Frank Gifford commentary from the Wide World of Sports, and one his most horrific crashes.

It’s a miracle he lived as long as he did.

It’s one thing to ask our troops to leave their families for long periods, to kick Al Qaeda’s ass day and night, to live in tents, eat MRE’s and carry 50lbs worth of gear around in 110 degree heat.

It’s another thing entirely to ask them to feed the disgraceful congressman John Mutha his Thanksgiving dinner.

Maybe it is time to get out of Iraq, so our troops don’t have to suffer such an indignity again.

photo caption courtesy of Blackfive, “I swear, Sir, I didn’t spit in it.”

The title of Blackfive’s post, Troops Overreact Because of Pressure - Feed Murtha on Thanksgiving

Perfect!

My article published in today’s Washington Times

What do Rosie O’Donnell and a Mitt Romney campaign strategist have in common? Both have compared evangelicals with the September 11 terrorists. And both have characterized evangelicals as narrow-minded, bigoted, intolerant hypocrites.

We understand why Rosie says these things. But what’s with Gary L. Jarmin? He is vice chairman of the Romney for President “Faith and Values” Committee and he wrote these things in a Nov. 20 online edition of The Washington Times titled “Hypocrisy pitfall on the campaign trail.”

Surreal as it seems, this is part of a larger Romney campaign strategy. For most of this year, Romniacs have been pointing the finger at the GOP base and accusing them of bigotry for not being interested in Mitt. Among the most prominent Romniacs are talk show hosts Hugh Hewitt and Sean Hannity, who have been calling evangelical noninterest in Mr. Romney ugly bigotry again and again. Ugly bigotry? Excuse me?

rest here

U.S. GDP revised up to 4.9% for third quarter

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The U.S. economy expanded at the fastest pace in four years during the third quarter, growing at a real annual rate of 4.9%, the Commerce Department said Thursday in making its second estimate of growth for the three-month period.

Before I start talking about the incredible, continued economic expansion (24 consecutive quarters), let’s acknowledge the housing crisis, the subprime loan debacle, the falling dollar and long term national debt. Yes, liberals and MSM, those are serious headwinds for our economy.

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, what are we to think of a media and a certain political party that so insessently talks down the economy in the name of partisan politics? It’s just like Iraq. Good news for America (on the war, on the economy) is bad news for them. That is not a very attractive place to be, if you ask me.

That being said, let’s give credit where credit is due. The doom and gloom crowd has done a far better job than the administration in the area of communications.

Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) — Almost two-thirds of Americans say a recession is likely in the next year and a majority believes the economy is already faltering, according to a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times survey. By 65 percent to 29 percent, Americans say they expect a recession, the poll found. Fifty-one percent say the economy is doing poorly, compared with 46 percent who say it is doing well, the gloomiest view since February 2003.

Like a broken clock, the Democrats and their MSM allies will eventually be right, and they will say “see we told you so”. But that isn’t enough. They have been talking recession for years, literally years now. When Bill Clinton ran for president in 1992, they did the same thing. It was “the worst economy since Herbert Hoover”. They always do it. It’s who they are. The party of negativity.

“The bottom line is, this is George Bush’s recession.”
Democrat Rep Nina Lowey, November 29, 2001

”I don’t know that you can ever say one figure in history caused a recession, but in the last year, his budget, tax and economic policies have been misguided, have been wrong.”
Democrat Rep. Richard Gephardt, December 9, 2001

Remember those quotes, and when they were said, when you hear Democrats talking about how George Bush has been the responsible for the bitterness in Washington. What utter BS.

The Coming Bush Recession
Robert B. Reich, Bill Clinton Labor Secretary, January 29, 2001

Good call Bob, it’s only six years later and we are still waiting, and waiting and waiting…

“There’s been real damage done here and it’s going to effect the lives of everyone in this country.”
Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D. , January 9, 2002

The economic recovery from the recession that began last year is thus far quite weak by historical standards. The current economic situation bears troubling similarities to the “jobless recovery” of 1991-92 that plagued the Administration of the current President’s father. A reprise of those economic difficulties would result in deficits swelling beyond expectation — just as deficits ballooned to record levels 11 years ago.
Democrat Rep. John Spratt, October 17, 2002

“The state of our union today is anxious. The triple threat of war, terrorism and recession are combining to make Americans unsure about their future and unclear about the course our nation is taking.”
Tom Daschle, January 28, 2003

“At this moment, we need an economic plan with the single, overriding goal of helping the economy, and helping the economy now.”
Tom Daschle, January 24, 2003

I was watching the Eric Clapton Crossroads guitar festival on PBS last evening, and it was a very enjoyable show. Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of live music online via a website called Wolfgang’s Vault. The site is awesome and has hundreds of live concerts from a ridiculously diverse group of muscians, from Grateful Dead to Air Supply and everything in between. Recently, I’ve been enjoying some vintage Jeff Beck concerts circa 1975. I never really had a full appeciation for what a guitar master he was. When Jeff Beck was introduced at the Crossroads guitar festival, I was glued to the TV to see what he is up to these days.

I was floored not just by Jeff Beck’s incredible guitar playing, but by that of his bassist. She is a 21-year old prodigy from Australia named Tal Wilkenfeld. She looks like she’s about 15 but she rocks like she’s the best bass player on the planet. She absolutely stole the show, and that is saying something when you are sharing the stage with the likes of Jeff Beck.

If you can catch a replay of this performance on PBS in the coming days, it is well worth your time.

Dylan DeSilva, the young man who founded Cape Cod Cares for the Troops, continues to impress with his tireless dedication to the men and women in uniform. I’ve said it many times in the past, on the blog and on the radio, this is the most impressive young man I’ve ever met.

Dylan recently made another trip to Washington DC to visit with wounded troops. He went to Bethesda Naval Hospital and also attended a Wounded Warrior Reception. Dylan is planning yet another support the troops rally on Cape Cod, this time in Provincetown. Having attended one of Dylan’s events in the past, it is really a sight to see.

Sunday December 2nd from 12:30 to 3:30.

The Provinctown Schools wanted to host a rally for Cape Cod Cares for the Troops, so together we have planned another great rally. The Opening Ceremony will be at 1:00, followed by a few guest speakers, music, send a few video message to the troops, write out a Christmas Card to be sent in the care packages, free face painting/tatoos for the kids and of course we will be accepting
items for care packages!!! Be there and be part of our
“Cape Cod Supports You” photo, this photo will be sent in all our Christmas Care Packages.

We hope to see you there and if you would like to help or participate in anyway please email me. Thanks again for all your support.

From,
Dylan and everyone at Cape Cod Cares for the Troops

Click here to watch Dylan honored by the Boston Celtics for all of his hard work and dedication.

New York Sun
Collapse of Rail, Subway Strike Is a First Success for Sarkozy

President Sarkozy of France is on the verge of a breakthrough in his ambitious plan to wean his country off the restrictive working practices he believes stand in the way of national prosperity…

…The collapse of support for the strike by individual rail workers marks the first success in what Mr. Sarkozy considers the key goal of his presidency, the abandonment of expensive entitlements and special conditions for public sector workers, including generous early retirement and pension benefits for half a million rail workers, which he believes make France uncompetitive.

There is a tremendous lesson here for US presidential candidates from both parties. The public at large wants leaders who take a strong stand and then stay true to it despite the vitriol thrown at them by opponents. That is leadership. More times than not, a strong politician will win the battle.

Who among the candidates running for president can claim that quality?

Rudy Giuliani, he’s the one guy running for president who can say, yea, I did that. He can legitimately make the case that he had a vision for New York City and implemented it, over continuous and often vicious criticism. He did the same thing as US attorney against the mob. That’s not to say that there are not other concerns about a potential Giuliani presidency, but on the issue of leadership and ability to withstand withering criticism and controversial decisions, he’s proven he’s up to the task.

Barack Obama on the other hand, has demonstrated that he’s not up to the task,

Despite the incredible turn around in Iraq, congressional Democrats are still angling for ways to ensure defeat, not for our enemy, but for the United States. The people leading the party in this new century bear no resemblance to the people who made the party great in the last.

You have to look no further than the alienation of Joe Lieberman for evidence of how far left they have gone off the rails. Scoop Jackson, Sam Nunn, this type of strong Democrat is no longer welcome. Worse, they are villified.

As a former Democrat, I am saddened by the intellectual rot that has become the norm for national party leaders.

Listen to this speech on the 44th anniversary of JFK’s death. Close your eyes, can you imagine any Democrat alive today who can measure up?

Our friend Tom Blumer from Bizzy Blog thoroughly rebuts the claim that Mitt Romney had no other choice but to enforce the “decision” of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts when they issued the Goodridge decision which has been said to have “legalized gay marriage.” In fact, Tom demonstrates that it was not the MSJC who imposed “gay marraige” on Massachusetts citizens (even though the court acted unconstitutionally as well) but was Mitt Romney himself who in ordering the Justices of the Peace and Town Clerks to perform same sex marriage ceremonies violated his oath to uphold the constitution and enforce the laws of the Commonwealth.

Thanks again to Tom Blumer of Bizzy Blog for this outstanding analysis!

Tom pulls together a plethora of documentation and comes to the following conclusion:

Romney had marriage license certificates changed from “Husband” and “Wife” to “Person A” and “Person B” anyway. He didn’t have to, and further had no constitutional authority to do so.

He “ordered the town clerks, even ones with religious conscience concerns, to solemnize the marriages.” He didn’t have to, and further had no constitutional authority to do so.

In these and other actions, he “acquiesced in the SJC decision and actively authorized same-sex ‘marriage.’” He didn’t have to, and further had no constitutional authority to do so.

It is thus clear, again regardless of how one feels about the issue itself, that same-sex marriage certificates issued in Massachusetts under the Romney regime have been issued without requisite legal authority to do so (i.e., a real law voted on by the legislature and signed by the governor), and are, by definition, void.

So not only did Mitt Romney not have the required legislative authority tp implement Goodridge, the “ruling,” on its face, is objectively and irretrievably constitutionally flawed. He had a constitutional duty to the state’s citizens to ignore the “ruling,” and he failed in that duty.

And yet, somehow, Mitt Romney is considered A-OK by “conservatives” who clearly should know better.

Here is the entire post here.

Our friend and past guest on our radio show Tom Blumer, proprietor of the award winning, Bizzy Blog, has been intimately involved in our ongoing discussion on the radio and on this blog with regard to Mitt Romney’s candidacy and specifically as it pertains to:

1. Whether the former governor Romney was just “just following the decision of the Court” in the Goodridge decision that “legalized gay marriage” or whether he was actually subverting the law by ordering Justices of the Peace and other town clerks and state officials to perform same sex marriage ceremomies even though the original marriage statute (ch 207) had not been changed by the legislature and did not allow for same sex marriages.

2. Whether the former governor was just “following the law” when he signed his healthcare plan legislation (Commonwealth Care) that included tax subsidized abortions on demand with a $50 co-pay or whether he had the opportunity to veto the bill and ask that the abortion provision be removed from it (since at that time he claimed to be “pro-life”).

3. Whether the judiciary has the constitutional authority to “strike” or “suspend” any law in Massachusetts. (Article XX says no)

Tom has done a wonderful job in shedding some much needed clarity around these issues which is the reason that I believe Tom is the prototypical “New Media Journalist.” Here it is:

Romney, the Courts, and the Constitutions: Part 1 — Abortion Coverage in RomneyCare
Yesterday was a relatively light posting day, at least in terms of verbosity, because I’ve been watching a fascinating and important e-mail debate unfold primarily between Gregg Jackson and Kevin Whelan, the co-hosts of Pundit Review radio and the Pundit Review blog. Along the way, there has been some input from myself and at least a couple of other more knowledgeable folks.

The subjects started out being Mitt Romney’s inclusion of abortion coverage in Commonwealth Care, aka RomneyCare, and Romney’s ability or inability to act on the Massachusetts court’s Goodridge ruling “legalizing” same-sex marriage. In the process of vetting these two matters, broader issues about the relationships between the branches of government have come to the fore.

The broader issues strike me as awfully important, and I’ll try to develop them…

I’ll try to summarize where I believe things stand on these matters, with the obvious disclaimer that I don’t know Massachusetts law inside and out.

The bedrock issue is how much power the courts have.

Haskins believes that, at least in Massachusetts, the courts can only advise. I’m not kidding. He cites as precedent how slavery actually became illegal in the state.

When the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) of Massachusetts declared the practice of slavery to be a violation of the state’s constitution, it only had the power to set free one slave, the slave on whose behalf legal action was brought. The only way to make slavery illegal, as opposed to “merely” unconstitutional, was for the legislature to pass, and the governor to sign, a law proscribing slavery. Until that happened, the only way for an individual slave to be freed was for him or her to bring a new legal action. If the legislature had dithered for 100 years (I don’t know how long it actually took; my guess is not long), the case-by-case approach would have been the only one available.

Haskins is clearly historically correct.

There is no reason to believe that constitutional conditions in Massachusetts have changed since.

Here is what that means to the issues at hand.

The first is the presence of abortion in RomneyCare.

In 1981 and 1997, the SJC “ruled” (i.e., based on the above, “stated its belief”) that a state-subsidized plan must offer “Medically Necessary Abortions.” But wait a minute. Why was the 1997 “ruling” necessary? Is it because, as I suspect, the legislature never passed an actual law requiring such coverage in the intervening 16 years, and the Executive Branch and bureaucracy “just did it”? If so, and if no actual law has gone on the books in the 10 years since the second “ruling,” there is no legal requirement to offer these services, and there will not be until the Legislature passes a real law, signed by the Governor, containing such a mandate. Without such an actual law (regulations written by bureaucrats don’t count), the only recourse for Medicaid patients requesting abortions should have been individual court actions. If the legislature is and has been too lazy, or too afraid, to get off its collective butt to pass a law the SJC has “ruled” is needed, too bad, so sad. Those who are impatient with all of this and want legislators who will actually do something to pass such laws have always had recourse. They’re known as elections.

read the rest here

This is also interesting background on the issue. “Robert Paine” Esq. is the foremost legal authority in the country on how Mitt Romney illegally imposed “Gay Marriage.” His analysis has been affirmed as legally sound by numerous constitutional lawyers and law professors. Here it is.

And here is the Massachusetts highest law- the Massachusetts Constitution.