, but everyday seems to prove the contrary as hostile actions continue by both sides. Inevitibly, the United States will be sucked into this if the situation continues to deteriorate. Once again, we will do the right thing and defend Israel, as they are surrounded by enemies not only to them, but also to the USA. However, this conflict could have an effect on our efforts in Iraq, and as of now Im not sure if the effect will be positive or negative. It could be a positive turn of events if the terrorists see a bigger threat in Gaza and give up on Iraq, but that is specuation on my part. The biggest variable right now in this entire thing is Iran. The leaders of that country have expressed their ambitions to wipe Israel off the map, so these latest events could be very telling. If Iran gets involved publically, I believe the United States will have no other option but to intervene. I do not think that the president will let Israel go it alone against those idiots, but I could be wrong.

It seems that war has all but begun once again between the Israeli's and the Muslims in the holy land. Their inability to get along, after everything Israel has given to the Palestinians completely baffles me. The tide turned when Hamas won big in the most recent election over there, and most who study that part of the world would probably tell you that this type of aggressive action was only a matter of time. The terror groups over there just cannot let Israel alone, and now they will have to face the wrath of one of the strongest military's in the entire world. Go Israel.

-Brad

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

The Rage Over Minimum Wage

MY TAKE

Ive been told that Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and other have recently been in Ohio complaining about the current rate of the minimum wage in American. Evidentally, some grassroots groups right here in the Buckeye state have been planning to take matter into their own hands and get legislation passed in the state legislature to raise the wage. Clinton and Edwards are in the camp, like the majority of the Democratic Party, which says that having a low minimum wage hurts tons of working families in this country and blah blah blah. For those of you who dont know, the minimum wage is currently $5.15 and has been since 1997.

In my opinion, the minimum wage should be extremely low, to give people an incentive for actually getting a good education which will allow them to make more money to support them and their families. I do understand that not everyone is cut out for higher education, but those people can still learn a trade at a vocational school which will be much to their benefit. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics says that more than 80% of people making the minimum wage have no dependents, meaning the obvious, that most are teenage kids. Trust me, if your are middle aged with children and your making minimum wage, you probably have many other problems unrelated to anything Im talking about here.

This whole debate has a eerie existance of hypocracy if I say so myself. Remember how the Democrats always moan about how Republicans use issues like gay marriage and flag burning just to rally their base around election time? Well that is exactly what the Dems are doing here. Minimum wage has been a constant issue of their platform since is was instituted by FDR, and now they are using it to get themselves much needed votes for the upcoming election. Its a loser now and always has been. I dont think that many people making minimum wage who are over the age of 18 vote in huge numbers, but I guess I could be wrong. Probably not though.

Here is what I suggest: I personally would support raising the minimum wage, but only to $5.65 tops. With gas prices where they are and inflation rates rising, even high school kids should be able to enjoy themselves and their paychecks a little more. Plus they tend to spend money like crazy, which in it of itself helps the overall economy. I however do not, and will never support raising it to $6.85, which is where the likes of Hillary wants it. Thats way too much and will cause a lot of inflation just by itself. It would be nice if the Democrats tried it my way, instead of trying to lie to the American people by telling them that a low minimum wage hurts countless families in this country, which again just aint true. Im not really worried about this entire issue though, with Republicans in control of basically the entire country, I wouldnt invision any raise in the minimum wage in the very near future. Yet another reason why we must prevail on November 7th, 2006. Dont let these people ruin the economy the Bush administration created.

-Brad

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Lieberman Under Attack

SUCKS TO BE HIM

I kinda feel bad for Joe Lieberman. I actually like the guy, I think he is one of the very few Democrats in congress who is thinking clearly and also has a mind of his own. Maybe it makes me a hypocrit though, considering that Im not a fan of John McCain, while the two are very similar on their respective sides of the isle. I watched the debate the other night on MSNBC between Lieberman and his extremely liberal opponent Ned Lamont. To me, Lamont came off to be extremely fake. The man is obviously running as a left wing looney because he believes he can get the support of the other left wing loonies in Connecticut, whom Lieberman has alienated by taking the correct stand on the Iraq war.

Obviously, Iraq is the defining issue in the campaign. Other than Iraq, Lieberman pretty much follows the Democratic party line. What I have found very interesting about this race is the fear of other elected Democrats to publically support Lieberman. John Kerry, who wants to run for president in 2008 as the liberal candidate, refuses to support his friend. To me, that just proves how big of a tool that John Kerry truly is. All the man cares about is politics and himself, which is why he will never be our president, thank God.

My vast political knowledge very rarely lets me down, and I think I will be right by saying that Joe Lieberman will win the Senate race from his own state. Im not sure if he will survive the primary, but if he has to run as an independent, which he says he will, I think he will prevail. Im just curious about the Republican candidate in the race and whether or not that person has any chance of winning if Lieberman and Lamont end up splitting the Democratic vote in November. Wouldnt that be an interesting change of events?! By the way, primary day is August 8th, I believe, in Connecticut, so stay tuned.

-Brad

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

North Korea 1, USA 0

WHO'S THE BOSS?

Yesterday, the North Korean's decided to defy the United States, and the world I guess, by test launching a bunch of missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, and one that could potentially hit the continental US. Oh by the way, they conveniently picked the 4th of July to do their little test. The president and the UN were extremely quick to react to this news by immediately issuing statements condeming the tests and blah blah blah. What everyone failed to do was come up with a plan to either punish the North Korean's or send them a strong warning not to do something like this again. I dont know how many times we can make these pointless and worthless threats while expecting psycho leaders, like those in North Korea, to take us seriously.

Let me first say that I believe most are overreacting about his news. I do not think that the Korean's have capabilities to hit the United States from thousands of miles away. With that said, if I lived in South Korea or Japan, Id probabaly be much more concerned. Furthermore, I do not believe even Lil' Kim has the balls to use a nuclear weapon against an ally of the United States of America. At most, the guy might have 5-10 nukes, compared to our 1,300+. Suffice it to say, in the event of a nuclear conflict, I dont like his chances.

Now, here is what I think we should do since the North Korean's made the first move. We cannot sanction these people anymore. I know that the UN loves sanctions because it gets them off the hook without having ever do anything tough, but this situation is beyond that. The North Korean people have already suffered greatly under the current regime, basically they cannot get any poorer. Knowing that, we must be willing to use our muscle rather than our mouths. If I was the president, unbenounced to anyone, I would get about two dozen F-16's together, in attack formation, and let them breeze by Pyongyang at a slow rate of speed. Let the moronic leaders over there see for themselves that they can be annihilated in a matter of seconds with simple conventional weapondry. And, if they decide to try and shoot one of our planes down, give the pilots the green light to destroy any hostile air defense systems they might utilize. In other words, let them shoot first. We are the the United States of America for crying out loud and we should be allowed to intimidate these jerks if we want to. As I said, this should be a covert operation, but if the news does come out, you can bet that the rest of the world would complain about how we are the bullies in the world. But then Id say to them, would you prefer, a strong United States who bullied a country into submission, or a potential nuclear war? Sounds simple you might say, but common sense seems to be a thing of the past in the rhelm of international relations.

-Brad

Sunday, July 02, 2006

NASA Scrubbs Discovery...Again

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

I dont know about you, but the space program as a whole today really doesnt make much sense. It seems to me that the risks out weigh the rewards here in 2006, and in my opinion, NASA should either focus completely on the future, or call it quits altogether. Its a shame that it has come to this, but when the Columbia decintagrated into the morning sky three years ago, it really put the space program into persepective. Is it worth the lives of seven or eight brave people just to go into space and orbit the earth? Americans have been orbiting the earth since the late 1950's, so what is really the point? We spend billions and billions of dollars a year on NASA, and unless they use that money on more uselful projects, I think the congress should simply cut them off.

The American space program used to be the envy of the world. During the 1960's, from Mercury, to Gemini, and especially during the Apollo years, we were utilizing our resources to reach an objective, which was to go to the moon. There is no such objective today, and we need one. I have heard talks about maybe going back to the moon, which I would support. There are even rumors of attempting to go to Mars, which I would strongly support. When the Apollo 1 astronauts died during a test, they died because we were on a mission. But now it doesnt seem to me like we have any mission at all. People say that space travel can never become routine, well, I honestly think it has. Too routine and far too dangerous.

In my opinion, NASA should just retire the shuttle project completely, and take the next decade to focus on going someplace. Nobody would mind if they did such a thing because we could all once again be galvonized by the brilliance of distant space travel. For those of you who dont know about it, go back and read about the space program of the 1960's, and how excited America was when we first orbited the earth, then orbited the moon, then finally landed on the moon almost 37 years ago. Space travel should be a game of firsts, but it hasnt been in nearly three decades. I direct you to the book "Lost Moon" by astronaut Jim Lovell, who was on the famous Apollo 13 mission. It really illustrates the NASA in those days, and shows much things have changed. I ask you all this question, and please leave comments, do you think what NASA does today, is worth the lives of our astronauts?

-Brad

Meet the Press Recap

REDEMPTION

Whoa...this weeks Meet the Press was amazing. It had gotten very stale over the past few weeks, with Tim Russert just basically having on Democrats and letting them spew out their talking points. But this week Russert was gone, and Andrea Mitchell was the guest host, and she did a marvelous job. The first segment pitted Senators Mitch McConnell and Chuckie Schumer against one another. Mrs. Mitchell grilled Schumer for almost the entire half hour, it was great. McConnell basically just sat there and let her have him, as everything that Chuckie was saying became red meat for the inquisitive Mitchell. The Quote of the day had to have been when Schumer, discussing Hillary Clinton's presidential asperations said that right now she is focused on simply running for the Senate of the United States of New York. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

The second segment was about the New York Times and their irresponisible reporting. Bill Bennett was the only conservative, with three other panelists. But Bill held his ground against the other three whiners who want to protect the press from any accountability. The people in the media basically think that they are above the law, and Bennett proved that brilliantly by just letting them talk. The best part about the whole thing is that everytime they get a chance to defend themselves, they just galvonize conservatives who will defeat them and their ideology in November. I almost felt bad for Bennett, but then I thought to myself that it would be great to go against a panel of people who think the way that liberal journalists do, because it makes people like us and Bennett look that much smarter, and even more American. Bennett did a great job.

I really suggest if you didnt get to see the show this morning, you go here and watch it, or read the transcript if you have a few hours. Again, Andrea Mitchell did a great job and Id love to see more of her on MTP in the future. It was great entertainment.

-Brad