Journalists Freed!

I think most people breathed a sigh of relief when the two American female journalists touched down in California on Wednesday after being freed from detention in North Korea. Kudos to former president Bill Clinton for flying out to North Korea to meet with dictator Kim Jong Ill, and making sure that the release took place. It's for situations like this, that we are fortunate to have a few ex presidents on hand. They understand diplomacy, they have credibility around the world, but they are not directly connected to the current Administration, so there isn't much room for the other side to criticize them, or expect any concessions.

No, President Clinton was undoubtedly the right man for the job. Who is better qualified to pick up two young women--perfect strangers--and take them home with him?

Nobody should have to endure twelve years in a North Korean prison for straying across the border in what seemed to be a fairly innocent mistake. I mean, come on, when millions of illegal immigrants deliberately come across the U.S. border, we don't lock them up for twelve years, we argue about whether or not they are entitled to free health care!

Anyway, all kidding aside, I'm sure we are all glad that the two journalists are home.

Bill Clinton Goes to North Korea

No, the former president isn't emigrating to avoid higher taxes on the wealthy. He's doing what I criticized Al Gore for not doing a few weeks ago: trying to secure the release of the two female american journalists who accidentally strayed across the border into North Korea, and ended up with a twelve year sentence to a labor camp.

CNN reports that while the visit is a private trip on Clinton's part, it has the blessing of the White House, because Clinton is also carrying a letter from President Obama to give to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. We can only speculate about the contents of the letter, but I think there are only two likely topics, either a request for clemency for the two journalists, or it's a request for North Korea to resume talks on ceasing its nuclear weapons program.

Lets hope that the former Prez is successful in bringing these two journalists home. But it does beg the question, why didn't the Secretary of State go? Remember back in the '90s when Bill and Hillary were running for the presidency? They said that if elected, America would actually get to-for-one, implying that Hillary would be a politically active First Lady.

How ironic that, now Hillary is Secretary of State, it's her spouse who is the other haf of the Secretary of State team.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Unless you've been living in a cave in Afghanistan, you probably know that President Obama hosted a beer bash with black Harvard law professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cambridge Massachusetts police officer Sgt. James Crowley, who arrested Gates. All three are seen here, presumably on their way to knock back a few cold ones. I wondered if this photo might have been photoshopped but it appears on the White House blog, so I'm assuming it's genuine.

I could ramble on about my interpretation of body language, but really, once you look at the photo you either get it or you don't.

A Fallen Hero Receives the Medal of Honor

Our nation's highest military award for conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty, the Congressional Medal of Honor, has been awarded to Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti of Raynham, Massachusets, who was killed in action on June 21st, 2006 during a firefight with Islamist terrorists.

SFC Monti was deployed with the Tenth Mountain Division in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. SFC Monti had already rescued one wounded soldier when he was shot and killed by Taliban forces while rescuing a second soldier.

Since 1861, the President of the United States, on behalf of the Congress has awarded more than 3,400 medals to individuals from the five service branches of our military. At least SFC Monti is in fine company.

The presentation of the Medal of Honor will be made on September 17 at the White House to SFC Monti's parents. A memorial scholarship fund has been set up in SFC Monti's name. Donations can be made by clicking here.

Justice Dept. Goes Easy on the Shoe Bomber

The U.S. Department of Justice has decided to lighten up on convicted shoe bomber, Richard Reid.

Reid, you may remember, is the terrorist (oops! is it still politically correct to use that word?) who tried to blow up American Airlines flight 63 from Paris to Miami in February, 2002 by igniting explosives hidden in his shoe. Fortunately, a passenger noticed Reid trying to light the fuse, and flight attendants took him down and subdued him until the Boeing 767 landed in Boston.

Reid was incarcerated in federal prison here in Colorado along with other nasty pieces of work such as four of the terrorists--including leader Ramzi Yousef--responsible for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, co-conspirator of 9-11 Zacharias Moussaoui, Jose Padilla -- the Dirty Bomber, and Bin Laden's personal assistant (use your imagination...) Wadih el-Hage.

Reid complained to prison authorities that he was being prevented from conducting daily group prayers as dictated by his religion. This seems a little strange to me: First, it implies that Muslims cannot pray alone, only in groups. Second, it seems like an excuse for a mini terrorists convention at the prison every day. Third, if Reid was so concerned about his religious freedom, maybe he should have considered the consequences before he tried to murder a plane-load of people, forever robbing 197 souls of all their freedoms, religious and otherwise!

But that's OK, under "special administrative measures"(SAM), the federal prison authorities have not been allowing Reid to contact the other terrorist prisoners, so who cares what he thinks? Well, since Reid is incarcerated on U.S. soil, he is protected by the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and religion, just like the rest of us. And now, the Justice Dept. has seen fit to suspend those SAMs. Amazing. Next thing you know, we'll be closing the Guantanamo Bay prison for terrorists and sending the inmates to a tropical paradise to serve out their time...Oh yeah, I forgot; we're already doing that.

Senator Barbara Boxer is at it Again

A while ago, US Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) reprimanded a Brigadier General during a senate hearing for calling her "Ma'am", saying that she worked hard to earn the title of Senator. Never mind that in the US military, it's customary to address women as Ma'am as a sign of respect.

Not content with upbraiding a senior military officer, during a recent senate committee hearing, the senator also offended Harry C. Alford the head of the Black Chamber of Commerce by presenting an opposing view to that held by the BCC on energy policy, from two other black organizations: The NAACP, and One Hundred Black Men.

Boxer might just as well have said that because Mr. Alford's Black Chamber of Commerce does not share the same official position as her, she found another black organization that does. The video tells the whole story (click here).

So how come we haven't heard complaints from Jesse Jackson or the Reverend Al Sharpton? Simple. Who's side would they take in a fight between a white liberal woman and a black conservative man? Better to stay out of this one altogether.

"God, Guns, Guts, and American Made Pickup Trucks"

Here's an interesting piece of video from CNN. The reporter is interviewing a car dealer in a rural part of the United States, where they are giving away a free AK-47 with every purchase of a new vehicle. The car buyer must still obtain the rifle through a local gun dealer, and go through the usual criminal background check, etc. before actually taking possession and ownership of the firearm.

The interview is interesting because it highlights the difference in cultural attitudes between urban and rural people. It's worth noting that the CNN reporter is unable to clearly articulate her concerns about this gun giveaway, while the car dealer has no problems explaining why a legally-owned, semi-auto AK is a viable option for people who live 15 minutes away from the closest police response want to defend their homes from violent criminals. Click here to watch the interview.

You can also take the poll in the top right corner of this page.

Will Members of Congress Have the Same Healthcare as the Rest of Us?

(Photo. Representative John Fleming (R- 4th District, Louisiana) meets with health care professionals at a Louisiana hospital)

Imagine a hypothetical situation some time in the not-too-distant future where you are sitting in the waiting room of a government-run doctor's office, waiting several hours to see a doctor:

The door opens, and in walks Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) she's there for her regular procedure, a short operation that the doctor calls a cranial-rectal separation (it involves a winch, a tow rope, and a baseball catcher's mitt). Anyway, in this imaginary scenario, she sits down next to you and begins to complain about the healthcare system.

"But," you say, "don't all members of Congress have their own health care plan?"

"Not any more," the Speaker grumbles, "Some republican house rep from Louisiana introduced legislation that makes congress use the same universal health care as the rest of you."

And here is where we leave fantasy behind and return to reality. Because, a Louisiana congressman has actually introduced legislation that will do just that. It will make our elected officials subject to the same government health care that the rest of us peons will have to endure.

Representative John Fleming (R- 4th District, Louisiana) has introduced House Resolution 615 that will make politicians give up their own expensive health care plans (The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program) and use the same government-run health care that they are trying to impose on the rest of us. Congressman Fleming was recently interviewed on Fox News, and stated that 48 Republicans have signed onto his resolution, while not one single Democrat has. Not One. But that's OK, you can go to the congressman's website and view the list of politicians who have agreed to abide by the same law as the rest of us. Is YOUR congressman there? Click on this link to find out. Incidentally, I'd like to thank one of Colorado's Congressmen, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R - 5th District) for signing on.

If you don't see your congress critter's name on the list, and you feel that what's good enough for the rest of us is good enough for our elected representatives, you can download a letter of support to send to your elected House Representative in Washington D.C.

It looks Like Judge Sotomayor will be Confirmed

It's looking like Judge Sonia Sotomayor will make it out of the Senate hearings on her confirmation to the Supreme Court pretty much unscathed. I watched some of the hearings this week, and she does seem to have a pretty good idea of what judges should, and should not do.

I do wish she had been more forthright when questioned by republican senators about her view of the Second Amendment, particularly since it's likely that another gun rights case--such as last year's landmark Heller v. D.C. decision--will make its way to the Supreme Court some time during her career (which is a lifetime appointment.)

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that her judicial record is, "generally in the mainstream", "not an activist", and went on to say that he thought Judge Sotomayor would keep an open mind on gun rights. I think Senator Graham is a smart and capable man, and I hope he's right. The Second Amendment, which states that "...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." is, to most people, self-explanatory. All I ask is that any judge who has to make a ruling based upon those words from the Bill of Rights takes them at face value. I hope that Judge Sotomayor will do that.

One Democrat's views on Cap and Trade

Recently, my wife wrote to Congressman Jared Polis, (Democrat, Second Congressional District, Colorado) asking him to vote against the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, also called the Cap and Trade bill, currently under consideration by the in Congress. Cap and Trade is the energy bill that if passed, would, according to the Heritage Foundation, cost each American household "3,000 per year".

According to Newsmax, House Minority Leader John Boehner claims the legislation will send many jobs overseas and put "millions of Americans out of work".

Newsmax also quoted President Obama as saying that under Cap and Trade, "...electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket."

This sounds like a pretty serious piece of legislation. It sounds like there should be some pretty serious debate and discussion between legislators, and also between the Congress and the American public. After all, isn't that why we call our legislators in Washington "elected representatives"?

So when my wife wrote to Representative Jared Polis (Democrat, Second Congressional District, Colorado) we expected a detailed, reasoned response. Here's the congressman's email in it's entirety:

"Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition/support for H.R. XXX, the XXXX Act of 2009. I appreciate hearing from you on these important issues, and I apologize for any delay in my reply. Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. Although we disagree on this issue, I hope my letter clarifies why I voted for this bill/ I hope my letter addresses your particular concerns.> If I can be of any further assistance on this or any other issue, please do not hesitate to contact me at (303) 484-9596. I also encourage you to visit my website,
www.polis.house.gov, and sign up to receive my e-newsletter."

Now I ask you, is it any wonder that Americans are so disillusioned and frustrated with our elected officials? The only conclusion I can reach, when reading drivel like this is that many of our politicians don't give a damn about our opinions. After reading a few replies like this one, how many citizens would simply throw up their hands and say,"forget this. it just isn't worth my time to write to these people."

...hmmm...could it be?...no...surely that couldn't be the reason.

Could it?

Will the NRA sink Judge Sotomayor's Confirmation to the Supreme Court?

Maybe. The issue is that the Second Circuit Court ruled in the Maloney v. Cuomo case, that the Second Amendment does not apply to state and local governments, Judge Sotomayor, President Obama's pick to replace Justice Souter on the Supreme Court, joined the court's opinion. The result of this case implies that individual states may have the right to ban guns.

This means that if confirmed, Sotomayor would sit on the Supreme Court, in judgment of any gun rights cases that came along. It seems strange to me that the framers of the Constitution would have written the Second Amendment to protect the rights of individuals to keep and bear arms at the Federal level, but that they would have not intended that the same right would be extended to the individual states.

Stay tuned, this is going to get interesting...

Governor Palin Will Step Down

Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska has announced that on July 26th, she will resign as Governor of Alaska, and hand over the state to the Lt. Governor Sean Parnell.

At this point, speculation abounds, but it seems she has three choices: Work to get other conservative republicans elected, prepare for a run for the Presidency in 2012, or run for a U.S. Senate seat as one of the two senators from Alaska.

It's interesting that the Governor made a couple of comments in her announcement today that her heart belongs to Alaska, and that she will continue to work for Alaska. To me, that sounds like she will run for a Senate seat, but to do that she must defeat the republican incumbent senator, Lisa Murkowski, who was appointed to that position by her father, Gov. Murkowski, the previous governor of Alaska.

My money is on a senate run. And we certainly could all benefit from that. Having Palin as a conservative, pro-gun senator from Alaska might help to offset the socialist bias that the senate now has, and the 60-vote Democrat super majority that the appointment of television clown and humorist Al Franken (Minnesota) delivered last Thursday with his win over the republican incumbent.

We'll see if I'm right, but my money is on the senate run. The Senate would certainly benefit from a female senator who has run a state, believes in the right to keep and bear arms, and is a conservative with a backbone. When was the last time we had one of those?

"We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident"

To coin a phrase from the Marine Corps: This is my flag. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

It has flown outside our house for several years, and the wind and weather have taken their toll on it. So, it seems fitting that we replace it on Independence Day with a new, and this time, a slightly larger flag. But while times change, it is still Old Glory, the Stars and Stripes. It still conveys the same message that we are all free people, part of a democratic republic, and that (as it says in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence) "...We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness..."

Today, July Fourth, is Independence Day in America.

While the Congress officially separated the American colonies from Great Britain on July second, 1776, it did not officially approve the letter to King George (the Declaration of Independence) until July fourth. From that day on, Americans have always celebrated our independence from the Crown on the fourth. And it's always been a joyous and festive occasion!

John Adams, one of the original signers, wrote this to his wife, Abigail: "...I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

Let's celebrate! Happy Birthday, America.

Forget Hello Kitty, Meet Cornershot Kitty

The Cornershot is basically a rifle stock with a hinge halfway. The back half of the stock fits into the shoulder like a rifle, while the front half allows a pistol and a video camera to be mounted. This means that the operator can not only see around corners, while staying behind cover, he can also film what he sees, and he can also shoot what he sees. I examined one of these devices at the SHOT show a couple of years back. It's a good tool for a law enforcement officer or a soldier because he doesn't have to stick his head out from cover to see what is going on around the corner. This is an Israeli product, but the idea seems to have originated with the Nazis during WWII, when they bent the barrels on some of their rifles and machine pistols (see photo).

Well now, the Cornershot comes with a fake cat (think glove puppet) that is hollow, and fits over the pistol. The back legs of the fake cat cover the legs of a bipod, if one is fitted. The purpose of the cat is to camouflage the pistol, so that a bad guy who spots it simply thinks there is a cat standing by the corner, watching him. By the time the bad guy figures out what is going on, he's probably been shot a couple of times. Click here to watch the video.

British Soldiers plus German Rifles equals Neutralized Terrorists

The London Daily Telegraph reports that troopers of Britain's Special Air Service (SAS) made a nighttime High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) parachute jump on the outskirts of Baghdad recently. The covert insertion was part of a mission to locate insurgent leaders and bomb-making factories.

It's interesting that even with all the talk about U.S. forces pulling out of Iraq, there still seems to be an active terrorist presence almost on the doorstep of the Green Zone. But enough of armchair strategy.

Here's the interesting part of the story: The SAS has now added Heckler & Koch's new battle rifle to its armory, the HK417. So now you have British soldiers using German rifles. Sir Winston Churchill might have been shocked, but actually it's nothing new. Everybody from the SAS to the british Metropolitan Police Force has used the German-built HK MP5 submachine guns for more than twenty years.

You may be familiar with H&K's 416, a M16 clone chambered in 556NATO, but the 417 is the big brother. It's chambered in 762NATO, has the same controls in the same places as the ubiquitous M16 (so it's easy for troops trained on the M16/M4/AR-15 platform to switch to the 417) but is also capable of being used as either a Close Quarters Battle (CQB) weapon, or as a precision rifle for long distance engagements (okay, so it's also a sniper rifle). Simply change the barrel from the 12 or 16-inch versions to the 20-inch barrel, and add a long-range scope. Voila!

When the M16 rifle was first fielded in Vietnam in the mid-sixties, the idea was that the 5.56mm cartridge was lighter than the 7.62 cartridge, so more of it could be carried into battle. While this was considered a good thing, it did not take into account a couple of other important factors: The 5.56 mm bullet does not fly as far as its heavier 7.62 mm counterpart, and the 55-70 grain projectile doesn't always put the other guy down as effectively as the 147 grain bullet in the 762NATO round. Arguably, this did not matter too much in the jungles of Vietnam, where enemy soldiers weighed about 110 LBS, wore only light uniforms, and were most likely engaged from zero to maybe a hundred yards or a bit more. And don't get me wrong, the 556NATO cartridge does put the bad guys down. It's just that the devil is in the details: does it do it at long distance? Does it take more than one solid hit?

However, the 762NATO round does a much better job than the 556NATO of penetrating barriers and unarmored vehicles like cars and trucks. During the U.S invasion of Panama in 1989 to arrest Manuel Noriega, the U.S. forces used the standard M16 rifle almost exclusively. However, when they came across heavily barracaded villas owned by Noriega's henchmen, they found that the 556NATO round was unable to shoot through the barriers. There were a few urgent calls placed stateside to fly down some mothballed, M14 rifles (chambered in 762NATO) to fix the problem. Ironically, the M14 was the standard U.S. service rifle early on in the Vietnam war (and was replaced by the M16) but with it's wooden stock, 7.62 caliber, and twenty-round magazine, was considered by some to be outdated when compared to the sleek little M16 with plastic stock and pistol grip, aluminum frame, and smaller 556NATO chambering.

So in the deserts of the middle east, where distances to targets can go from zero to a thousand yards (and those targets are a bit heavier built than Vietnamese people) it makes sense to use a cartridge that performs at extended distances. Particularly when, like the SAS on their Baghdad mission, you infil by parachute and don't have to hump a lot of ammo all day like the guys in Vietnam did on patrol.

Different strokes for different wars, I guess.

NRA's Personal Protection Class

It's been a hectic week. I spent some of it as part of a team teaching the National Rifle Association Personal Protection in the Home class to a dozen law-abiding citizens.

The purpose of the class is to teach people how to better defend themselves from violent attack. While the emphasis is on teaching students to shoot a pistol in a defensive situation such as a burglary while they are present in the home, the class also teaches how handguns work, ammunition selection, safe gunhandling and marksmanship, and there is also included a presentation from a law enforcement officer on Colorado statutes in regards to self-defense. Under state law, any person who passes a criminal background check, and who can provide a certificate from a recognized training organization (like the NRA) can apply for a permit to Carry a Concealed Weapon (CCW) which allows them to carry a handgun almost anywhere in the state.

About 48 of the 50 states currently allow some form of concealed carry. Some states have "may issue" laws, which means that applicants who meet their state's criteria (usually passing a background check and having a taken a suitable shooting class) may be issued a CCW at the discretion of the issuing law enforcement officer (usually a Chief of Police or a County Sheriff).

Other states have passed "shall issue" laws which say that if an idividual applicant satisfies the criminal background check, and the requirement for firearms training, then the issuing law enforcement officer "shall issue" a CCW permit to that person. This is a much more fair system, and is much more in accordance with the Second Amendment right to "Keep and Bear Arms."
The Second Amendment says that "The right of the the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." It does not say, ...not be infringed unless a cop decides to infringe.

NRA Certified Instructors teach classes in all fifty states. For more information, click here for the link to NRA's website.

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live in Denver!

I'm standing in a restaurant in downtown Denver before the long-awaited gig from former Blind Faith band members Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, wearing my 24-year old Clapton tee shirt, when this woman around forty years of age approaches me and gushes about what a big Winwood fan she is, and how she's so looking forward to seeing Clapton live for the first time. That's fine. I told her that I've been a Clapton fan since '74, but I've never seen Winwood live before. For a moment, it seemed like the seventies again; real Yin Yang. Cosmic, man.

So my wife and I get into the auditoreum and find our sixteenth row seats, and I look around, and I'm amazed at the diversity of the audience. Granted, most fans were like that lady in the restaurant, but there were quite a lot of kids in their teens and twenties, and--whoa! A veritable sea of grey hair! Seems that a lot of the original crowd who were in their twenties back when Eric was fronting for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, and of course, Blind Faith, had also decided to show up live (the concert, not the crowd, well barely ... some of them) instead of just buying the Madison Square Garden concert DVD and curling up on the couch with the big screen TV and a glass of Chardonnay.

The performance kicked off with a crashing, pulsing rendition of Blind Faith's, Had To Cry Today, complete with some very good bright, pulsating stage lighting. It brought the audience to its feet, and that's where most of us stayed. It just kept rolling, and getting better and better for two hours. Steve Winwood, who is surely one of the most talented musicians to grace a stage for the past forty years is equally at home playing keyboards or electric guitar, but he also more than held up his end of an acoustic guitar duet with Clapton that featured Layla.


The band was tight. The other musicians, drums, bass, and two backup singers were more than qualified to be on stage and gave a great performanc. But there was one other giant on stage; Chris Stainton on keyboards. I think the first time I saw Chris playing with Clapton was in '79 or '80 on the Just One Night tour, that produced the double album of the same name. Stainton delivers. He's the guy who, just when you think the guitar solos can't get any better, pops up from behind the keyboard and delivers a blistering piano solo that just leaves the other band members as well as the audience, well, gobsmacked--as Eric would say. And Chris was certainly on form last night. The band was great: Cocaine, Voodoo Chile, Mr. Fantasy; Only two people should be allowed to play Georgia on My Mind in public: Ray Charles (who's dead) and Stevie Winwood.

Somewhere around the performance of Pearly Queen, I noticed how the stage lights were illuminating a lot of smoke in the theater. The atmosphere was starting to smell like someone set fire to the southern end of a north-bound mule. I looked ahead of me a couple of rows and watched two guys whose evident smoking and drinking had turned them from the graceful dancers that I'm sure they must be when they aren't smoking, to a pair of lobotomized chimps in concrete boots. I doubt they will remember much this morning about a truly professional, polished, and talent-laden concert. And at 150 bucks a seat, I guess that's why they call it Dope.

But I digress. Remember that 24-year old tee shirt that I bought in Chicago at the Behind The Sun Tour? I only wear it for Clapton concerts. It's almost as good today as it was back then. Clapton and Winwood, on the other hand, are much better.

Obama Takes Swift, Decisive Action

A CNBC news clip shows the President taking swift and decisive action the other day. He saw a threat, evaluated his options, and carefully and surgically used deadly force to solve the problem. Almost sounds like Spec Ops, doesn't it?

During a taped interview, a fly buzzed around the president and landed on the back of his hand. He immediately killed it with a single swat. "Got the sucker," he confirmed, before continuing with the interview.

This did not sit well with the folks at People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) who don't like the idea that the president killed a living thing. They sent him a fly trap that is designed to humanely catch a fly without harming it so that it can later be released.

I think the president's actions were correct. I just wish he'd apply the same policy to terrorists. As for PETA's catch and release policy on flies, it's hard to argue with them on that issue when it is the same policy that the Obama administration uses for Guantanamo Bay terrorists.

Now if the president had caught the fly in the PETA trap, he could have had it flown to Bermuda and released there--just like that small group of GITMO terrorists were a couple of weeks ago. On the other hand, perhaps we should continue to treat terrorists like the president handles house flies and swat 'em dead at the first opportunity.

Dude, Where's My Constitution? Are You Sick of Big Government?

Fox News pundit Glenn Beck read a letter on the air today from a woman who says she's been a lifelong Democrat and is frustrated with the headlong rush to socialism that the current administration is taking us.

Here's part of what she wrote: "The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written."

As I listened to the text of the letter, I had to agree with her. Here are a few of the things that she's angry and frustrated about and what she wants done about them:

"One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders..."

"Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. "

"Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. "

"Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say. "

"Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more."

"Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated."

"Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. "

"Nine, charitable contributions ... Charity belongs in our local communities ... Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves."

"Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us."

"Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? "

"Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now. "

"Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave."

You can read the full text of her letter at GlennBeck.com just click here. If you agree with her sentiments, you can sign the petition on the same page. I managed to sign it just before the website overloaded from the number of people trying to access it. That speaks volumes about how ordinary people feel about our country and how we are being screwed over by politicians from both parties.

David Letterman's Apologies to The Palins

So. David Letterman has apologized for a second time to Sarah Palin and her two daughters for his joke in which he claimed that Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez impregnated Palin's underage daughter while she was watching the game.

I'm not going to get into the discussion about whether or not he meant it, whether of not he should apologize, or if the incident is enough to force Letterman to resign from his talk show, "Late Night" on CBS.

But in true Letterman style, I'll give you the top ten reasons why I think he should resign from his spot as a talk show host:

10. He's dull.
9. He's boring.
8. He's narcissistic.
7. He should make way for someone with fresh material.
6. I miss Johnny Carson
5. Is Arsenio Hall still available?
4. I don't think he understands why people found the joke offensive.
3. The Palin joke was simply in bad taste.
2. He isn't funny.

And the number one reason I think Letterman should resign: He isn't entertaining.