So a bunch of us Right Wing Extremists decided to rally together in Westlake Park in downtown Seattle and have a little party. Here are some photos, I’m currently working on the video.
[flickr]3447561287[/flickr]
See the full set on Flickr – HERE
Miss Liberty Belle did a fantastic job organizing this event on such short notice. I think the turnout was great considering the overall demographic of Seattle. Everything went off without a hitch including a delivery of tasty BBQ pork by columnist Michelle Malkin. The only rabble-rousers were a few (i assume) liberal Democrats who attempted to yell over top the speakers and one who even jumped on the stage and interrupted things. No broken windows or vandalism and no need for police intervention. A good old fashioned American protest.. no need for violence like other groups seem to think is necessary.
See all of the photos on Flickr – http://flickr.com/photos/e53/sets/72157613958925940/
Everyone has my permission to use these photos. Please be kind enough to attribute the photos to me and the event organization to Liberty Belle
Despite the fact that the inauguration of President Barack Obama is not necessarily a celebratory time for me I do recognize the historical aspects of the event. Not only do we now have the first Black President of the United States of America but there is something that people usually seem to overlook. The inaugural process and transition of power in our republic from one leader to another is historic every single time it happens. I found it best put into words by Trent from The Simple Dollar blog:
The United States is an amazingly stable democracy. For most Americans, the peaceful transition of power seems like a normal, common, and expected thing. Yet, over the course of human history, such peaceful transitions of power are the exception rather than the rule. Revolutions, wars, coups, and bitter transitions are the rule in most areas of the world, and the strong-armed changes that other people face undermine the stability of day-to-day lives. Currencies become worthless. People are driven from their homes and lives. Personal property is “nationalized.” In the United States, we are quite lucky that we don’t have to face such situations – and our safety from those situations is part of what gives us such prosperity.
Today, as Obama simply and quietly takes the reins of leadership, recognize that this transition isn’t taking place at the barrel of a gun – and it’s that stability and safety that plays a major role in the stability and safety in our own lives. [via - The Simple Dollar]
That is exactly why living in this country continues to be better than living in any other place in this world.
I rediscovered the following comment which was left on a blog post just over one year ago which was about the time my complete and utter discontent with the all to long election cycle began. I can’t help but feel completely disconnected from my government right now really to the point where I’ll spend the next four years looking over my should while I try to help where I can to rebuild what local governmental power we have left.. which is where the real power should be locally and with the people.. not with some would be political messiah in a district known as Columbia. On to the quote:
I thought the analogy put out there the last day or so about this campaign being like the guy who can’t figure out why girls aren’t going for him, when he is everything that girls say they want. The reality is that girls don’t really want what they say they want. Same thing here. All the talk among the American electorate about wanting a focus on issues and wanting a leader, not a politician, etc is just talk. When it comes down to it, the American electorate is fickle and superficial.
Fred[Thompson] ran a campaign based on believing that the American electorate was sincere. He has found out that the American electorate is as insincere and superficial as most of the politicians they complain about.
Oh well. We will all get what we deserve come November.
We have a lot to learn. Lets hope we learn fast.
Just got this in an email from the King County GOP. If this is true… *shakes head* I just don’t understand what these people are thinking sometimes.
A MESSAGE FROM CHAIRMAN LORI SOTELO
I’ve seen it all . . .Two years ago, we were saddened when the Port of Seattle decided to remove Christmas Trees from SeaTac Airport instead of honoring an appeal to include a menorah display. It is a busy time of year and the airport staff didn’t have time to be cultural anthropologists – we were told. Instead of opening their hearts to the spirit of the season, the trees were taken down in the middle of the night when people were less likely to notice.
But this week takes the cake . . . icing and all!
In our state’s Capitol Building amid the “Capitol Holiday Kids Tree” charity drive for rural fire departments, Governor Gregoire has approved a display by the Freedom from Religion Foundation that states “At this season of the winter solstice, may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.” The antagonistic statement serves no other purpose but to degrade the spirit of the season.
As if that was not enough, let’s consider the Christmas ornament submitted by Washington’s 7th Congressional District for the National Christmas Tree. The artist, Deborah Lawrence, well known for her anti-war positions, submitted a red, white and blue 9-inch ball carefully decorated with the words “Impeach Bush”. The tawdry bauble featuring the face of Congressman McDermott was rightfully rejected.
The events here in the Northwest illustrate that our religious freedom cannot be taken for granted. Chipping away at one freedom, weakens all freedoms enjoyed in the United States. You can take a stand for freedom in our state by speaking out against religious intolerance. Make your voice heard on the insensitive display at the Capitol in Olympia, call Governor Gregoire’s office at 360-902-4111.
As we approach the holiday season, take heart, the best example is a life well lived. Make merry in this most joyous time of the year and share your happiness with others.
Lori Sotelo
Chairman
King County Washingont GOP
My guy didn’t win and I remain convinced that John McCain was the better of two bad options. With that said there is only one thing to do: move on. There are more battles to come and those should prove to be interesting. For now I can only hope that Barack Obama moves towards the center and realizes that while he won he did not receive a mandate for far left “change.”
When one considers the power shift in Congress it is quickly realized that there are fights coming. Some of the important battles that are coming include fighting against Card Check and Fairness Doctrine legislation. We also have to keep a close eye on round about anti-gun legislation in the form of excessive ammo taxes and firearm requirements.
The biggest battle is for reform of the Republican Party. Not to change but to fall back to what makes the party great. It’s time to clean house. No more RINO’s. No more big government big spending “Republicans” it’s time to remember what President Ronald Reagan gave the party and the nation. Reagan once said that “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” This is what we must fight against. We must renew our fight against government. The power is the people. We give the power to the government to use on our behalf the government does not take FROM us and pretend to know what we need.
We Fail. We learn from our mistakes. We move on with our lessons learned. Until next time.
I’m very proud to have supported Senator McCain and the only regret is that more Americans didn’t share my conviction that he would have made an outstanding President. I not only recognize, but respect that we are a nation in which the people choose and tonight they have chosen Senator Obama. He was not my choice, but he will be my President and I will pray for him to lead this great nation with God’s help and grace. He will face serious challenges to lead our country and he will need all Americans to give him a chance.
The campaign is over and now is the time for governing and leading. The Republican Party must now reassess where it is and where it is going. Our problem is not that our views aren’t acceptable, is that many in our party have abandoned the very principles that once drew Americans to trust us. Our party will be back with strength, but tonight we should all celebrate the historic nature of this election and put our country ahead of our party.
As disappointed as I am that we have lost the election, I can’t help but feel that many courageous leaders of the civil rights movement look down from heaven tonight with a smile that the day has come when a man is elected without regard to his color. I salute President-elect Obama for his discipline and tenacity that has given our country the opportunity to witness this significant event.
Politics is not an event but a process. We sometimes lose the events but it never gives us the right to stop being faithful to our principles that enlisted us in the process. We shall live to fight another day.
Cheers.
From an email:
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that’s what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.
‘Since you are all such good customers,’ he said,
‘I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected.
They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men–the paying customers?
How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his ‘fair share?’
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.
So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free.
But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
I only got a dollar out of the $20,’declared the sixth man.
He pointed to the tenth man,’ but he got $10!’ ‘Yeah, that’s right,’ exclaimed the fifth man.
‘I only saved a dollar, too.
It’s unfair that he got ten times more than me!’ ‘That’s true!!’ shouted the seventh man.
‘Why should he get $10 back when I got only two?
The wealthy get all the breaks!’
‘Wait a minute,’ yelled the first four men in unison.
‘We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!’
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him.
But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works.
The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction.
Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore.
In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia
Charles Barkley is a known left wing mouth piece who hits out at anyone that is a Republican. He also likes to cry about how “unfair” Fox News is. For the most part he is just following the other sheep in a quest to complain nonstop about Fox News but one big reason is that he gets some of his income from fellow liberal supporter Ted Turner owner of CNN.
In an interview Tuesday Charles Barkley stated the following:
“I watch CNN, they’re not fucked up like Fox,†Barkley told B&C. “They are a mouthpiece for the Republican Party. I watch [Fox] a couple times when there is someone I want to see on there. But they’re corrupt.”
When asked whether he is just shilling for his parent company (TNT and CNN are corporate cousins), Barkley denies that he has to stick up for his team.“Hell no, I don’t,†he says. “I like Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper and John King. They at least try to give both sides.â€
Nothing to special about that as it is pretty much the same talking points that all Liberals use to go after Fox News. The awesome part comes in the response from Fox News (from the same article):
But Fox News Channel doesn’t see it that way, as a network spokesperson fired back immediately.
“It’s hardly a surprise that Charles is a shill for a Turner owned network…. He obviously needs the steady paycheck to pay off his consistent gambling debts,†the spokesperson told B&C.
OH SNAP! Charles 0, Fox News 1. *zing*
[via broadcastingcable.com]
I took some time of my “busy” big city Seattle schedule to look in on the election process back home in Iowa. The Gazette Online held a brief online forum for the Linn County Supervisors candidates for District 2 this morning. In that district we have incumbent Linda Langston being challenged by John Erceg (Navy, Ret.).
I posed a question regarding the $1bn flood protection plan put forth by some high priced consultants hired by the City of Cedar Rapids (they like consultants… a LOT). I got a non-answer from both candidates which I can actually let slide for now because the plan is BS and not well understood by anyone other than the high priced consultants. However, one quetsion from Iowa GOP State Central Commitee member David Chung (Dist 2):
David Chung:
Q: How are you qualified to help lead Linn County through the lengthy process of flood recovery?Candidate John Erceg:
A: Yes I am. I first was involved with disaster recovery after the largest volcano explosion in the last century Mt. Pinatubo the Philippines. I finished my Navy career as head of Safety and Health for the Submarine Force Pearl Harbor a position that needs no mistakes. I was Environmental Health Supervisor for Linn County Public Health which included caring for Jones County . I have a bachelors in Safety and Health and a Masters in systems management.Candidate Linda Langston:
A: One thing that I think has been useful was my experience at the Kennedy School of Government. I spent three weeks in their state and local official program. The training has been really useful and allowed me to access assistance thru Harvard and KSG. Also, I am working closely with the Iowa Association of Counties and the National Association of counties. I appreciate the assistance of colleagues from around the country.
Now, to be completely honest I had a chance to hear Mr. Erceg speak several times during my stint on the Linn County Republican Central Committee as he was kind enough to come to our meetings and take questions and explain his positions. This is the first time, however, that I have had any insight as to what Mrs. Langstons background is and might I say it is … enlightening. There appears to me to be a wide gap in relevant experience between these two candidates and I would be more than willing to suggest that the incumbent be tossed out on Nov. 4th in favor of some fresh perspective. I think Linn County needs some of that right now.
Consider also that Linda Langston played a central part in the controversy over Supervisor salaries earlier this year.
While the media and nutroots are busy attacking every aspect of Joe Wurzelbacher’s life John McCain is busy understanding the basis of the question he asked Barack Obama and he also understands the problem with Obamas answer.
The following the text of a speech by Sen. John McCain:
It’s great to be here in Miami. Florida is a must-win state on November 4th, and with your help, we’re going to win Florida, and bring change to Washington, DC. We had a good debate this week. You may have noticed– there was a lot of talk about Senator Obama’s tax increases and Joe the Plumber. Last weekend, Senator Obama showed up in Joe’s driveway to ask for his vote, and Joe asked Senator Obama a tough question. I’m glad he did; I think Senator Obama could use a few more tough questions.
The response from Senator Obama and his campaign yesterday was to attack Joe. People are digging through his personal life and he has TV crews camped out in front of his house. He didn’t ask for Senator Obama to come to his house. He wasn’t recruited or prompted by our campaign. He just asked a question. And Americans ought to be able to ask Senator Obama tough questions without being smeared and targeted with political attacks.
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