Clinton Did it Why can't Bush

Former President Bill Clinton saw fit to give a full unconditional pardon to Mark Rich who was a felon hiding in another county and avoiding capture / prosecution in America where he committed his crimes. One other interesting piece of information on this pardon was that Mrs. Rich donated large sums of money to the Clinton campaign. I'm asking that President Bush give the same consideration to these two Border Patrol Agents that "Slick Willy" gave to a slimy criminal with a rich wife.

The Cancer known as the UAW

As someone who tries to be aware of history and use its lessons to improve the future, I can't say that unions have not had in many respects a positive impact on American industry. At the turn of the last century and for many years after, workers were often subjected to inhumane, dangerous, and ridiculously low paying jobs and had no protection of any kind. The AFL & CIO were pioneers in the labor movement and started to bring these injustices to light. At the time, there were few if any laws giving workers any rights and those that did exist were weekly enforced. When the government stepped up and started to create and adequately enforce labor laws, the unions did not slow down or reduce worker fees to the union. There is no example more fitting of this than the United Auto Workers union "UAW". When negotiations come up, the UAW puts out unreasonable requests for pay, benefits, and other perks knowing that the Big 3 will kowtow to their demands because of the economic disaster caused by strikes. The Big 3 have failed to address this cancer and now hundreds of thousands of people in or related to the auto industry will loose the only thing they know how to do unless the auto industry is allowed to feed at the teet of the taxpayer, a trend that has gotten entirely too popular in American industry.

America it is time to ask yourself this question: When did we become a country where if you build a better mousetrap you and and so does the guy who didn't build a better mouse trap? That my friends is called "Socialism" and is far removed from capitalism and quickly destabilizes healthy democracies.

Poll Question Answer

Ok yet another poll question has come and gone. In the previous question: "Will Hillary get the nod for the Secretary of State posting in the Obama Administration?" 50% of the respondents thought that Sen. Clinton would not get the Secretary of State position, but would get a position of prominence. 25% of the respondents thought that Sen. Clinton would get the Sec. State nomination and 25% thought she would not.

New poll question to be added soon and thanks for taking part in the blogespheres own type of democracy.

I modified my template, what was I thinking?

Shortly after I started to blog, I wanted a 3 column template and found that Blogger didn't offer one. I went and looked at some 3rd party providers and quickly determined that I didn't know as much about computers as I thought I did, HTML this, CSS that, oh lets not forget their buddy XML. If these sound like Sand Script with a Russian accent to you, good, that means I'm not alone.

I recently got brave due to some spare time (see: Devils hands / really bad idea) and decided that I was going to modify my template and get the 3 columns that I wanted. I saved my current template (not a useful as it would seem) so that I would have a fall back if I did something wrong (all but guaranteed). I then went deep into the "code" looking for several things that I expected to find (right after Elvis & Jimmy Hoffa) such as the code specific to the left column and the width adjustment for the center / posting column. I planed on finding the code for the narrow column on the left, duplicate this code and make the change for right as opposed to left justification. I made some changes, feeling confident that I found and changed the correct lines of code (flatulence putting you on the moon more likely) and clicked the appropriate boxes to accept the changes and save. Blogger asked me if I was sure I wanted to make these changes (mental note: questions like this are trying to prevent idiots like me from making bad choices). I confidently clicked the appropriate boxes and waited to see my awesome creation. If you've ever tried this yourself and it worked out, then your obviously smarter than I am (doesn't take much). If what occurred to you is anything like what happened to me, than you likely said things that you wouldn't say in the presence of small children, woman, or priests. As you can imagine, the outcome was somewhere between blater pain in traffic and forced viewing of Rosie O'Donnell (not sure which is worse).

No problem, I was smart, I saved my original work right? Well sort of, you see when you save a Blogger template, it only saves your actually work (posts) and a minimal amount of formatting. All the sidebar materials including links, widgets, list, and anything else except the blog archive went bye bye (insert visual of rake handle to the crotch). If your like me and you have a lot of sidebar add ons and other sidebar items then this becomes a large pain in posterior region.

I realized that I needed help or an asylum and I needed it soon or my by blog was toast (and not the nice cinnamon sugar kind from childhood). Thanks to Carl Kilo over at Spark it Up I got back on track with a Blogger friendly template that he found and sent to me. Once I got the new template loaded things were more or less back to normal, less spending the morning putting in all new widgets and links. I'm sure that I forgot some that were on my original blog.

There is some good new out of this, I finally got a 3 column template (good blogger, now I can have donut). If you too want your Blogger based blog to be a 3 column template, you may want to go here, this site has 3 column templates that are the same as the basic 2 column templates already offered by Blogger. This is very handy for most Blogger users, because it allows them keep the ease of use and familiar feel from a Blogger provided template but adds the use and options of a 3 column template. If you want to dig deeper and do other cool things to your blog you may want to go the Blogflak blog where they cover just about everything you could ever want to do to a blog (wish I found them before I dived into the chum water).

If you've previously voted on my current poll question, please vote again as this was one of them many things that went to the technology netherworld during this project.

Thanks to Carl Kilo, who's help was invaluable on this project.

Poll Question Answer

In the most recent Poll Question: "Will President Elect Obama go left right away or take more of a centrist angle." Your comments were split right down the middle with 50% of those who responded indicating that President Elect Obama would go straight to the left and 50% of those who responded believed that President Elect Obama would take more of a centrist approach.

A new poll question will be up soon and as always, thank you for taking part in the blogespheres own format of democracy.

Short, Sweet, To the Point "Common Sense"

Now you can hear The Augusta Water Cooler

The Augusta Water Cooler is one of the newest stations on blogtalkradio a great Internet radio station provider. Scheduling, show listings, archives, and downloads for the radio version of the Augusta Water Cooler can be found on the profile page here. If your not available when the show airs and want to listen, don't fret, you can listen to the show from the blogtalkradio widget on this very blog, listen on the blogtalkradio website and yes even itunes. For those of you wanting to subscribe to itunes, simply got to the profile page and click the itunes icon at the top of the page.

Are you a commenter? Great glad to hear it because this is not some podcast that you can only listen too after the fact, it is in fact a live on the air show that can take callers. In future airings, I plan to expand the shows length, have have guests, and generally improve the fit and finish of the entire experience.

This will not be simply a dictated version of what is on this blog, the audio version will contain exclusive story lines and and additions to what is in print.

As always comments and suggestions are accepted and appreciated. I look forward to being able to have this medium to compliment this blog. There are distinctly different in how they come across. A print blog such as this one can be fine tuned and every post checked, rechecked, and then further edited previous to anyone seeing it. A live on the air show is just that, there is no edit button and your thoughts tend to be more free and well they just come across differently. If you've ever read a book written by a radio talk show host, you know exactly what I'm referring to.

I'd like to thank all the people who read this blog and gave me the inspiration to go further and take it to audible world.

Happy V Day and Happy B Day to the U.S.M.C.

God bless the members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and The Marine Corps not to mention the life savers and marine area law enforcers of the Coast Guard and of their Veterans on this Veterans day. Every day we are blessed at every thing we have thanks to the actions of the men and woman of these valiant services.

If you appreciate your Freedom Of Speech, don't thank a journalist, thank a Soldier!

If you appreciate your Freedom Of Religion, don't thank a priest, thank a Airman!

If you appreciate your Freedom Of Assembly, don't thank the speaker, thank a Sailor!

If you appreciate your privilage & responsibility to vote, don't thank the politicians, thank a Marine!

We owe nearly every freedom and priviladge that we enjoy as Americans to these courageous men and woman and no matter what we do, we'll never trully be able to adequately thank them. Which is good considering most will never ask us to.

We are also able to proudly say happy birthday to the US Marine Corps which marked it's 233rd year of serivce to the Republic on Nov 10th of this year. The members of the Corps have been called Leathernecks, Jarheads, and Devil Dogs and no military who has ever faced them was happy about it. I was told once that the "Devil Dogs" name came from Adolf Hitler who stated that those mem (refering to the USMC) fought like possesed dogs from Hell. The USMC is proud to wear these and some other titles I won't list on a family blog. They have some of the oldest and proudest traditions or all Armed Forces and among other tasks are known as "The President's Men". If anyone has good information on where the names "Leathernecks & Jarheads" came from, please comment or email me as I'd like to know.

The addiction of technology

At the end of last week I noticed that my laptop was running hot (lap burning hot) and then realized from the widget meter on the desktop that the processor was running at 100%. I shut down all programs to try and fix the problem, to no avail. I did a restart and had the same issues and as a result was not even able to run a system utilities program to check for a virus. I brought my laptop (life with buttons in a small box) to a local computer repair shop. They called me within hrs to tell me that they believed that the fan, temp sensor, and probably the motherboard were all bad and further diagnostics / replacement & repair would cost more than that computer was worth.

I was in UTTER TERROR at that thought that I may loose my computer. I was a Boy Scout most of my youth and in the Army for 8 years. I've been trained to exist and persevere in most conditions that can be found on Earth, yet at the thought of loosing my precious laptop and everything in it, I nearly acted as if I'd been told the world was about to end. The computer place called me back the next day. They told me that business was slow and that they had time to play with it a bit, since it was believed to be a lost cause anyway. They told me that they found the only problem was the fan and it could be replaced for a reasonable dollar amount. The clouds lifted and I smiled the smile of a happy man, my baby was coming home.

What I realized from this experience was that I am way too chained to my technology. Between blogging, email, banking, investing, gaming, "Googleing", and any other purpose I can think of not to mention my iPhone and all that it does. I have an addiction and the scary part is that even though I can acknowledge that (first step in most addict programs or so I'm told), I can't imagine and can't say that I would want to give any of it up.

Does technology make us more efficient and capable or doomed to a future of reliance on gadgetry and the possibility of something made famous in a certain "Governator" movie we all remember?

Poll Question Answer

In the previous poll question "Can Sen. McCain and Gov. Palin pull out a victory?" 68% believed the McCain Palin ticker could pull it out, 21% believed that could not pull out a victory, and 10% believed that the race would go to a legal fight.

New Question will go up soon, and thanks for taking part in the Blogesphere's own form of democracy.

Barack's Friends

Truth is a funny things in that it's frequently ignored by the mainstream media.

Sam Rasoul deceives NRA voters with Fishersville campaign sign!

In a previous post I showed you this photo of a Sam Rasoul for Congress sign in Waynesboro. This sign is complete with "NRA Grade A" stickers on both sides at the top and pointed out how this information was deceptive and flat out inaccurate. Well now a similar sign also with "NRA Grade A" stickers has appeared in Fishersville just outside Waynesboro along Rt. 250 next to other Democrat candidate signs. I've had it reported to me that the same sign, once again with these "NRA Grade A" stickers is located in Staunton. I've not seen the sign that is reported to be in Staunton, but have photographed the one in Waynesboro can assure you from my own eyes that this photo, show in this post is an exact duplicate of the sign displayed bordering some farm property on the East side of Rt. 250 in Fishersville. For information on what the NRA candidate ratings mean as well as what candidate got what rating you can read my earlier post here or directly from the NRA here. You'll quickly learn in either case the Sam Rasoul didn't recieve the quoted "A" rating and in fact the only NRA "A" recipient for this race is incumbant Congressman Bob Goodlatte.

I would agree that one sign could be a mistake and not of the knowledge of the Sam Rasoul campaign, but with two comfirmed signs and another reported all in high traffic areas I have to reasonalby assume that the Rasoul campaign is aware and OK with this. If this allegation and assumption is correct than it leaves some questions. Sam Rasoul, why are you intentionally lieing and misleading voters who are interested in what the NRA thinks? Mr. Rasoul if you genuinly aren't aware of these signs and didn't authorize them, then who is runing your campaign and why would you want liers runing you campaign?

Mr. Rasoul you've got some explaining to do for Valley voters who see these signs every day.

ACORNS Top 10 Voter Registration Abuses

1. Mickey Mouse registered to vote by ACORN in FL.
2. Tony Romo and the entire starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys registered to vote by ACORN in Nevada (despite none being residents of that state).
3. In Milwaukee, Wis., a woman complained that a voter registration was submitted for her husband, who had been dead for 10 years.
4. In Ohio, a Dominos Pizza worker claimed he was hounded by the ACORN activists to register even though he already had. He estimated he registered to vote another "10 to 15" times after ACORN activists relentlessly pursued him.
5. In Connecticut, ACORN submitted a voter registration card for a 7-year-old girl, whose age was listed at 27.
6. The Kink County, Washington, Canvassing Board revoked 1,762 allegedly fraudulent voter registrations submitted by ACORN employees.
7. In Missouri, one ACORN registrant named Monica Rays showed up on no fewer than eight forms, all bearing the same signature.
8. A teenager in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, said he was offered smokes and money to fill out voter registration cards. The elections board has 73 cards with his name on them.
9. In Milwaukee, Wis., ACORN improperly used felons as registration workers.
10. ACORN has registered over 1.3 million voters this year.

Considering what a colossal joke this organization has become, I don't blame Sen. Obamas from trying to hide the FACT that he was closely associated with this group before, during, and after law school. In addition to the criminal and ethical issues that ACRORN seems to be constantly part of they may also have ties to the worlds oldest profession; read the full story here which was posted on the Leslie Carbone blog.

At this point anyone with a half a brain would put more faith in a voter registration orgnization run by Tony Soprano than ACORN.

Still Undecided, Take the Obama Test

If your still undecided on the presidential campaign there is a 5 minutes test you can take that may help you make up your mind as whether or not your values and political views line up with those of Sen. Obama. The test can be found here and if the link does not work the url is www.barackobamatest.com. I took the test before this posting to see what it was all about and upon completing the test found that I disagreed with Sen. Obama on 92% of the issues covered in the provided questionnaire. Once you complete the questionnaire it provides you with the percentage that you aggree or disagree with Sen. Obama as well as the collective responses of the people who have taken the test thus far. If your worried that this is some email address harvesting tool (so many similar things are,) you needn't worry, I was never asked to provide any information before or after the questionnaire was completed.

What Terrorist Leaders Think of Sen. Obama

Ok, this is clearly satire, but Sen. Obamas own words aren't too far removed.

ACORNS Pathetic Diversion Attempt

This video is now airing on the web and many TV channels. The ad shows a black man in various stages of his life and attempts to state that Sen. McCain and the Republican Party are trying to prevent voters like this man from going to the polls.



This is beyond compare, disingenuous, and quite frankly pathetic. ACORN has a terrible reputation and is frequently the target of voter fraud inquiries. For this group to use the likeness of this black man in a ridiculous attempt to take the attention off their utterly embarrassing and in some cases criminal activities is shameless and revolting. Facts are clear and there is not one single shred of credible information that puts the McCain Campaign involved with disenfranchising any voter group unless your referring to voters like; Mickey Mouse, dead people, or my favorite people who don't provide id in an attempt to vote more than once. If those are the people that we "Republicans" are disenfranchising that yes were guilty as charged.

I'm amazed and sickened that ACORN would sink to the level of using this type of ad in a putrid attempt to guilt people into thinking they're a great organization and subliminally tell voters that if you vote for Sen. McCain then your probably a racist.

I'm glad the FBI is looking into this sham of an organization in many states and I hope that those responsible are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

I would hope that this particular ACORN would be eaten by a chipmunk but wouldn't want to poison a cute little innocent creature with that groups BS.

2nd Amendment Poll Question Answer

In the most recent poll question here at The Augusta Water Cooler "Is the 2nd Amendment a big enough issue to effect voters this November?" The overwhelming response was that "Yes." Well apparently the blog world feels this is a big issue and it should be as many people (including yours truly) believe that the 2nd Amendment is the one that secures all others. Remember this on Nov 4th, regardless of what Sen. Webb wants us to believe about Sen. Obamas voting and actions record on your gun rights.

Many facts on this issue can be found here. Thanks for voting in this poll a new one will be up soon.

Democrat Halloween House

Aw whats the matter Libs, Truth Hurt?

Was that lobster gold plated? RETRACTION

Some readers to this blog have pointed out that the original sourcing of this post has come into question and in appears that the New York Post newspaper (1st to break the story) has printed a retraction piece that can be read here. The Post is now saying that it's new information places Mrs. Obama in Indiana giving a speech at the time of the alleged "afternoon snack" which makes it virtually impossible for her to have placed the order in question unless her husband signed her name. It is possible that Mr. Obama signed his wife's name to the receipt, however there does not seem to be any specific reason to believe this occurred beyond the fact the Mr. Obama was in fact at the hotel in question during the allegded event.

I like many bloggers get story ideas from a variety of sources and always make an effort to try and validate a story before posting it. This story was covered by numerous print and TV sources previous to my posting and was believed to be a credible story at the time that I posted it.

I apologize to the Obama family for the original post. I may not agree with the Obama Campaign on most issues, but I will not intentionally post things that are found to not be true and if I do I will promptly print a retraction. I like to think that blogging is about the sharing of ideas and opinions from regular people as opposed to professional journalists trying to sell a paper and as such people will think were too hard or too soft or just plain suck. I'm OK with any and all critiques of my work as I'm the one who put it in the public spotlight and should to a degree be held accountable for it's content. I will never use this blog or any other I may be part of as a "drive by smear machine", however when I feel a story is credible especially one the main stream media won't talk about I will not hesitate to run with it if I feel it needs to be out there.

I would like to thank readers like "Doug" who keep me honest and thanks for reading and thinking.

The Augusta Water Cooler is clearly conservative, but if it is not also clearly honest than it's reduced to being clearly crap.

The August Water Cooler on BNN/VA

I'm proud to say that The Augusta Water Cooler can know be found on Blog Net News under the Virginia tab and has available on Righty Blogs also under the Virginia tab for a while now. While on these great blog sites check out some of the other great blogs while hanging out at The Augusta Water Cooler.

Thanks to all my readers and commentors for keeping me honest and for keeping me blogging even at times when I didn't think anyone cared.

Was that lobster gold plated?

You've heard about the now famous snack that the Obama's had while staying at the ultra luxurious Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City. I wanted you to actually see the signed room service receipt just in case you've forgotten about it or didn't believe it existed.

I am willing to bet that the Obama's distributive wealth way of viewing your money and our economy was not on their mind that day, unless they were utilizing the common liberal philosophy of do as I say not as I do.

I understand the concept of the occasional splurge night out and like to take my beautiful wife out to dinner somewhere nicer than normal once or twice a year. When we do this we don't worry about the prices and order what we want. In the 8 years I've been fortunate enough to be her husband I honestly doubt all those dinners added up wouldn't reach the Obama afternoon snack tab, and they didn't even have dessert and coffee, we did.

Sen. Obama you claim to be a man of the people and based on what is pictured above, I seriously doubt that.

Sen. Obama, I'll give you some advise, if your going to use your considerable wealth and power to splurge, do it right. Get on the plane, go to Maine, get the motorcade to Old Orchard Beach and get some of the best seafood you'll ever eat at Kens. Get the Secret Service guys a clam cake, they'll love you for it. The food will be fresher and taste better, but don't count on silk napkins or Bollinger because Kens ain't got it. All they have is great fresh seafood and great everyday people (the kind you claim to be.)

$447.39 for a snack, get real and get a clue.

Michelle Obama echoes Baracks true views

"The truth is, in order to get things like Universal Health Care and a revamped Education System, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of the pie so that someone else can have more."

Michelle Obama

This woman and her husband aren't even trying to hide how much they think that they can distribute your money smarter than you can. The part that should really make you mad as a taxpayer is that not only do they think you aren't smart enough to manage your money, but don't think you deserve the money. That's right America, Sen. Obama thinks that if you've worked hard and found success especially if your a business owner than you owe some of that success to your neighbors who have not been as successful. Sounds kind of like Robin Hood doesn't it. Well NO ACTUALLY IT'S NOTHING LIKE ROBIN HOOD AND HERE IS WHY. The age old story of Robin Hood, he and his Merry Men stole from the royals and other tyrannical rich and gave to those who had not hope no matter what they did. Robins arch nemesis was of course the Sheriff of Nottingham, who represented all that was wrong with the ruling class of the time. I ask you, are you the Sheriff, do you have wealth beyond compare, do you have money, power, and influence simply because you were born? I doubt it, because most Americans are hard working people who bust their butts everyday to get ahead and provide for their families. Some Americans put nearly everything they have to start a business and hopefully employ other people as a result of that hard work. Sen. Obama wants take that success and give it to others who either don't have or don't deserve it. Sen. Obama says that his tax plan will only cost people and business's that are worth / make $250,000.00 per year. That's sound like a lot of money right? My wife and I were recently speaking to a couple we know that own and run a local pet store. This is not some franchise with national add support and big volume purchase benefits, it's just a small business. A small business that make over $250,000.00 (gross) per year and they are very concerned about Sen. Obamas plan stating it will hurt them financially. I asked him if there revenue was above average? They laughed, stating if your a retail business small or otherwise and not making at least $250,000.00 per year, your not staying afloat. They told us that after everything gets paid they only make about $60,000.00 per year between the both of them. They laughed again and said, "yeah were real rich."

"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs."

Karl Marx

Sam Rasoul deceives NRA voters with Waynesboro campaign sign!

This Sam Rasoul Campaign sign is located about 50 feet South of the intersection of Rosser Ave & Northgate in Waynesboro, VA. When my wife and I saw this sign, we at first thought we were seeing things or have lost our minds, so we turned around to get a better look and we found that we were not seeing things or gone crazy and this sign did in fact advertise the the Mr. Rasoul has an "A" rating from the NRA. This sign has a two yellow stickers in the upper right and left sides of the campaign sign that state NRA Grade A. The stickers say "NRA Grade A." I thought this was odd because I'm a life member of the NRA and only recall one candidate for the U.S. House 6th District of VA race getting an "A" rating from the NRA. For clarification the rating of "A" is defined by the NRA print publication and web site as: Solidly pro-gun candidate. An “A” incumbent who has supported NRA positions on key votes. May also describe a non-incumbent “A” candidate (one not represented with an *) who has previously held other office and cast consistent pro-gun votes, or an “A” candidate who hasn’t held office but has expressed strong support for NRA positions on Second Amendment issues. It should be noted that a “non-incumbent” candidate may have been awarded the “A” rating due solely to their responses on the NRA-PVF candidate survey. The one candidate that did recieve the "A" rating was incumbent Congressman Bob Goodlatte. I wanted to make sure that my memory was correct. I checked my copy of the November 08' American Rifleman magazine which contained the NRA candidate ratings for the 08' elections. My memory was correct and Congressman Goodlatte was the only candidate for this race with an "A" rating. I checked http://www.nrapvf.org/ to ensure that the print copy I received had the most up to date information. The site confirmed that Congressman Goodlatte was in fact the only candidate to have been given an "A" rating from the NRA for this race.

Lets address the rating that the Democrat challenger Mr. Sam Rasoul was given. Mr. Rasoul received the rating of "AQ" which is defined by the NRA's print publication and web site as: A pro-gun candidate whose rating is based solely on the candidate’s responses to the 2008 NRA-PVF Candidate Questionnaire and who does not have a voting record on Second Amendment issues. While the description for "AQ" is basically pro-gun it is not by any means an "A" rating and as a result is misleading and deceptive to voters who may who may make opinions based on a candidates rating from the NRA. The NRA's information clearly states that there is a way for a candidate who has not yet served in elected office to get an "A" rating, however Mr. Rasoul has not been "A” candidate who hasn’t held office but has expressed strong support for NRA positions on Second Amendment issues." Based on the rating of "AQ" that Mr. Rasoul did in fact receive, it can be assumed that he answered the questionnaire with pro-gun answers.

I checked Mr. Rasoul's website and was unable to locate a specific reference to the NRA rating. If this concerns you please contact the Rasoul for Congress campaign and ask them why a their sign in Waynesboro indicates an A rating from the NRA when in fact Mr. Rasouls rating is "AQ" which means something else entirely.

Mr. Rasoul, I have no reason to believe your responses in the NRA Candidate Questionaire were anything buy honest. Mr. Rasoul, you know that the NRA didn't give you an "A" rating, myself and the thousands of other Valley voters (many NRA members) knonw you didn't get an "A" rating so why would you advertise anything else?

Mr. Rasoul, be honest with voters and don't claim an endorsement that you don't in fact have.

Never allow a deceptive or questionable campaign to go unchallenged.

No Medication For This Illness

THERE IS NO PILL FOR STUPID!

"Larry Tillett"

Wrong Again Sen. Obama

This is just shameful!

Click the photo to the left for all the details on this pathetic plan which once again shows how much we can not trust Sen. Obama to be our next President.

Enough is enough America, we need to stand and with one strong solid voice and clearly state that we as a nation will not go quietly into the night, we will not surrender to the forces of evil and we will never stop in the tireless fight to obtain and maintain truth, justice, order and the fruits of freedom that is the gift of every American Citizen.

AMERICA THINK CAREFULLY AND JUSTLY, VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH FOR LEADERSHIP, HONOR., AND COURAGE AND REMEMBER ONLY ONE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HAS PROVEN THAT HE WILL FIGHT AND SUFFER FOR YOUR RIGHTS.

Just to be clear

Just to be clear, I want state a few things. I am a conservative and active in grassroots Republican issues. At this time, I'm the only person who can post to this blog although I occasionally due re-post or reference other people entries. When doing so I always give the credit to the original blogger (if known) and usually give a link. I'm not bound to my party of choice and will call them out when I feel it's applicable. No political organization, company (beyond Google who owns Blogger), or other entity has any edit right or post authority and as thus I post what I choose and only what I choose. I will not post things that I believe contain inappropriate language, nudity, or graphic violence nor will I EVER be pressured by any group to post or not post items that may be damaging to someone if I feel that posting or not posting is appropriate; once again my decision. I may provide a link or tell you how to access a posting, video, or other content that I believe my readers may be interested in that contains some of the previous content, but they go at there at their own choosing and the Augusta Water Cooler will in no way take responsibility for you being offended if after having been warned of content you seek the information anyway.

This blog is predominately political in nature, but from time to time, I will post things that are not political in nature and are simply things I find interesting.

I look forward to the future of the Augusta Water Cooler and will always be open to any suggestion you have for this blog or topics that you would like to see covered. For more information on this blogs author please read my full profile.

Poll Question

I know the previous poll question stayed up way too long, and its location was inconvenient to use. I've now placed the poll question at the top left of the page and hope this causes more people to vote. I promise to put new question up more frequently and would love to hear the kind of questions my readers would like to see answered as well as any other suggestions on the poll or other aspects of this blog.

Thanks for taking part in the blogespheres own version of democracy.

Wealth Spread

This was sent to me by a friend and appears to have originally been posted at The Peoples Cube. This is funny and accurate all at the same time.

No thanks Sen. Obama, I prefer real butter, at least I know whats in real butter. Real Change I don't want this kind of change I would prefer Real Leadership, Sen, McCain and Gov. Palen have proven they can provide Real Leadership. Sen. Obama, all you have proven is that you can lie, misled, and right a view books while trashing the 2nd Amendment when not simply voting "present".

A different kind of Gun Control

I was recently sent a video on gun control that I found rather amusing. Regardless of where your stand on gun control I would recommend that you watch this video. I have posted the video on You Tube. I've not put the video directly on this blog because in contains some (1 use) of adult language so I will provide the link and you can choose to view knowing this. The video can be watched here.

Some comedic gems

Here are some great political satire cartoons from the Ryskind Sketchbook. I love the satire found at this site and post it's work frequently, satire is a great way to get serious issues out in a manner less dry than traditional news.

Here are some great politcal satire cartoons from the Ryskind Sketchbook. I love the satire found at this site and post it's work frequently, satire is a great way to get serious issues out there in a manner less dry than traditional news.

You Need To See This #2

Voters, the information referenced in this video is crucial and should be carefully considered before voting this November. This video was originally posted over at Yankee Philip and can be watched here if the player below doesn't function.

Wake Up America. I will not say that Sen. McCain is the greatest guy alive or any other such comments and will state that of the Republicans who ran for the ticket, Sen. McCain was not my first choice. When you look at seemingly never ending events where we know that Sen. Obama has either outright lied to us or intentionally misled us, it becomes obvious that Sen. McCain is the clear choice for President.

You Need To See This!

This was originally posted over at Yankee Philip and should be watched by anyone who thinks that Sen. Obama is the Messiah. The truly interesting thing about this video is that it was from MSNBC on the Chris Mathews show, both the network and anchor have shown themselves to clearly be in the tank for the Obama campaign.

Facts on Sen. Obamas 2nd Amendment history

Sen. Obama says that he is a direct supporter of the 2nd Amendment and right of firearm ownership by American citizens. Some of you out there may question the good Senator on that. Some of you may say "But Sen. Obama, your record doesn't support that." Some of you might question how a politician who was rated that most liberal Senator in Senate by a non-partisan group could claim that your for gun rights which are clearly not a liberal strong point.

I found some quotes from Sen. Obama that may give a better idea of what he thinks. In full disclosure, I did get these quotes from a source that is clearly opposed to an Obama Presidency, however this does not change the fact that he said these very things and are a matter of record.

"I think it's a scandal that this president [Bush] did not authorize a renewal of the assault weapons ban."
Illinois Senate Debate #3, Barack Obama vs. Alan Keyes, 10/21/04

"I am consistently on record and will continue to be on record as opposing concealed carry."
Chicago Tribune, 4/27/04

"There is in individual right to bear arms. But it is subject to commonsense regulation."
Journal Sentinel Online, 2/15/08

"I believe in keeping guns out of our inner cities, and that our leaders must say so in the face of the gun manufacturers' lobby."
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, 2006

"I think we have two conflicting traditions in this country" [gun ownership and restrictions on guns.]
Politico, 2/11/08

"I think that local jurisdictions have the capability to institute their own gun laws."
Baltimore Sun.com 2/15/08

Senator Obama can say whatever he wants, but his statements in the past are clear as to how he feels about your gun rights. Some of you especially those who are Sen. Obama supporters will likely say "Yeah he may have said that, but lots of people say a lot of things, what are his actions?" I glad you asked that questions and I have a few answers.

HANDGUN BAN:
Obama endorsed a ban on all handguns;
Independent Voters of Illinois / independent Precinct Organization general candidate questionnaire, 9/9/96 & Politico 3/31/08

AMMUNITION TAX:
Obama support
ed increasing taxes on firearms and ammunition by 500 percent.
Chicago Defender, 12/13/99

LIMITS ON GUN PURCHASES:
Obama voted to limit gun purchases to one per month.
Illinois Senate H.B. 2579, Vote 34, 5/16/03

SELF-DEFENSE:
Obama voted to allow the prosecution of people who use a firearm for self-defense in their own homes.
Illinois Senate, S.B. 2165, vote 20, 3/25/04

CLINTON GUN BAN:
Obama wants to reimpose the failed and discredited Clinton gun ban.
Illinois Senate Debate #3: Barack Obama vs. Alan Keyes, 10/21/04

AMMUNITION BAN:
Obama voted to ban almost almost all rifle ammunition's commonly used for hunting and sport shooting.
United States Senate, S 397, Vote 217, 7/29/05

GUN REGISTRATION:
Obama supports gun owner licensing and gun registration.
"Fact check: No News In Obama's Consistent Record." Obama campaign website, 12/11/07

So now we know what Sen. Obama has said as well as laws he has either supported or directly voted for. We know what Sen. Obama wants to do with our gun rights even after the Heller decision in the Supreme Court. The Justices rightly determined that the District of Columbia did in fact deprive Mr. Heller of his Constitutional rights in regards to the 2nd Amendment and further clarified it as an individual right which anti gun people frequently argue against.

Since it's clear based on the sourced facts listed here that Sen. Obama does not in fact support your gun rights, I have to wonder what else the good Senator has lied to us about.

This election is one of the most important elections to occur in many years, some would say the most important ever. No matter what happens this will be a history making Presidential election. The next President will have immense challenges some known and many unknown, but one thing we do know is that the next President will appoint at least one and possibly two US Supreme Court Justices. Think about the impact that could have on your rights and not just gun rights if Sen. Obama gets elected and appoints Judges with his gun rights view points. With House Speak Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid there is no one to put those appointees through any legitimate vetting process.

Remember your rights when voting as it is your responsibility as a voter to ensure that the elected leaders of this nation get there only after the most careful of consideration.

WWRS

"What Would Reagan Say?"

A questions that many conservative and a few enlightened libs often ask. A good friend recently sent me these quotes / possible answers.

"Here's my strategy on the Cold War:
We win, they lose."
- Ronald Reagan

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
- Ronald Reagan

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant: It's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan

"Of the four wars in my lifetime none came about because the U.S. was too strong."
- Ronald Reagan

"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandment's would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."
- Ronald Reagan

"The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination."
- Ronald Reagan

"Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other."
- Ronald Reagan

"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."
- Ronald Reagan

"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program."
- Ronald Reagan

"I've laid down the law, though, to everyone from now on about anything that happens: no matter what time it is, wake me, even if it's in the middle of a Cabinet meeting."
- Ronald Reagan

"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first."
- Ronald Reagan

"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."
- Ronald Reagan

"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book."
- Ronald Reagan

"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.
- Ronald Reagan

Libs, don't be upset, your Messiah recently said "We need to spread the wealth" and thats a great quote right? Becauase all Americans believe that if they are hard working and succesful part of their money should go to those aren't and weren't, oh wait that's Socialism.

A few pearls of wisdom from one of Americas most inspirational leaders.

I've Had It With The Double Standard

Tonight we find out if Governor Palin has what it takes vs. Sen. Biden in the much awaited VP debate. We expect that when candidates have a debate that no one goes in with advantages such as knowing the questions in advance or having a moderator that is biased to one of the candidates or their respective point of view. These seem like reasonable things, right? Well apparently that's not the case tonight. The debate tonight is to be moderated by PBS regular Gwen Ifill. Ms. Ifill has not been totally honest with the debate commission which is suppose to vet these moderators to ensure that these moderators have no "dog in the hunt." It was learned just yesterday that Ms. Ifill does in fact have a "dog in the hunt" one with dollar signs infact. Ms. Ifill is writing a book that will be released on inauguration day. The book titled "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama" clearly shows who Ms. Ifill favors. When conservatives ask for an explanation, they were harshly criticized for questioning Ms. Ifill's objectiveness.

If someone in the process of writing a pro McCain book were tapped for debate moderation, we'd see a very different media, one that would go on an absolute rampage. The double standards that we continually see is so disturbing that it's ridiculous. There are so many members of the media that constantly show cowardice, hypocrisy, and seemingly never ending series of disingenuous statements and actions. This is why many print media outlets are loosing readers every print cycle. Americans have spoken and they have had enough, which is why Fox News dominated in 9 of the 10 categories for news according to recent viewer stats.

Well it's time for the debate, lets see what happens.

Obama's Pork Barrel

Senator Obama would like us to believe that he is opposed to budget earmarks. Funny thing is that he has asked for $321,766,475.00 in those very budget earmarks he claims to oppose. "Yeah, but those are over a long period of time Mr. Blogger" you might say, however that would not be true and the that number is for just 2008. Sen Obama has requested 108 earmarks for this year alone with an average cost of $2,979,319.21.

Now Senator, if your going to say that your against something, you probably shouldn't ask for that very thing in dollar amounts totalling over 320 million in the same year, because somebody might take notice.

Some say that Sen Obama doesn't spend any time as a Senator now that he is running for President, well that's not true. He was clearly in his office long enough to request that the taxpayers fund over 320 million in earmarks.

Letting Congress watch your money makes as much sense as letting your dog watch your dinner.

NEA

This information is a little dated at this point, but since the mainstream media didn't feel it was important enough to tell you, I thought I would.

The NEA: National Education Association had it's annual meeting and convention of it's members this past July 08'. They even had the bulk of the event over the 4th of July which would seem very patriotic. If your like most people, you probably think that the NEA is an organization whose primary purpose to improve education, teachers, and the schools the work within. Well that isn't entirely accurate. Now before I go any further, I will state in full disclosure that I am not now nor have I even been a member of this organization.

I can't say all of what they spent their convention time on while assembled, but I can cover a few issues that they did cover. Lets remember that this is essentially a defacto teachers union.
While doing some research for this blog entry I located the NEA website and looked for a mission statement or something of that nature. I was able to located a page titled "About NEA" which include "Vision, Mission, and Values." I read this one page document to see if I simply didn't understand what the NEA was. This document pretty much spells out and organization whose primary focus is to enrich children through education.

Lets discuss what was covered at the 08' Annual Meeting. The following are some issues that I can't find a rational link to education unless that education involves indoctrination to a specific viewpoint.

Statehood for Washington DC.
And this matters to a teachers group why and enriches our children how?

Single payer health care plan.
National health care (otherwise known as bankrupting America in a yr or less.)

Gun Control
Hey teachers, I got a news flash for ya the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution is against that, oh yeah I forgot, you only teach the parts or history you like.

Ratification of the "International Criminal Court Treaty."
WHAT, I can't begin to see how this is even remotely and issue for a teachers group to look into.

I can't speak for everyone obviously, but hearing these issues doesn't make me think of an educational organization. These issues are more commonly found in political action committees and other politically oriented organizations.

The following are issues that can more logically be linked to an educational organization:

They are deeply concerned about having to compete with non public schools.
Ok, I guess I can see the point of view on this one, they don't want to held accountable for there failings, who does.

Tax support for non-public schools.
I will say that I agree with them on this one, private schools are for the most part businesses or church supported and should not receive tax based funding unless it's in the form of some type of voucher for school choice.

Opposition to English as the national language.
I've covered this issue on this blog in the past, so I'll be brief. If I have to explain it, you wouldn't understand.

Home schooling by state certified teachers whom only use a state approved curriculum.
I've learned a lot more about this issue since moving to the Valley. I've had the opportunity to meet several home school parents and there student children. After having met these people and seeing that they are passionate and deeply caring parents with well adjusted and highly intelligent children. This issue is a power trip issue and nothing esle. The NEA and it's members would likely say that the homeschoolers aren't comprehensive or the parents aren't qualified to teach, or the children won't get socialized, or any number of other baseless issues.

They are deeply opposed to home school students having access to public school extra curricular activities and sports.
I can't find a single logical argument for this view. It's not financial because the families choosing home schooling still pay taxes into the school district that would provide the activities. Are they afraid that that home school kids might talk about things with the public school kids such as the founders intent, politics, or the "he who must not be named" of education: Christianity.

Here are some other issues that the NEA thought should be discussed at their meeting:
"Right to Reproduce"
This is nothing more than code phrase for nearly unconditional abortion on demand. They also favor children getting a broad cross section of services covering everything from birth control to mental health services most if not all without the consent of or knowledge of the child's parents.

"Comparable Worth"
I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt on this one and assume that what they mean by this is that two teachers of equal training, tenure, and other relevant qualifications are paid the same irregardless of there sex or other demographic.

Censorship of all masculine words and terms such as "Husband and Father" from educational materials.
I tried to thing of something objective to say on this and failed, so here is my thought on that one: It's time to take your medication and schedule another appointment with your therapist, oh and untill you get over this, don't go near students because you have serious issues that need to be dealt with by a professional.

Teaching "diversity" as early as pre-school.
If this was along the lines of all men are created equal than I would be fine with that, but its not. What they mean when they say Diversity is Adam & Steve or Susan & Sarah. At the age of pre-school there are so many things that teachers can and should be teaching that I wonder how they have time to discuss two dads or two moms.

To put "Domestic Partnerships, Civil Unions, and Marriage all on equal footing.
How many states have to have votes on this issue to find that the over whelming percentage of those who vote saying that marriage is between a man and a woman?

I've known for years that this organization is bent on pushing a set a views on our children that many parents don't agree with but often aren't aware of. This group advocates some of the most deeply liberal issues imaginable. I believe the NEA doesn't even think you as a parent are capable of raising your children without their help and guidance. Find what organizations if any are pulling the strings at your local public schools and be aware of the curriculum that teachers are using where your children go and hold those teachers accountable. If they teach things that are objectionable or questionable to you, then contact the school administrators and make your concerns known, after all these are public employees and work for society over all. Think I may be overboard on some of my issue? Consider this, the Ministry of Education in Germany has made home schooling so taboo that if your caught home schooling your children, you may go to jail and or have your children removed from your home. You might think that sort of thing can't happen here, well don't be to sure.

I'm not saying that all teachers are this way, in fact I believe that large majority of them are very well intentioned and believe that working closely with parents is the best way to turn children into successful and productive members of society.

Be very cautious of the motivations of any organization that believes it can do a better job of raising your children than you can.

A few Gems

So which is it Ms. Speaker? I would be scary if there weren't some truth to this.

I love this guy!

Ohh Creepy!
Truth hurts doesn't it?

These men are an embarrassment to legitimate Christian outreach.

Ah how again does that work Dr. O?

Exactly how may religions do you have?

Hey dems, forget something?

Great adaption to the old Pioneer Stereo ad.

This great satire is the work of and can be found at the

Ryskind Sketchbook.

The great thing about satire is that it often makes you think in ways that you may not have other wise and gives a much needed comedic angle in an otherswise crazy world.

Sorry

I would like to say that I'm sorry to the people who care enough and honor me with their time to read my musings. I've not posted anything in several weeks for a couple of reasons. I can't speak for all bloggers, but sometimes I don't have anything to say. Sometimes I have plenty to say, but don't feel that I can word it without seeming like I'm on some moronic rant. There are times when I just don't feel like it. There are times when I'm confused by things and clearly don't understand them enough to comment. There are times when I'm focusing on health, (not so great as of late) my wife, (who doesn't get the time she deserves more often than not) my career, politics, and occasionally me. I do believe the slump is over, I've got a few things on my mind.