I have a confession to make.  I'm a fan of Wal-Mart.   I cannot always condone their actions like not giving their employees lunch breaks or hiring illegal immigrants to work as the maintenance crews in their stores, but I can say that the living wages tripe that gets put against them is often untrue.  Wal-Mart does in fact pay fairly good wages for this area -- and is one of the highest paying employeers.  Now this may be because it's not terribly expensive to live where I do, but if you go to Wal-Mart to work you're not exactly getting a minimum wage job.

    It is true they tend to put smaller mom and pop operations out of business and I think they should figure out how to help these stores stay in business where they can, but people who look at the evil of Wal-Mart often overlooks the good the store does.  The store will in fact go out of its way to buy from American companies and often contributes to charities.  Nor do I see bitter and cynical employees that so often inhabit retail establishments.  

     So, if you want to hate Wal-Mart that's fine with me, they've done things in the past that were wrong, but don't wholly overlook the good that the store does either.

   When the current Bush administration first took power after the elections of 2000, the rhetoric used by Bush and the members of his cabinet was that we'd see a new tone in Washington.

    Now that the Democrats once again have control of congress, we've hear the phrase once more.   However, Bush meant a tone of cooperation, the democrats have something else in mind.

    I've heard talk of investigations from Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, who themselves have ethical problems of their very own.   It seems they missed the point of the elections entirely.

   Democrats -- you were not given a blank check to do whatever you want and if you try you will surely find yourselves back in the minority in two years.   People are dissatisfied with the conduct of the war and the lack of respect Bush has for freedoms guaranteed by the constitution.  Focus on that and you'll do well.   If you pursue some grand agenda, expect to see a backlash against yourself as the voters acted out against the Republican majority.

   While I think people tend to overreact in the wakes of elections about how much harm their opponents will do to the country, this is an idea that came to me idea that I simply cannot believe.

      I am tempted to question the intelligence of the Democratic politician that came up with this one, we need to do something far more serious.  We need to get this person out of power and make sure it someone like this is never taken seriously again.

    Listen, Iran and Syria are already giving us plenty of help and getting out of Iraq -- where do you think most of the insurgents are coming from?  If you have not realized it yet, these countries are real enemies in the "war on terror."  The war may currently being fought so innefectively, but the enemy will be more than happy to help us lose and we need to not court his support in doing so.

   As we approach election time, it's not unusual that any registered voter would get mail from their appointed party.  It is not suprising that the letters are tailored to what the core of the party belives rather than what the individual user might believe.  

    As November 7th approaches, I find it a rare day when I do not receive some mail from the local Republican party (perhaps I should register Libertarian instead to avoid this, but it's not like the Libertarians have any chance of winning a national election, although I think they may gain some seats in the house at some distant point in my lifetime.)

    While I generally agree with the Republican's stance on immigration and would like to see the flow of illegals stopped, as much as I'm sure the Romans would have liked to see the flow of Barbarians across the Rhine cease in the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., it seems that the mailers are mischaracterizing the position of many democrats.

      While I expect my readers to correct me if I'm wrong, I do not know many democrats who are in favor of partial birth abortions, and while Hilary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi might, they are extremes and do not represent the views of many democrats.

      The second was an issue that they cannot be expected to know I have no strong feelings on.    I am not opposed to gay marriage, but I do not campaign for it either.  Most Republicans who are opposed do so on religious grounds, and I'm willing to be even the bulk of them favor the idea of civil unions.

     So, if there are any democrats out there, I welcome your thoughts. By the way, if you feel there is a bill that needs to be brought to my attention, please e-mail me and I'll be happy to arrange a post here about it, either by you or by me.  (See the Wager Witch's example.)

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I must admit the current Bush administration has been worrying me for all that I voted for him in the past two elections. It became clear in the second administration that the current president has little regard for guaranteed rights with the Wiretapping scandal and now the bill which the Wager Witch brought to my attention.

It is too easy to do things in the name of serving a greater good, but it seems to me Bush has thought little of the long term repercussions of his acts and is using the war on terror as a broad excuse for exercising sweeping Presidential powers.

While this has been done in times past during time of war, no official war has been declared here and it's not clear exactly when or how victory will be achieved on Bush's War on Terror. Either Bush is an incompetent bungler, a theory favored by many or he knows exactly what he's doing and seems to me to be doing evil in the name of good, which is somewhat ironic for a President who has declared three powers to be the Axis of Evil. (Which of course, was a stupid move politically.)

I'm afraid I'll have to support the democratic candidates for the Senate and House this fall simply to limit the powers of the Bush administration. Then again, divided government is never a bad thing, for as Benjamin Franklin put it, the Government is best that governs least.

H.R. 4954 is to be signed on October 13, 2006 by USA President Bush.

This Bill was passed by Congress on September 30, 2006 at a late night, last minute meeting.

What makes this Bill so interesting, isn't that it is about Safe Port Security, it is the additions that were tacked on at the last moment by Senator Frist.

Most people think the additions are specifically about Online Gambling and making Online Gambling illegal. They shrug their shoulders and go on to the next news item that is more interesting, since Online Gambling probably doesn't affect them.

The browse instead to the Circus surrounding Foley - or to the scary information about Korean's admission of detonation of nuclear activity. Whatever it is, it is more important than Online Gambling.

But STOP!

Wait!

Read the Bill. It isn't really about gambling online.

It is about the United States Government making Banking Institutions and Internet Service Providers into watchdogs and reporting your every online or banking action to the government - WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A SEARCH WARRANT.

Gamblers up in arms about the Bill because they know it isn't about the morals of gambling. Most online gamblers believe the United States should have regulated Online Gambling years ago. If the Bill was about Morals - then pray tell - why are Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, Bingo games at churches, State Lotteries, Horse Racing (which it is said, the Horse Racing Commission paid Frist's and other Republican Campaigns over 3 million dollars so they could stay within the "wire act" secured by this Bill) and Tribal Casinos still allowed to run?

No - America - it is time to Wake UP!

Go read the Bill yourself.

Look it up on the internet and browse to the last minute additions - and make up your own minds what it TRULY is about.

Although it says Gambling - it should say - WE'RE STEALING YOUR PRIVACY AWAY... Every Single AMERICAN CITIZEN should be aware of this.

It Should be Headline News.

But maybe the Newspapers were paid off - and can't say anything. Maybe the whole Foley Scandal is a distraction.

Read the Bill and think for yourself.

Pass the word around before you lose your Constitutional Rights.

You don't have to believe me - you just have to read it for yourself and open your own eyes.

Google Congress on the SAFE PORT ACT - Look up H.R.45942.pdf - read it and weep at what our Government is trying to do to us.


Wager Witch

You may include my image - if you like - if not - that's ok too - but anything to get the word out.

You can link the image to anything you want - to my website - to the videos that are out there - or to even the BILL itself.

Turk Hijacks Plane to Protest Pope's comments

People sometimes amaze me. A recent example is the Islamic uproar over Pope Benedict XVI quoting a Pope from the 13th Century in the context of how religions better need to understand each other. Yet it seems that this news has not made it to the Islamic world and as it always is, there's more than a few people willing to take insult where none was intended.

Such is the case of a Turk hijacking a plane recently.