Obama's 10 Commandments just slightly different than God's

Stole this from The Patriot Depot website because I agree wholeheartedly that President Obama is obviously governed by a different set of rules than many of the rest of us, particularly us Bible believers. The Patriot Depot says they've been watching and have figured out what Obama's top 10 rules are, and it ain't the 10 Commandments that God gave Moses on Mt. Sinai.

After observing Obama on the campaign trail and during his first six months in office, we have concluded that our President lives and governs according to his own set of “Ten Commandments.” They’re certainly NOT the Ten Commandments you learned in Sunday School. In fact, many are the direct opposite! To prove that our conclusions are correct, you will find a link to source documentation for each commandment on the Patriot Update web site.

The text on the front of the T-shirt reads:

The Ten Commandments According to Obama

I. Thou shalt have no God in America, except for me. For we are no longer a Christian nation and, after all, I am the chosen One. (And like God, I do not have a birth certificate.) SOURCE

II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, unless it is my face carved on Mt. Rushmore. SOURCE

III. Thou shalt not utter my middle name in vain (or in public). Only I can say Barack Hussein Obama. SOURCE

IV. Remember tax day, April 15th, to keep it holy. SOURCE

V. Honour thy father and thy mother until they are too old and sick to care for. They will cost our public-funded health-care system too much money. SOURCE

VI. Thou shalt not kill, unless you have an unwanted, unborn baby. For it would be an abomination to punish your daughter with a baby. SOURCE

VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery if you are conservative or a Republican. Liberals and Democrats are hereby forgiven for all of their infidelity and immorality, but the careers of conservatives will be forever destroyed. SOURCE

VIII. Thou shalt not steal, until you've been elected to public office. Only then is it acceptable to take money from hard-working, successful citizens and give it to those who do not work, illegal immigrants, or those who do not have the motivation to better their own lives. SOURCE

IX. Thou shalt not discriminate against thy neighbor unless they are conservative, Caucasian, or Christian. SOURCE

X. Thou shalt not covet because it is simply unnecessary. I will place such a heavy tax burden on those that have achieved the American Dream that, by the end of my term as President, nobody will have any wealth or material goods left for you to covet. SOURCE

If you're looking for a t-shirt to make a statement, here's one. The Patriot Depot has more too.

Terrorists home-grown in North Carolina: Tar Heels lock and load!

Lock and load, North Carolinians, the Islamic terrorists ain't just in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other points far east. They're right here at home, plotting terror in the Old North State.

The News & Observer in Raleigh has the details of this home-grown terrorist cell in our midst.

RALEIGH -- To those they lived among, seven men accused of an intricate terrorism plot lived simply, quietly and kindly.

To neighbors and friends, Daniel Boyd was a father who stopped his work at noon each day for prayer. Dylan Boyd, Daniel's son, was a college student at N.C. State University who until last year worked as a clinical services technician at WakeMed Raleigh Campus. Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan was a newlywed; his father owns a Raleigh car dealership.

To federal authorities, these men and four others plotted to kill themselves and others in the name of Islam. Their activities, tracked by FBI agents over three years and detailed in federal indictments released Monday, tell of an elaborate scheme hatched in a quiet Johnston County neighborhood and nondescript apartment complexes across Raleigh and Cary.

Those arrested Monday include Daniel Patrick Boyd, 39, who was considered the ringleader of the group, and who fought with Afghan Muslims against the Soviets; Hysen Sherifi, 24; Anes Subasic, 33; Zakariya Boyd, 20, and Dylan Boyd, 22; Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, 22; and Ziyad Yaghi, a 21-year-old Cary High School graduate.

All but one of the defendants are American citizens. Sherifi, a native of Kosovo, is living in the United States legally.

All seven men are charged with conspiring to provide support to terrorists and conspiring to murder, kidnap, maim and injure people abroad. Each is expected to have a detention hearing this week. Until then, they are being held without bond.

Boyd, the ring-leader, was too radical for a mosque in Raleigh so he recently split with them and joined a mosque in Durham more to his liking.

Investigators say the Boyds stockpiled military-style weapons and trained at a rural site in Caswell County, on the Virginia border north of Alamance and Orange counties. The investigators say that Daniel Boyd split from his mainstream mosque in Raleigh this year over "ideological differences," according to the indictment.

A spokesman at the Islamic Center in Raleigh said he did not know the suspects; an estimated 1,200 people attend Friday services at the center. Hassan and Yaghi both attended Al-Iman School, which shares space with the Raleigh mosque, according to former teacher Samar Hindi. Most recently, Daniel Boyd had been attending Jamaat Ibad Ar-Rahman, a mosque in Durham.

"In our dealings, we found them to be people of good moral character," said Hisham Heda, board chairman at the Durham mosque.

Whew. That makes me feel much better knowing the Durham mosque leader says this terrorist cell's members are all "people of good moral character." Don't you feel reassured?

Israeli Jews wake up to Obama's plan to abandon Israel

President Obama's approval rating here at home has sunk into negative territory, largely due to his Obamacare "healthcare reform" plans to socialize America's health insurance industry.

But there's one part of the world where his approval rating is down to single digits, nearing zero, in the nation which has been America's only faithful ally in the Middle East, Israel. There Obama has also managed to vastly improve the popularity of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who Israelis now see as a hero for standing up to Obama's demand that growth be immediately halted in all Jewish settlements under dispute by Palestinian Arabs.

Aluf Benn, editor at large of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, pens an op-ed in the Noo Yawk Times to ask the question: Why Won't Obama Talk to Israel?

A Jerusalem Post poll of Israeli Jews last month indicated that only 6 percent of those surveyed considered the Obama administration to be pro-Israel, while 50 percent said that its policies are more pro-Palestinian than pro-Israeli. Less scientifically: Israeli rightists have — in columns, articles and public statements — taken to calling the president by his middle name, Hussein, as proof of his pro-Arab tendencies.

What went wrong? Several explanations come to mind.

First, in the 16 rosy years of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, Israelis became spoiled by unfettered presidential attention. Memories of State Department “Arabists” leading American policy in the Middle East were erased. The White House coordinated its policy with Jerusalem, and stayed out of the way when Israel embarked on controversial military offensives in Lebanon and Gaza. This approach infuriated America’s Arab and European allies, which blamed Washington for one-sidedness — something they were willing to forgive of Bill Clinton but not of George W. Bush.

Mr. Obama came to office determined to repair America’s broken alliances in Europe and the Middle East. One way to do this — to prove that he was the opposite of his predecessor — was to place some distance between Israel and himself.

Second, Mr. Obama’s quest for diplomacy has appeared to Israelis as dangerous American naïveté. The president offered a hand to the Iranians, and got nothing, merely giving them more time to advance their nuclear program. In Israeli eyes, he was humiliated by North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests. And he failed to move Arab governments to take steps to normalize relations with Israel. Conclusion: Mr. Obama is a softie, eager to please his listeners and avoid confrontation with anyone who is not Mr. Netanyahu.

Third, Mr. Obama seems to have confused American Jews with Israelis. We are close emotionally and politically, but we are different. We speak Hebrew and not English, we live in the Middle East and have separate historical narratives. Mr. Obama’s stop at Buchenwald and his strong rejection of Holocaust denial, immediately after his Cairo speech, appealed to American Jews but fell flat in Israel. Here we are taught that Zionist determination and struggle — not guilt over the Holocaust — brought Jews a homeland. Mr. Obama’s speech, which linked Israel’s existence to the Jewish tragedy, infuriated many Israelis who sensed its closeness to the narrative of enemies like Mahmoud Ahmedinejad.

Fourth, as far as most Israelis are concerned, Mr. Obama has made a mistake in focusing on a settlement freeze. For starters, mainstream Israelis rarely have anything to do with the settlements; many have no idea where they are, even when they’re a half-hour’s drive from Tel Aviv.

More important: in the past decade, repeated peace negotiations and diplomatic statements have indicated that larger, closer-to-home settlements (the “settlement blocs”) will remain in Israeli hands under any two-state solution. Why, then, insist on a total freeze everywhere? And why deny with such force — as the administration did — the existence of previous understandings between the United States and Israel over limited settlement construction? There is simply too much evidence proving that such an understanding existed. To Israelis, the claim undermined Mr. Obama’s credibility — and strengthened Mr. Netanyahu’s position.

I fear we're seeing the beginning of the end of America's future. As an evangelical Christian and a fundamental believer in the Bible, I firmly believe what the Bible says is true about the nation of Israel, whoever is a friend of Israel will be blessed by God. And the reverse, the nation that abandons Israel will be abandoned by God. The Israeli people have woke up and seen their abandonment coming. I pray the American people will realize the consequences of Obama's coming abandonment of Israel and speak out before it's too late.

The guns & ammo buying rush slows from panic to brisk

Ask any gun-shop owner and they'll tell you the same thing Les Jones is reporting, The Obama-inspired gun-buying rush is over.

Last November Barack Obama was elected president. Obama’s official platform included a renewal of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban and he was widely (and accurately) perceived as being anti-gun. His election set off a massive gun-buying spree that saw record numbers of gun purchases. That, in turn, led to empty shelves and inflated prices, not just for guns but for complementary goods such as ammunition.

Now people on The High Road are asking is the panic buying over? I think so. It peaked a month or two ago and now it seems to be going in the opposite direction. The best data I have for that is the Colt 6920, a popular AR-15 model.

Colt 6920 price history

A week before the 2008 election someone was selling thirty Colt 6920 AR-15s on Gunbroker for $1,200 a pop, which was a bit under the usual price. A few weeks after Obama won those same 6920s soared to $1,800 or more. (GunBroker’s auction search only goes back 90 days, but here ’s an April auction for $1,750.)

Since then I’ve been watching Clyde Armory, which lists Colt prices on its Web site. Over time I’ve seen the sticker drop to below $1,600, then to $1,449, then to $1,349 last week, and to $1,249 today. An identical gun on GunBroker sold for $1,050 a few weeks ago.

The Obama-inspired gun-buying panic is over. Everyone who wants an AR-15 rifle and can afford it has one, at least until another ban looms. (Well, except me, but I’m not all that fired up about buying an AR-15. I bought a lower and some 30 round magazines last fall as insurance against a ban, but I refused to pay those inflated prices for a complete gun.)

At the gun shop where I've worked since January, the hysteria has faded into at least mild panic if not gone back to normalcy. I'm no expert on "normal" sales at a gun shop as I have previously experienced the gun business only as a buyer prior to this new job.

As Les Jones notes, the drop in price and rise in availability of AR and AK rifles is one good sign that benefits gun buyers, the other is the accompanying slowdown and rise in availability of ammo. Until just this past week or two, we could not keep some types of ammo in stock, such as .380 ACP, which was overly popular due to the release of several new .380 pocket pistols. Now we actually have a good selection of various brands of .380, FMJs and JHPs, at prices that have returned to reasonable from outrageous.

Gun shows since the election have been frantic, but have in the past month or so slowed down to brisk. Same is true about sales in the shop. We now have occasional periods of slow sales, then a dozen customers will show up at once and it goes nuts again until everybody is waited on.

And on gunbroker.com sales, which is what I do primarily for the gun shop, sales have slowed to the point where occasionally we have days when nobody buys a gun. This was unheard of until the past couple of weeks. But we have anedotal evidence that other gun shops are seeing little to no sales on gunbroker. One shop owner recently told our boss that his Internet sales were zero.

Maybe our Internet sales are continuing fairly strong has something to do with our inventory. We currently have 393 guns listed on gunbroker, so nobody can say they can't find what they're looking for, handguns, rifles or shotguns.

But all it will take to reignite the panic is for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder or President Obama to wave the bloody shirt of gun control and it will be on again. Let's hope they've got enough on their plates to keep them busy without trying to grab our guns. Again.

Virginia's governor race a win-win for gun owners

It's a very good sign for gun lovers that the governor's seat in Virginia will be filled by a pro-gun candidate, regardless of whether it's a Democrat or Republican who gets elected.

Because both Virginia gubernatorial candidates are trying to outdo each other as to which is more pro-gun. Both have very good credentials, so this election is a win-win for Virginia gun owners. The Washington Post reports both sides with an easy-to-spot preference for the Democrat, of course.

The question of how much to regulate the sale and possession of guns has always been a dividing line in Virginia political contests. This year's gubernatorial candidates -- former attorney general Robert F. McDonnell (R) and state Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D) -- both have extensive pro-gun records.

The only clear issue on guns that divides the candidates is the so-called gun show loophole.

Until recently, Deeds, as a lawmaker from rural Bath County, had been a more staunch advocate of gun rights than McDonnell, whose career began in Virginia Beach. One of Deeds's signature pieces of legislation was a state constitutional amendment guaranteeing Virginians the right to hunt and fish. Deeds also secured the National Rifle Association's backing in the 2005 attorney general's race against McDonnell, who won by 360 votes.

Former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, pointedly declined to endorse Deeds in that campaign because Deeds, as a delegate, had refused to support legislation limiting handgun purchases to no more than one per month -- a measure McDonnell backed.

But both candidates have gravitated closer to positions generally embraced by their party's base.

McDonnell, for example, now says he supports a repeal of the one-a-month law because computerized background checks and other advances make it unnecessary. In an interview last week, McDonnell also said he opposes further regulating gun shows because statistics show only a tiny number of guns used in crimes were obtained at gun shows.

"I'd say it's a little bit of a misnomer to call it a loophole," McDonnell said. "It's really an attempt to regulate private sales."

But McDonnell touted his work with Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) in closing a loophole that allowed the Virginia Tech shooter to evade a ban on transferring firearms to someone with serious mental illness.

"I'm very sympathetic to the victims at Virginia Tech," McDonnell said. "The problem that occurred at Virginia Tech had nothing to do with the gun show loophole."

Deeds, who owns several firearms and has hunted since he was a child, said he understands the importance of the Second Amendment and has no interest in working for broader gun controls except for the gun show loophole.

"For me, everything changed on April 16, 2007," Deeds said in an interview Sunday. "As a father, I felt just a need deep down in my soul to respond to their grief somehow."

During the 2008 and 2009 General Assembly sessions, Deeds voted to close the loophole, including a compromise that would have exempted antique firearms. That soured his chances with Steve and Annette Elliott, owners of C&E Gun Shows, which promoted the three-day gun show at the Dulles Expo Center.

The gun grabbers have been gabbing about the so-called gun show loophole for decades, but as usual, it's a big lie. This ain't about gun-show sales, it's about private sales between individuals.

Do you suppose when Thomas Jefferson sold a flintlock to his buddy John Adams, they filled out a yellow form and sent it in by horseback to some paper-pusher in Washington, D.C. to approve?

Any private gun buyer that has enough sense to come in out of the rain will get a copy of the ID and/or driver's license of the seller and/or buyer and hand-write out a simple contract, "I (seller) sold this (make, model and serial number) to (buyer) on (date)." Both buyer and seller sign it, you make two copies and each gets one. Simple common sense. Then if some idiot uses a gun I sold him to rob a bank or shoot up a "gun-free zone" at a college, I can prove I sold it legally to him and it ain't mine anymore.

This gun-show loophole nonsense ain't about gun shows at all. It's about private sales between two lawful individuals. But that's the last thing the gun grabbers will ever admit.

Obama's planets are aligning for 'The Age of Nefarious'

Doug Giles has a sing-along for us from President Obama's big "healthcare reform" press conference.

Being the sensitive guy that I am, sometimes I can’t express how I truly feel about Obamaland without writing a song. Here’s my take on what I believe is happening to the good old USA.

The Age of Nefarious (to be sung to the tune of the Age of Aquarius).

When the moonbats are in the White House

And Deceiver is appointing czars
Then thieves will steal our nation
and socialism will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the age of Nefarious
The age of Nefarious
Nefarious!
Nefarious!

Disharmony and reparations
Blame shifting and spin abounding
No more transparency or integrity
Golden septic streams of drivel
Mystic liberal machinations
And the mind’s true incarceration
Nefarious!
Nefarious!

When the moonbats are in the White House

And Deceiver is appointing czars
Then thieves will steal our nation
and socialism will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the age of Nefarious
The age of Nefarious
Nefarious!
Nefarious!

Let the Thugs slime in.

Let the Thugs slime in.

The Thugs slime in.

Don't hold back there Doug, tell us how you really feel about the Liar In Chief.

Me too Doug.

North Korean woman executed for handing out Bibles

Here in the land of the free and the home of the brave, here's something to ponder as you decide tomorrow morning whether you're going to get up and go to church. From North Korea:

SEOUL | A Christian woman accused of distributing the Bible, a book banned in communist North Korea, was publicly executed last month for the crime, South Korean activists said Friday.

The 33-year-old mother of three, Ri Hyon-ok, also was accused of spying for South Korea and the United States, and of organizing dissidents, a rights group said in Seoul, citing documents obtained from the North.

The Investigative Commission on Crime Against Humanity report included a copy of Mrs. Ri's government-issued photo ID and said her husband, children and parents were sent to a political prison the day after her June 16 execution.

Note the woman's crime, handing out Bibles. And for this she was murdered and her husband, children and parents all rounded up and slapped into a "political prison." I'm willing to bet that prisons for criminals are very bad in North Korea and that political prisons are even worse.

And this is no isolated incident. God only knows how many other Christians are being persecuted and killed in North Korea.

"What religious practice or venues exist ... [are] tightly controlled and used to advance the government's political or diplomatic agenda," the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a May report. "Other public and private religious activity is prohibited and anyone discovered engaging in clandestine religious practice faces official discrimination, arrest, imprisonment, and possibly execution."

The commission report cited defectors as saying an estimated 6,000 Christians are jailed in "Prison No. 15" in the north of the country, with religious prisoners facing worse treatment than other inmates.

Mrs. Ri reportedly was executed in the northwestern city of Ryongchon, near the border with China.

The South Korean rights report also said North Korean security agents arrested and tortured another Christian, Seo Kum-ok, 30, near Ryongchon. She was accused of trying to spy on a nuclear site and hand the information over to South Korea and the United States.

It was not clear whether she survived, the report said. Her husband also was arrested and their two children have since disappeared, it said.

Pray for the Christians in North Korea and while you're at it, pray for persecuted Christians around the world. We don't appreciate the freedom to worship we have here in America.

And when the sun comes up tomorrow, get out of bed, get ready and go to church.

Back to the good ol' days of President Jimmy Carter?

The minimum wage went up again today. Good news for low-income workers, right? Wrong. Bad news for employers who won't be able to hire as many low-wage workers (who are by definition low-income workers) and may in fact have to lay some off and push the jobless rate even higher. It's only good news for unions, who can compete better with non-union employers. And in case you haven't noticed, good news for Democrats, who the unions support financially.

At present, we're almost in double digits as the jobless rate nears 10 percent. "Happy Days are here again!" the libtards are signing as Obama-Pelosi-Reid lead us back into Jimmy Carter territory, those good ol' days of double-digit unemployment, interest rates and stagflation.

On the other hand, there are five fingers. And also the obvious solution for our jobless economy, how about a payroll tax cut for businesses? It worked for Reagan and even John Kennedy, both Presidents who cut taxes and saw the national economy improve dramatically.

In other news about prominent Democrats, have you read about the big scandal among New Jersey politicians which reaches all the way up to the governor's office? If so, you probably had to do what I did, read all the way to the end of the story in the New York Times (just across the river) to finally find out what party the political criminals belong to:

Among the public officials arrested were Mayor Peter J. Cammarano III of Hoboken, who was a City Council member before he took office as mayor on July 1, and Mayor Dennis Elwell of Secaucus, both Democrats; Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith of Jersey City, also a Democrat; and Assemblyman Daniel M. Van Pelt, a Republican from Ocean County.

Ahah, one Republican joins the long list of Democrat big-shot crooks. Gotcha. Sorta. The NY Times ain't about to name any parties unless they can find at least one Republican to add.

Have you heard New Jersey's state motto? "Some of our politicians haven't been indicted yet!"

Two MSM "signs" that Sarah Palin is a great candidate for Prez

In the vein of Jeff Foxworthy's signs that "you might be a redneck," you might be a great candidate for President if you're not even running yet but the mainstream media and a pair of leftwingnut wannabe/hasbeen politicians feel obligated to attack you.

Sarah Palin hasn't officially resigned as governor of Alaska yet or begun campaigning for any other political office, much less President, but here's two "signs" from the Washington Post.

Palin Favorability Rating Dips As She Nears Exit, Poll Finds
As Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin prepares for the next stage of her political career, a majority of Americans hold an unfavorable view of her, and there is broad public doubt about her leadership skills and understanding of complex issues, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
(By Jon Cohen and Philip Rucker, The Washington Post)

What Palin Got Wrong About Energy
We invite the Alaska governor to join the reality-based debate.
(By Barbara Boxer and John F. Kerry, The Washington Post)

You don't have to read either story to get the point. The Washington Post-ABC News poll was commissioned and paid for by those two so-called mainstream media outlets to determine what? Whether she's popular or not? You can make a poll say anything depending on how you ask the questions, as in the famous "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" Yes or no answer only.

Yes. "Ahah! So you admit you've been beating your wife!"
No. "Well why won't you stop beating your wife?"

And then there's Senator Barbara Boxer (Lunatic-California) and John Kerry, hasbeen senator and presidential candidate and wannabe taken seriously "I coulda been a contender!" inviting Sarah Palin to "join the reality-based debate" on the nation's energy policy. Palin, the governor whose state is energy independent because of the deal she personally negotiated with big oil companies that the "experts" said could never be done, needs to take "reality" advice from Boxer and Kerry? If anybody in the energy debate is out of touch with reality, it ain't Sarah Palin. And it just might be Boxer, whose state has outlawed oil drilling, nuclear power plants and any other kind of energy plants except wind power (at which Boxer is a great source), and Kerry who's never had a clue about anything except having a Ph.D. in "how to marry a rich wife so you don't have to work." You can tell a lot about a person by their enemies. Sarah has great enemies.

The Bible verse that stopped a home invader in his tracks

This widow lady had a bedtime habit of memorizing a verse of the Bible every night. She would pick a verse, read it and say it aloud several times until she had it memorized, then turn out the light and go to sleep.

One night she memorized Acts 2:38, in Peter's sermon on the Day of Pentecost.

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Then she turned out the light to go to sleep. But before she was asleep, she heard a noise. She raised up and looked and a man had raised her bedroom window and was climbing inside!

She shouted out the first thing that popped in her head: "Acts 2:38! Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

The burglar froze, halfway through her window. She waited a minute and when he didn't move, she picked up the phone and dialed 911. The burglar still didn't move. He stayed frozen in her window until the police arrived and arrested him, put him in a squad car and headed to jail.

As they were driving away, the policeman asked him, "Why didn't you run?"

The burglar replied, "You didn't hear what she said! She said she had an ax and two .38s!"

Now, memorize Acts 2:38 and you'll be ready for a burglar. But keep two .38s loaded too.

Who's for National Reciprocity ... and who's against it

In the interest of public service to all gun lovers, here the list of who voted for and against the National Reciprocity amendment yesterday in the U.S. Senate. I proudly note that both of North Carolina's U.S. Senators, Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican Robert Burr, voted for it.

Here's the list I stole from the NRA-ILA site:

YEAs ---58
Alexander (R-TN) Barrasso (R-WY) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Begich (D-AK) Bennet (D-CO) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Casey (D-PA) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Conrad (D-ND) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Crapo (R-ID)	DeMint (R-SC) Dorgan (D-ND) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Feingold (D-WI) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Gregg (R-NH) Hagan (D-NC) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Johnson (D-SD) Kyl (R-AZ) Landrieu (D-LA) Lincoln (D-AR) Martinez (R-FL) McCain (R-AZ)	McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Reid (D-NV) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Snowe (R-ME) Tester (D-MT) Thune (R-SD) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Vitter (R-LA) Warner (D-VA) Webb (D-VA) Wicker (R-MS)

NAYs ---39
Akaka (D-HI) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Burris (D-IL) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Dodd (D-CT) Durbin (D-IL) Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) Gillibrand (D-NY)	Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Kaufman (D-DE) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lugar (R-IN) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ)	Merkley (D-OR) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Reed (D-RI) Rockefeller (D-WV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Shaheen (D-NH) Specter (D-PA) Stabenow (D-MI) Voinovich (R-OH) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 3
Byrd (D-WV)	Kennedy (D-MA)	Mikulski (D-MD)

Remember those Nays come November. NRA-ILA leader Chris Cox sums up the vote.

“While we are disappointed that the 60 vote procedural hurdle was not met, the vote shows that a bipartisan majority agrees with the NRA,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “We would like to thank Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), along with all senators who voted in favor of this amendment on both sides of the aisle. The efforts of these senators were not in vain, as the NRA will continue to work tirelessly to ensure this important legislation finds the right avenue to come before Congress once again.”

And Senator Thune said afterward it ain't over yet. He promised to bring this issue up again.

Why the leftwingnuts hate Sarah... and why America loves her

Janice Shaw Crouse at Townhall.com asks the big question about Sarah Palin: Why do the leftwingnuts and the so-called mainstream media hate her so much?

Why, in the wake of her resignation as Governor of Alaska, do the mainstream media continue their efforts to destroy Sarah Palin? What right do the likes of Maureen Dowd and her ilk have to continue their mean-spirited attempts to besmirch and tarnish Palin’s success in politics by their scornful attacks on her and her family? She is beautiful and accomplished, has a hunk of a manly-man as a husband, and lovely children, but the media elites continue on a warpath of ridicule and derision. Her family’s success is denigrated; they are described as “blue-collar” or derided as Alaskan “hillbillies.” Previously, children of politicians were protected, but the Palin children have been subjected to unprecedented vitriol.

...Yet while the character assassination continues, SarahPac, Palin’s political action committee, has raised $733,000 since it was formed at the end of January, with an additional $200,000 raised in the few weeks since she announced her resignation. While there is hopeful speculation by the left that Palin is leaving politics, it is highly unlikely. Even if she does, her time in the spotlight of the 2008 election and its aftermath made significant advances for conservatives and women. It’s time for American women to say “thank you” to Sarah Palin.

Then Crouse outlines four reasons why the left hates Sarah ... and why the rest of Americans love her. Read the whole thing.

1. Palin illustrates that a woman can be feminine while being a strong, smart leader.

2. Palin illustrates that a woman can be happily married, have children, and maintain her family priorities while pursuing a demanding career.

3. Palin’s drawing power as a highly sought after public speaker clearly demonstrates that a woman with conservative values represents the ideal for a vast number of American women.

4. Palin illustrates that a woman can handle the glare of the spotlight and the attacks of the mainstream media.

Sarah Palin is clearly a pioneer. Typically, female leaders are single or, if married, childless. Also, when married they are usually married to older, wealthy men; often they are second wives to a man who already has raised a family with a first wife. Sarah Palin appeals to women who want to “have it all” –– including staying happily married to the love of their youth … and bearing his children.

It is no wonder that she appeals to women who want to live the American dream of fulfilling their own potential while helping their husbands and children fulfill theirs. Thank you, Sarah Palin! You proved it can be done.

And thank you, Janice Shaw Crouse, for cutting through the crud to the crux of the "Sarah" issue. I still think Sarah Palin is "the best man for the job" in returning our nation to sanity.

Two turncoat Republican Senators sink national reciprocity

Et tu, Brutus? We lost the vote for national reciprocity by two stinking votes, 58 yes and 39 no, but the unkindest cut of all is that two Republican Senators joined the libtards in voting no.

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday turned aside the latest effort by gun advocates to expand the rights of gun owners, narrowly voting down a provision that would have allowed gun owners with valid permits from one state to carry concealed weapons in other states.

A group comprising mostly Republicans, along with some influential Democrats, had tried to attach the gun amendment to the annual military authorization bill, a must-pass piece of legislation. But the provision got only 58 votes, two short of the 60 needed under Senate rules.

Two Republicans, Senators Richard G. Lugar of Indiana and George V. Voinovich of Ohio, joined with 35 Democrats and 2 independents to reject the amendment, which was bitterly opposed by a number of big-city mayors, including Michael R. Bloomberg of New York.

With friends like Dick Lugar and George Voinovich, we don't need no stinkin' enemies. A pox on both their houses. And as King James would say, it really sucketh big time that we got 58 votes but still lost. That's what happens when the deck's stacked against you with the libtards in power. You gotta have a supermajority, not just a majority to stop them from screwing you.

And guess which very prominent Democrat big shot in the Senate voted for the measure?

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, who is up for re-election in 2010, also supported the measure.

You know you've got a lame excuse for being in power when even the Majority Leader of the frickin' Democrats in the Senate votes with the Republicans and conservative Blue Dog Democrats. Just shows you Harry "The War Is Lost!" Reid knows there's enough gun owners in Nevada to ride him out of town on a rail if he voted against their right to keep and bear arms.

Oh well, another day, another battle. We will win in the end because we're on the right side.

Poll confirms the obvious: Americans are buying guns and ammo

If you've been in a gun store or gone to a gun show since last fall, you probably already know that Americans have been in a gun-buying frenzy since roughly the time of the November elections.

I've been working in a gun store since late January and only in the last week or two has there been any sign of the frenzy slowing down a bit, but not terribly much. Say it's gone from frenzy to mild panic. Business is still quite brisk, both in Internet sales on gunbroker.com, where I do the photography, writing and posting of auctions for my shop, and in the shop and at gun shows.

So the results of a Rasmussen poll reported in the latest gunbroker.com newsletter showing Americans are in a gun-buying mood is no surprise.

A new Rasmussen poll reveals that 57 percent of American citizens believe gun sales are up over the past several months because of widespread fears that the government will tighten restrictions on gun ownership.

"The poll results confirm what we've been saying," noted Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. "American citizens are fearful that the Obama administration and a Democrat-controlled Congress will pass new laws to further erode the individual right to own firearms. This concern was further enhanced by [the July 7] ruling in Minnesota that far left anti-gunner Al Franken should be seated as a U.S. Senator representing that state, giving Democrats a 60-member majority."

The Rasmussen telephone survey found that only 23 percent of the respondents believe gun sales have risen due to concerns about rising crime. Twenty-one percent are not sure. The poll also revealed that 63 percent of male Americans and 51 percent of women believe gun sales are linked to concerns about new gun control schemes. Another finding is that 65 percent of Republicans and 66 percent of those not affiliated with either major political party think booming gun sales are connected to fears about increased government restrictions.

"Americans realize that despite all of the campaign rhetoric, Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are waiting for the right moment to spring new gun control measures," Gottlieb stated. "There is little doubt they would like to renew the ban on semiautomatic sport-utility rifles, place limits on the number of firearms someone may purchase, and maybe institute some kind of licensing and registration scheme, as Pelosi hinted during an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America.

"Wherever these measures have been tried on the local level, they have invariably failed to prevent or reduce violent crime. The Clinton gun ban failed. One-gun-a-month schemes have failed.

"How many times do you have to fail at something before you reach the inescapable conclusion that your plan isn't going to work?" he questioned. "The Rasmussen poll affirms that Americans are waking up to the Obama-Pelosi agenda, and they are stocking up for what they think is an inevitable attack on gun rights."

When the Iron Curtain fell, there was much speculation in the media about whether the eastern Europeans would stay where they were for 75 years of Communist rule or migrate to the west. Let's see, which would you choose? Freedom and free enterprise or more of the same slavery they had endured since the end of World War II? No surprise, eastern Europeans voted with their feet, streaming to the west by the millions.

So it should be no big surprise that when the Obama-Pelosi-Reid gun grabbers take power, Americans decide, "Hey, I better go buy a gun before they outlaw them ... again." The people are voting with their wallets and purses as men and women continue to flock to the gun stores.

Maybe there's so many other fish to fry they won't find time to ban guns. But I ain't betting on it and neither are many Americans, many of which are first-time gun buyers, including women.

National reciprocity for right-to-carry vote tomorrow

I love it when the leftwingnuts get their panties all up in a wad. And they're just about to have a lay-down-and-have-a-hissy-fit breakdown. Also known as a conniption fit. The NRA-ILA says the Thune-Vitter Amendment is coming to a vote tomorrow and the brown stuff's in the fan.

The U.S. Senate will vote at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow -- Wednesday, July 22 -- on an amendment to protect your right to self-defense. The anti-gunners are now doing everything that they can to defeat this amendment and the vote by your Senator is likely to determine the outcome. So it is critical for you to call and e-mail your Senator now and urge her to support and vote for the Thune-Vitter Amendment.

The Senate is now considering an amendment by Senators John Thune (R-SD) and David Vitter (R-LA) that will provide interstate recognition of Right-to-Carry licenses and permits. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" -- and other anti-gun leaders and organizations -- are running ads and spreading lies to scare your Senators into opposing this important self-defense reciprocity reform.

The flap has gotten serious enough that even the Washington Post has taken notice. My, my!

Senate Democrats are scrambling to defeat a Republican-backed provision that would allow gun owners to carry their weapons across state lines, overriding the stricter laws of many jurisdictions and giving preference to states with looser standards.

Critics, including police organizations, big-city mayors and gun-victims groups, decried the legislation as creating "a new national lowest common denominator" for ownership of firearms. But twice this year, Republicans have succeeded in rolling back restrictions on guns with substantial backing from moderate Democrats, many newly elected from Western states with strong Second Amendment traditions.

For a minority party with little influence on Capitol Hill, the gun votes represent a rare opportunity to divide a filibuster-proof Senate Democratic majority. In May, the GOP lured 27 Senate Democrats to support looser rules on firearms in national parks; the measure passed the House and was signed by President Obama as part of an unrelated credit-card bill.

In February, 22 Senate Democrats joined Republicans to stall the District's quest for House voting rights by demanding that the legislation also ease D.C. gun restrictions.

The latest measure, offered by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), has far greater reach. Offered Monday as an amendment to the defense authorization bill, it would allow people to carry concealed firearms across state lines, provided they "have a valid permit or if, under their state of residence . . . are entitled to do so."

And there's good reason for the Democrats to smell defeat on this issue. Even Senate Majority Leader Sen. Harry "The War Is Lost!" Reid, supposedly leader of the fight against this dastardly plot by the Republicans, is (gasp!) expected to vote for the Thune-Vitter amendment.

... Reid voted for both pro-gun measures earlier this year and is viewed as a likely "yes" on Thune's amendment, although he has not declared a position. A vote on the amendment could come Wednesday, said Jim Manley, Reid's spokesman.

Thune described his amendment as a crime-prevention tool. "Since criminals are unable to tell who is and who is not carrying a firearm just by looking at a potential victim, they are less likely to commit crimes when they fear that they may come in direct contact with an individual who is armed," he said in the statement.

What a concept! Armed, lawful citizens causing armed criminals to think twice about crime. What will they think of next? How about taking the 2nd Amendment seriously, at long last.

I wholeheartedly agree with the NRA-ILA, if you haven't contacted your Senator, do it now!

Please be sure to contact both of your U.S. Senators today, and urge them to cosponsor and support the Thune-Vitter interstate right to carry reciprocity amendment. E-mail and call them immediately!

To find contact information for your U.S. Senators, please click here, or call (202) 224-3121.

N.C. Right-to-Carry gets boost from Legislature and Governor

More good news on the self-defense front. North Carolina now has a new law in effect which stops slow-moving local sheriff's departments from depriving concealed-carry permit holders of rights.

Until this new law, if you applied for renewal of your carry permit and it expired before the local sheriff's office got its paperwork done, sorry Jack, you gotta go through the whole process again, take the state-law class, reapply as if you haven't already been a lawful carry citizen. No more.

The NRA-ILA reports the good news.

On Friday, July 17, Governor Bev Perdue (D) signed the Right-to-Carry permit renewal improvement bill into law (House Bill 1132).

HB 1132 will now ensure that if a Right-to-Carry permit holder applies to his or her sheriff for renewal of a permit within 90 days of the permit's expiration, and the renewal application is not approved or denied by the expiration date, the permit will remain valid until the renewal decision is final. HB 1132 will also require sheriffs to notify permittees when their permits are about to expire. Finally, should a permittee fail to apply to renew a permit before the expiration date, the permittee may apply within 60 days following the expiration of the permit, and ask the sheriff to waive the requirement of taking another firearm safety training course.

My permit doesn't expire for two more years, but I'm glad I won't have to worry about it running out. Bravo, state legislators and Gov. Perdue!

Obama vs. 'W' on the mound: Which one throws like a girl?

You be the judge. Which Prez can throw a strike to home plate and which one throws like a girl?

U.S. Senate To Consider Right-To-Carry Reciprocity Amendment

Great news! The U.S. Senate will consider on Monday or Tuesday legislation that will extend right-to-carry permit reciprocity to all 50 states of the Union. (Or all 57 states, depending on your geography skills.)

The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) has the details.

The U.S. Senate is now considering the National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1390). As a part of the consideration of that legislation, Senators John Thune (R-SD) and David Vitter (R-LA) will offer an amendment on Monday to provide for interstate recognition of Right-to-Carry permits. There is a very high likelihood of a Senate floor vote on this important and timely pro-gun reform on Monday or Tuesday.

While the right to possess firearms for self-defense within the home has long been respected under the law, for most of our nation's history, state and local governments have prohibited ordinary citizens from possessing firearms for self-defense in many settings outside the home. Recently, however, most state legislatures have taken steps to reduce those restrictions. In the last twenty years, the number of states that respect the right to carry has risen from 10 to 40 -- an all-time high.

Contact Your U.S. Senators TODAY And Urge Them To Support Your Right To Self-Defense

If I may be permitted to "put words in your mouth," here's the short sentence I composed for an email to my two U.S. Senators after clicking on the contact link above.

Please cosponsor and support the Thune-Vitter amendment to the National
Defense Authorization Act (S. 1390) to provide for interstate recognition
of Right-to-Carry permits.

At present, North Carolina's concealed-handgun permit has full reciprocity with 30 states, meaning I can legally carry my concealed handgun in NC and also in those states. Here's the current list off the N.C. Attorney General's site:

States with North Carolina Agreements

Alabama	Kansas	Oklahoma
Alaska	Kentucky	Pennsylvania
Arizona	Louisiana	South Carolina
Arkansas	Michigan	South Dakota
Colorado	Mississippi	Tennessee
Delaware	Missouri	Texas
Florida	Montana	Utah
Georgia	New Hampshire	Virginia
Idaho	North Dakota	Washington
Indiana	Ohio	West Virginia

NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course: Special Class for Women Only

My first class as a newly minted NRA Basic Pistol instructor is now scheduled.

When: Saturday, Aug. 15, 2009, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: John Lentz Hunter Education Complex at Millstone 4-H Camp, Millstone Road/Gibson Mill Road, Ellerbe, NC 28338. Telephone at range complex, 910-652-3859. For directions to the Millstone firing range complex from U.S. 1 or U.S. 220, call instructor John Myers at 910-995-3975.

Who: NRA-certified Instructor John Myers will teach the class. To register call 910-995-3975.

What: The NRA Basic Pistol Shooting Course teaches the basic knowledge, skills, and attitude for owning and operating a pistol safely. This course is 8-hours long and includes classroom and range time learning to safely and effectively shoot revolvers and semi-automatic pistols. You can be a beginner or an experienced shooter. The class will be as individualized as possible to fit all students' needs.

How Much: Class fee is $90 for students who bring their own handgun and 50 rounds of ammunition. Class fee is $100 if you wish to use .22 pistol and ammo supplied by instructor.

What to Bring to Class:

1. Semi-automatic pistol or revolver and 50 rounds of the correct caliber ammunition for your handgun. Ammunition should be Full-Metal-Jacket type (FMJs) or Frangible range type.
2. No live ammo allowed in the classroom! You are encouraged to bring your handgun into the classroom at 8 a.m., but be absolutely sure it is unloaded and leave all ammo in your vehicle until we go to the range for the afternoon portion of the class.
3. Ear and eye protection. Ear protection should be ear muffs or ear plugs. Eye protection should be shooting glasses or safety glasses or if you wear prescription glasses, safety goggles that will fit over your glasses.
4. Snack or sandwich for lunch and soft drinks or water in a cooler. The classroom building has a kitchen with refrigerator and microwave. Cooler will be useful at the firing range.
5. Payment for the class in cash or check, $90 if you bring your own handgun and ammo, $100 if you use the instructor's .22LR pistol and ammo.

Basic Pistol topics to be taught in this class include:

• Safe Gun Handling Rules
• Handgun Fundamentals and Practical Handling
• Pistol Ammunition Fundamentals
• Revolver Knowledge
• Semiautomatic Pistol Knowledge
• Caring for the Pistol
• Selecting a Pistol
• Shooting Fundamentals
• Fundamentals of Pistol Shooting
• Two-handed and One-handed Shooting Positions
• Developing and Maintaining Skills
• Pistol Sports and Shooting Activities

Students will receive the Basics of Pistol Shooting handbook, NRA Gun Safety Rules brochure, Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification booklet, take a Basics of Pistol Shooting Student Examination, and receive a course completion certificate. (Lesson Plan 2nd edition, 2009)

Good news from an American industry that's booming

Now for some good business news. In case you haven't heard there are two companies on the blue-chip-stock index of American businesses that are doing just great, in fact spectacular business.

Take a wild guess.

I'll give you a hint. The two stock market acronyms in the chart at right are fairly easy to decipher, but I'll do it for you. SWHC is the famed Smith & Wesson and RGR is Ruger.

What a great time to be working in a gun store. Life is good. And the Good Lord takes care of fools and drunks and this ol' boy who got laid off from another industry job in January.

Metaphorical video of Obama's first pitch at the All-Star game

Video as metaphor. That's President Obama's ceremonial throwing out of the first pitch at last night's MLB All-Star game. He trots out to the mound to cheers (and some boos!) looking "cool" in his own estimation in his baseball warmup jacket and jeans, takes a couple of false pumps in his windup, then tosses a high, arching looper towards home. Albert Pujols is crouched in front of home plate just in case the Prez throws short (the ultimate embarrassment for a Prez in this situation) and Pujols reaches and just manages to scoop up the dying quail before it hits the dirt.

Obama celebrates with a big fist pump as if he has just thrown a strike for the final out.

Fox Sports covers the "action" with a tight camera angle which obscures exactly how and where the pitch lands. Only in a follow-up shot from a camera from center field do we see how close Obama's pitch came to being a dirt bouncer. Pujols snatched his bacon right out of the fire.

So there you have it, Presidential metaphor on the baseball field. Obama sails high after a couple of fakes, looking "cool." But after his high, arching start, he plummets fast toward the dirt. And it takes a major league talent who moves up closer to save the day, barely covering his weak arm.

Contrast the much-despised W, whose first pitches for his eight years were all easy strikes.

Tim Graham at the Media Research Center gives the play-by-play on how the media handled Obama's almost-in-the-dirt first pitch.

I don’t judge a president by his ceremonial pitching. (I'd have to hire a stunt president.) But the Yahoo Sports! blog Big League Stew thought the Fox camera shot of President Obama’s St. Louis arch of a pitch at Tuesday night’s All-Star Game was odd:

Where did it land? Was it a strike or wasn't it? Why didn't the network choose a better camera to shoot from? Those were the questions that viewers of baseball's All-Star Game were asking themselves at home after Fox elected to show President Barack Obama's ceremonial first pitch at the 80th All-Star Game from a tight angle.

...Earlier on Tuesday, the President said that he planned to throw his first Presidential pitch high so it'd get to the plate without bouncing, but his control was lacking. He clearly didn't throw a strike like George W. Bush famously did during the 2001 World Series in New York just weeks after Sept. 11.

The more debatable point from the historic moment was the reception the President was afforded by the self-described "best fans in baseball." Though Obama was roundly cheered by the All-Star fans, his live presence still didn't attract the applause that George W. Bush did during a taped announcement by the four previous Presidents before the game and some boos could even be heard among the cheers.

Whether or not those fans were booing Obama's politics (Missouri voted for John McCain last November) or his choice of attire (he chose to wear a long-sleeved White Sox jacket in support of his favorite team and a pair of regular old blue jeans) was unclear.

Yahoo! Sports had a video showing Fox aired a replay with a conventional center-field shot of Obama's pitch. Commenters noticed that St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols perched in front of home plate to catch a short pitch.

First pitches are very ceremonial. The exception may have been Bush's post-9/11 pitch at the World Series, when the country craved normalcy, and it felt quite brave for the president to take the field in such a shaken atmosphere. In April 1996, our MediaWatch newsletter found that one anchor tried to downplay boos for Bill Clinton in Baltimore on Opening Day, while another just edited them out:

NBC's Tom Brokaw swung and missed when he tried to cover for the President. During the traditional first pitch thrown by the President on baseball's Opening Day, Bill Clinton was roundly booed by many in attendance at the April 2 Orioles game. Brokaw delivered the play-by-play:

"President Clinton taking the mound for the ceremonial first pitch. All the way from the pitcher's rubber, it was a little on the high side, and watching from the stands and not booing like most of the rest of the crowd -- Pat Buchanan. By the way the boos, like the first pitch, are traditional whoever the President."

Dan Rather didn't even mention the boos on the same night's CBS Evening News. Viewers only heard cheering at Clinton's lob. But on that day's CNN Inside Politics Bruce Morton replayed five recent Opening Day first pitches, one from Ronald Reagan, three from George Bush, and a previous Clinton throw. In all five, including Clinton's earlier pitch, the President was cheered.

Let's hope that's not a metaphor for where our nation is headed under Obama, into the dirt.

Women to the rescue! Best 'men' to lead GOP comeback

Some pundit wrote that Maggie Thatcher was "the best man for the job" when she won her surprising election as British Prime Minister. She turned out to be the Reagan of Great Britain.

Now it's beginning to look like the "best men for the job" to lead a GOP comeback here might just be women, in particular Sarah Palin and Liz Cheney, former VP Dick Cheney's "other" daughter.

Sarah has an op-ed in today's Washington Post titled The Cap and Tax Dead End, blasting President Obama's disastrous cap-and-trade "solution" for the so-called global warming crisis.

I am deeply concerned about President Obama's cap-and-trade energy plan, and I believe it is an enormous threat to our economy. It would undermine our recovery over the short term and would inflict permanent damage.

American prosperity has always been driven by the steady supply of abundant, affordable energy. Particularly in Alaska, we understand the inherent link between energy and prosperity, energy and opportunity, and energy and security. Consequently, many of us in this huge, energy-rich state recognize that the president's cap-and-trade energy tax would adversely affect every aspect of the U.S. economy.

And Liz Cheney has let it be known she's willing to jump into the political arena as a candidate.

The daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that running for political office is on her horizon.

"It's something I very well may do," said Elizabeth "Liz" Cheney, a lawyer and State Department appointee who has worked on two Republican presidential campaigns.

Ms. Cheney, 44, has emerged as one of the strongest defenders of the effectiveness and legality of Bush-Cheney policies on enhanced interrogation methods. More recently, she and her father have become two of the most outspoken critics of President Obama's position on terrorism and other national security issues, which has led Republicans to consider her a strong candidate for national political office.

Two mother's of five might turn out to be the unlikely heroes that upset Obama's Napoleanic empire plans.

Palin's audacity of the unconventional plays well on Main Street

The "experts" in Washington and the so-called mainstream media have already written Sarah Palin's obituary, citing her supposedly fatal political act of resigning as Alaska's governor. But the real mainstream, Main Street USA, gets why she did what she did for the very reasons she cited, putting family first and the best interests of her state's residents both ahead of her "political viability." Family, friends and neighbors ahead of political viability? What a weird concept, according to the experts. But a poll of Main Street shows Americans "get" that concept just fine.

Star Parker at Townhall.com looks at the poll numbers and reads the tea leaves on Main Street.

I don't know if Sarah Palin intends to run for president in 2012.

Certainly, resigning her job as Alaska's governor is a politically unconventional way of doing it.

But whereas pundits have now almost uniformly written her off, 70% in a new USA Today/Gallup poll say Palin's resignation has "no effect" on their opinion of her. Of the remainder, 9 percent say they now see her "more favorably" and 17 percent "less favorably."

Moreover, in the same poll, 43 percent (and 72 percent of Republicans) say they would at least "somewhat likely" vote for her if she runs in 2012.

It has got to gall the many political geniuses -- the journalists, consultants, bloggers, academics -- that so many at America's grassroots refuse to see what is so obvious to them.

...These are not usual times. Many, legitimately so, are deeply concerned for the future of this country. It's more than the latest economic statistics. It's knowing that what will drive the future is freedom and values, and both are disappearing.

Genuineness and conviction are more critical in these challenging times than resumes and appearances.

So stepping down from a job in which you are no longer realizing your ideals to reconnect with family and self is not necessarily political suicide. But doing what everyone says you are supposed to do, compromising your values, and letting pundits and experts run your life is.

So far, Sarah Palin's audacity of the unconventional is playing just fine.

Beauty, brains and her feet solidly planted on Main Street, that's what Americans like about Sarah Palin. And all the pundits and so-called politcal experts will never "get" that.

How dare you question my patriotism! OK, I dare

Growing up as a redneck Southerner, there was one thing you better never do. Dare me. Then I'd have to do it or bust hell wide open. So I'll still take a dare today even though I'm way too old. Not.

The political lexicon of the day is that liberal leftwingnuts can say or do anything that's blatantly unpatriotic, such as not putting your hand over your heart during the playing of the National Anthem for instance, and then if criticized the response is: "How dare you question my patriotism!"

I dare, sir, because if I had been at that political rally back early in the presidential campaign when Hillary, Bill Richardson from New Mexico and the other Democrats all stood respectfully with hands over hearts as The Star-Spangled Banner played while Barack Hussein Obama did not, I woulda climbed on stage and cold-cocked him.

I dare, Nancy Pelosi, because the men and women of the CIA have an unblemished track record of zero terrorist attacks on American soil since 9/11 and you, ma'am, are as full of crap as a Christmas turkey when you claim the CIA lied to you about waterboarding terrorists. A grand total of three, count 'em three, rag heads got water in the face to save our country from another attack and what did you do, Nancy, but attack the people who were fighting to defend us?

You, ma'am, and you, BHO, are not only not patriots, I doubt you even know how to be one.

I dare, Harry Reid and John Murtha, to opine that you're neither any kind of patriot when you declare "the war is lost" even as it's being won on the ground in Iraq, or call our Marines murderers when they're accused by a bunch of lying terrorists who routinely kill women and children, blow up churches and schools and commit terror in the name of some other "god."

A patriot is not only someone who loves his country -- and does not go on world apology tours -- but a patriot is also someone who serves his country. Nancy Pelosi's idea of service is commandering military aircraft to ferry her and her buddies to an anti-war party in San Fran.

Harry Reid and John Murtha's idea of service is sucking on the public tit their whole lives and giving back nothing, nada, not a mumblin' minute of genuine, self-sacrificing service.

Genuine service is when a Marine, sailor, soldier or airman, lays down his or her life for our nation on a foreign battlefield so far from home it's not even on the geographic radar of the average American. Iraq? Afghanistan? Most Americans couldn't find either on a map. But our servicemen and women not only know where they are, they've been there, multiple times, and are still there right now, putting their lives on the line for BHO, Nancy, Harry and ex-Marine Murtha. (BTW, Murtha joins Lee Harvey Oswald as the only two ex-Marines in history.)

Genuine patriots not only fight for their country, they also send their sons and daughters off to war and pray for them daily and visit them on the battlefields, as the much-despised-by-the-left Sarah Palin has done and no doubt will do again. Real patriotism and real service is what the men and women in uniform of our armed services or the thin blue line of our police forces here at home do every day: put their lives on the line to fight and defend all that we hold dear.

Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. That's genuine love of country, that's a real patriot. Nancy Pelosi, Jack Murtha, Harry Reid and BHO would have to stand on each other's shoulders to stack up high enough to kiss a real patriot's ass!

Sarah Palin announces plans to 'Go Live!'

As Mark Twain said upon reading his own obituary in the morning newspaper, reports of the demise of Sarah Palin are "greatly exaggerated." The liberals' worst nightmare is not only politically alive and well, she's announcing her plans to "Go Live!" as soon as her resignation as governor of Alaska becomes official. In today's Washington Times, sexy soccer mom Sarah says:

ANCHORAGE, Alaska | Brushing aside the criticisms of pundits and politicos, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she plans to jump immediately back into the national political fray — stumping for conservative issues and even Democrats — after she prematurely vacates her elected post at month's end.

The former Republican vice-presidential nominee and heroine to much of the GOP's base said in an interview she views the electorate as embattled and fatigued by nonstop partisanship, and she is eager to campaign for Republicans, independents and even Democrats who share her values on limited government, strong defense and "energy independence."

"I will go around the country on behalf of candidates who believe in the right things, regardless of their party label or affiliation," she said over lunch in her downtown office, 40 miles from her now-famous hometown of Wasilla — population 7,000 — where she began her political career.

"People are so tired of the partisan stuff — even my own son is not a Republican," said Mrs. Palin, who stunned the political world earlier this month with her decision to step down as governor July 26 with 18 months left in her term.

Both her son, Track, 20, an enlisted soldier serving in Iraq, and her husband, Todd, are registered as "nonpartisan" in Alaska.

Mrs. Palin, who vaulted to national prominence when Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, chose her as his running mate last August, left the door open for a future presidential bid...

Even dealing with the political maelstrom she unleashed, Mrs. Palin flashed the down-home, personal touch that even critics say helped her forge an extraordinary bond with supporters on the campaign trail.

When a photographer prepared to take pictures of the interview, Mrs. Palin, wearing open-toed shoes, said laughingly, "Don't get my toes in the picture - they are green on the bottom."

Indeed they were. She said the marks were grass stains from mowing her lawn the previous day.

Green toes indeed. What a touch. Look out for this woman. She'll be our next President.

I would say this announcement makes it perfectly clear (as Nixon would say) that Sarah's supposedly shocking resignation of her governorship early is just what she said it is: a unanimous family decision that the MSM/Leftwingnut Wolfpack's constant sniping at her and her family had made her effectiveness as governor not in the best interests of Alaskans. But she didn't quit just to get away from the snipers, quite the opposite. She quit to clear the decks for the main battle.

Buckle up leftwingnuts! You're in for the butt-whooping of your lives. Sarah's going on the warpath. And the wolfpackers who've been celebrating victory over Sarah are gonna find out they brought a knife to a gun fight. Because Sarah's got a moose gun and she knows how to use it!

Wanted: Steyr rifle expert (Hint, it ain't me)

Just got an email looking for info about Steyr-Mannlicher rifles.

After reading your Steyr Mannlicher History page, I was curious if you could answer a question I have been looking for a long time. I have the Steyr Mannlicher Model M Professional which came with either the green or black synthetic stock. The caliber is a .270 in the shorter of the two available barrel lengths. The question is, what is the rifling's rate of twist?

Also, do you happen to know a source for the original Steyr removable scope rings and mounts (30mm)? These are rather hard to find items as you may already know!

Sorry, but that's something I don't know. Fact is, most things in this world I don't know but I have managed to pick up a few scattered bit of knowledge in 61 years. Here's my reply.

My experience with Steyr is confined to their pistols, of which I have or have had three MA1s, 9mm, .40 and .357 Sig. The guy who has a Steyr Scout rifle site, Fr. Frog, is the only Steyr rifle expert I've run across, but I'm sure there are many more. Here's his page: http://www.steyrscout.org/project.htm

I did the Steyr/Mannlicher history article just because I'm a writer and I love Steyrs.

Sorta weird, quoting myself. But I hope the point is clear. If you read this and know how to help this guy, drop him a line:
Sean Blankenship
spcsys@gmail.com

Big Taco's Sta-Tite Guide-Rod-Assembly stays tight in G20 under fire

My buddy Big Taco at Steyrclub.com has been making stainless-steel black-oxide guiderods with and without captured springs for the Steyr M and MA1 series pistols for quite some time. If you don't know what a Steyr pistol is, I'm not surprised. It's the best kept secret in the industry, that other pistol manufacturer in Austria. When Glock was still a yet-uninvented word in the 14th century, Steyr, Austria already had a worldwide reputation for forging the finest weapons of the day. The company now called Steyr-Mannlicher began making fine firearms in Steyr, Austria in 1864.

But enough history. Back to BT and his guide rods. In addition to Steyr guide rods, now he's expanded his fine work to include guide rods for Glock and S&W M&P and has plans to add other makes as time allows. I just got back from a trip to Pittsburgh and picked up a G20 captured-spring guide-rod assembly from Big Taco. It's his new Sta-Tite 2-Piece assembly and it's prettier than a speckled pup.

The stock G20 plastic rod and spring is at left in the photos and BT's Sta-Tite rod-spring assembly is at right in the first photo, then installed in the second in my G20 slide. Third photo is the rod installed with the slide jacked back.

Shortly after installing BT's rod, I took it out for a function test and his Sta-Tite stayed tight as expected. I've got my G20 loaded up with 17 rds. of Winchester JHPs ready to go to work at the gun shop with my G29 as backup. If I need more firepower than that at the gun shop, it'll be time to call in the Marines.

If you want more info about BT's Guiderods, go to his site. He's even got a video explaining how the Sta-Tite series works. Works for me.

I wonder why more manufacturers don't give you a stainless-steel guide rod instead of plastic? They aren't that expensive and it's one of the best as well as cheapest upgrades you can make for your pistol to improve its reliability and function.

I just bought a .38 Super slide for my EAA Witness-Polymer (fourth and fifth photos) and the Wonder-finish slide came with a stainless-steel barrel and stainless-steel guide rod. I've heard some bad raps about EAA being cheap, but if they can afford to offer stainless rods, why can't every pistol maker?

I got a new Sig P229 SAS Generation 2 just recently with all the bells and whistles: Night Sights, Short Reset Trigger, Sig-Anti-Snag melt treatment on the slide and frame, stainless-steel slide with two-tone frame. But for my nearly $1K pistol, I got a plastic guide rod! What's up widdat?

I'm hoping Big Taco will find the time to add Sig guide rods to his line-up of offerings soon. And I need one for my CZ 75 P-07 too. At least my two M&Ps came with stainless rods, but not captured springs, so I'll be upgrading with BT's Sta-Tite assemblies for those two as well.

BTW, Big Taco's a friend of mine and a shooting buddy, but I paid for my Sta-Tite rod and this is my unpaid endorsement of his fine products. Give his fine work a try and you'll be glad you did.

Pittsburgh Shootout with Steyroids: 1 Redneck and 3 Yankee gun nuts

Four of us Steyroids (no, it's not a disease of the hinder parts, it's lovers of Steyr weapons) gathered at the Wexford state wildlife range outside Pittsburgh on June 28 and I'm just now getting a round tuit to finding time to upload the photos of the fun.

At the firing line blamming away with my S&W 29 .44 Magnum is the new guy at the shootout, Cheney at Steyrclub. He's an old fart like me and the other two guys in the group are young farts, Big Taco and OffArtist, the guy grinning in the background. He's a former Marine, so he's gotta be a good guy. There ain't no ex-Marines except for John Murtha and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Next photo is OffArtist blamming away with my EAA Witness-P in .38 Super mode. That's Big Taco in the background with the cool orange shooting glasses on and Cheney in the middle. It was the second outing for the .38 Super slide on the former EAA Witness .45 ACP and I like it a lot. Shoots much better and the sights are pretty much dead on. Now I gotta find me some 9x23 ammo for it.

Then you have Big Taco in the third photo, blamming away with my Sig P229 .357 Sig gangsta style one-handed and whoppy-jawed sideways. He says that's the way you're supposed to shoot one-handed and he's a better shot than me, so who am I to criticize? But it still looks weird. I don't have no trouble shooting straight up one-handed, but one-handed or two-handed, BT blows me away so I'll shut up about his gangsta style.

I brought five of my pistols in 9mm, .44, .357 Sig and .38 Super, BT had his 9mm and .40 Steyr Ms and OffArtist had his Steyr too, I forget what flavor.

I also brought my Marlin 1894 .44 Magnum lever rifle and after we got through 10-yard pistol shooting, we moved down to the 50-yard range for some more pistol and rifle shooting. BT and Cheney were shooting Steyr pistols at 50 and doing pretty good.

Speaking of sideways, that first target photo is a 50-yard group I shot with the Marlin lever gun. I had a nice group about 12 o'clock with .44 holes. Those two holes low and to the left was BT poaching on my target with a Steyr pistol. The one hole in the orange is his too, of course.

So I figured if BT and Cheney could hit with a pistol at 50 yards, I'd try it with my Smith 29, which has a 4" barrel. I was shooting .44 Specials, which are a lot more user friendly than .44 Magnums. The last target is another sideways rendition with all of the holes in the black except the bottom two on the edge of the orange 8" bull.

Now if I could get a bad guy to hold real still at 50 yards and let me take my time drawing a bead from a steady rest (plus not be shooting back at me) I might be able to handle the situation. Whatever. It was a lot of fun anyway.

And afterward, BT, Cheney and me went into town and got a bite to eat and some excellent brews at Fathead's Bar & Grill on the south side of Pittsburgh. Much fun was had by all. Let's do it all again next year.