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The Patriot Post


THE FOUNDATION

“The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.”  — James Madison
http://PatriotPost.US/fqd/

PATRIOT PERSPECTIVE

Fred Thompson?

“My friends, I come to you today to tell you that I intend to run for President.” With that, Fred Dalton Thompson  http://www.fred08.com/index.aspx  announced his candidacy for President this week — adding his name to a lengthy list of Republican contenders  http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=550 .

Traditionally, Presidential candidates have announced their intentions after Labor Day, but that tradition has given way to “campaignus infinitum ad nauseam.” Criticized by media talkingheads for his “late entry,” Thompson expressed his doubt that voters will say, “That guy would make a very good president, but he didn’t get in soon enough.”

After all, says Thompson, “People treat politicians sort of like dentists — they don’t have anything to do with them till they have to.”

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, arguably the most articulate constitutional constructionist to hold that post in the last century, recently offered this assessment of the political process: “What’s the job of the candidate in this world? The job of the candidate is to raise the money to hire the consultants to do the focus groups to figure out the 30-second answers to be memorized by the candidate. This is stunningly dangerous.”

Notably, responding to inquiries about his own interest in a presidential bid, Gingrich added, “If Fred Thompson runs... then I think that makes it easier for me to not run.”

What does the timing of Fred Thompson’s announcement say about him as a candidate? Well, mostly that he is a leader, not a follower. To his credit, Thompson is not a “formula candidate.” He doesn’t comport with the expectations of Beltway politicos, commentators and media types, and his campaign won’t be as slick as some of his opponents in both parties.

For the record, however, I know Fred Thompson — the man. I know his character, his intellect and his sincerity, and I know his views on the supremacy of our Constitution. Fred’s style is evocative of Ronald Reagan’s
http://Reagan2020.US/  strengths. Like Reagan, Thompson speaks right over the heads of his opponents and the Leftmedia, directly to the people. For that reason and more, the Democrats fear Fred Thompson
http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=524 .

In 1993, Tennessee’s Republican leadership convinced Thompson, a relative unknown, to campaign for the unexpired Senate term of then-Vice President Albert Gore. He could have been just a sacrificial lamb, but on the campaign trail Fred demonstrated his ability to win the hearts and minds of Republican and Democrat voters.

Despite all the support Bill Clinton and Al Gore could muster for Fred’s opponent, popular six-term Democrat Rep. Jim Cooper, Thompson won a landslide victory in 1994, garnering 61 percent of the vote. It was the largest victory margin in any statewide political contest in Tennessee history.

Thompson’s tour de force didn’t go unnoticed by the Democratic [sic] National Committee, nor did his 1996 re-election bid, which he won by an even wider margin. Rest assured, the DNC fears Thompson.

As a two-term senator from Tennessee, Thompson never forgot who brung him to the dance. His voting record is clear, and it establishes his standing as an unequivocal constitutional constructionist
http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=487 . For this reason, he garnered not only the respect of his constituents, but also the admiration of colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

Like his primary opponent, Rep. Ron Paul  http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=546 , Thompson loathes politicos who subscribe to the notion of a “Living Constitution,”
http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=330  those who, for political expediency, have abandoned their oaths to “support and defend”  http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=321  that singular document.

“Our people have shed more blood for liberty and freedom... than all the other countries put together,” says Thompson, yet the central government “can’t seem to get the most basic responsibilities right for its citizens.”

Like Rep. Paul, Thompson’s commitment to uphold the plain language of our Constitution has put him on the short end of a couple of votes during his tenure (99-1 in the Senate), and his devotion to his oath of office led to several controversial votes. In 1999, for example, when the Senate voted on the impeachment of Bill Clinton, Thompson voted in the affirmative on the question of whether Clinton had obstructed justice, but joined nine other Republicans voting against conviction on the perjury charge, believing that this charge did not meet the constitutional test for removing a president from office.
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Thompson’s philosophy and record are most clear in regard to constitutional exegesis
 http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=487  pertaining to federalism and state’s rights, as specified by the Tenth Amendment  http://PatriotPost.US/histdocs/constitution/bill_of_rights.asp  to the Bill of Rights.

That amendment states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” This language is specific about the limitations our Constitution places upon the central government and the rights and responsibilities reserved by the several states and the people. Nonetheless, Democrats, and the judicial activists who do their bidding, have, for five decades, evaded the plain language of our Constitution by insisting that it be adulterated by judicial diktat  http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=330  in order to serve the special interests of their constituents.

Those who have been readers of The Patriot Post  http://PatriotPost.US/subscribe/  for many years know that we began life as The Federalist  http://PatriotPost.US/main/retrospective.asp , a journal of federalism and states’ rights, and that our mission  http://PatriotPost.US/main/mission.asp  “to restore constitutional limits on government and the judiciary” is, by definition, the restoration of constitutional federalism, as outlined by Ronald Reagan’s “Presidential Executive Order 12612”  http://reagan2020.us/federalism.asp .

It is notable, then, that on Fred Thompson’s campaign website, under the category of “Principles,” there is only one item: Federalism  http://www.fred08.com/Principles/PrinciplesSummary.aspx?View=Federalism .

Indeed, since our first issue, The Patriot has asserted that if the first principle is not the restoration of constitutionally authorized federalism, then the remainder is just the product of smoke and mirrors.

In his exposition on federalism  http://www.fred08.com/Principles/PrinciplesSummary.aspx?View=Federalism , Thompson notes, “Before anything else, folks in Washington ought to be asking first and foremost, ‘Should government be doing this? And if so, then at what level of government?’ But they don’t. The result has been decades of growth in the size, scope and function of national government. Today’s governance of mandates, pre-emptions, regulations and federal programs bears little resemblance to the balanced system the Framers intended... A government powerful enough to give you everything can take away from you, anything. Our government must be limited by the powers delegated to it by the Constitution.”

On that note, it is clear that Thompson will give Republican front-runners Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, both “big-government Republicans,” a run for their money. The next debate is 17 September, four months ahead of the first state primaries. With Thompson in the lineup, expect a real debate. One thing will be abundantly clear at the end of that debate: Unlike the other frontrunners, Fred Thompson does not “need” to be President in order to satiate arrogant ambition. He is driven by one motive — to humbly serve his countrymen, to promote our national security, unity and prosperity — and do so within the constraints of our Constitution.

Quote of the week

“Fred Thompson’s eight-year record (in the U.S. Senate) is generally pro-growth with an excellent record on entitlement reform and school choice and a very good record on taxes, regulation and trade. His belief in a limited federal government is demonstrated by his numerous votes against government intrusion in the private sector and increased federal spending. Thompson consistently voted against increased spending and new government projects, at times, one of only a handful of senators to do so.”  — Club for Growth president Pat Toomey

On cross-examination

“By setting himself apart from the gaggle and having a one-on-one chat with six million Americans, Thompson messed up the political ecosystem. In a single well timed appearance, he made up for a late start and got exposure and buzz. And it didn’t cost him a dime. Some mistake.”  — Kathleen Parker

Open query

“What would [Thompson] do while running for the presidency to help his party regain control of the Congress in the 2008 elections if he’s at the top of the ticket? While the media consider that impossible, the utter failure of the Democrats in Congress to do anything worthwhile gives the GOP a fighting chance.”  — Michael Reagan
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GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

News from the Swamp: Craig’s saga not over yet

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Minneapolis Airport Men’s Room) seems prone to second-guessing his decisions, and it’s not doing him any good. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct for allegedly soliciting for sex from an undercover police officer, even though Craig didn’t think he did anything wrong. He was simply trying to sweep it under the rug, or so he says. When his arrest and plea were made public, however, Craig found no quarter among his GOP colleagues and announced his resignation. Now, he says that if he can get his plea reversed by 30 September — the day he is due to step down — Craig will stay in the Senate and fight the case.

We still have not found an answer to the question of why Craig rolled over on the disorderly-conduct charge if he maintained he was innocent. He may well have his day in court in something of a legal do-over, but Craig’s foot-tapping, hand-waving and “wide-stance” alibi don’t quite pass the giggle test here in our editorial shop. Not that any of us are expert on that sort of men’s-room misbehavior...

Unfortunately for Craig, his GOP colleagues on Capitol Hill are not likely to grant him a second chance. The calls for Craig’s ouster by fellow Republicans were so swift and widespread that he had few options left. Indeed, it seems all but impossible for him to unring this bell.

Craig pleaded guilty to a crime, which makes him a serious political liability for the GOP and a disgrace to the citizens of Idaho. Whether he is innocent or guilty may be a new question in his mind, but that’s not the case in the media or on Capitol Hill. Democrats have been having a lot of fun with Craig, portraying the Republicans as homophobic hypocrites for ousting him but leaving Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) untouched. An important distinction to make between the two instances is that Craig admitted guilt in a court of law while Vitter is still under investigation for alleged connections to an escort service. If Craig maintained his innocence from the start, he would enjoy the protection of the GOP Senate caucus. Now the situation can only get uglier. The inescapable truth is that if Senator Craig drags this out, he will damage his party’s electoral chances in 2008 just as surely as Mark Foley and Duke Cunningham did in 2006.

In the Senate: John Warner announces resignation

Sen. John Warner (R-VA) announced this week that he would resign from office at the end of his term in January 2009. Warner, 80, has long been a sharp mind on defense and national security, and he’s been known to reject the party line on a number of occasions, including opposing the confirmation of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court in 1987 and rejecting Col. Oliver North’s  http://PatriotPost.US/opinion/entrylist.asp?source_id=34  1994 Senate bid because of his involvement with Iran-Contra. Just last week, Warner called for drawing down U.S. troops in Iraq to inspire the Iraqi government to take a larger role in its own defense. All the same, Warner has been a civil servant of high caliber during his 28 years in the Senate. We wish him well.

Warner’s resignation will certainly make the Republicans’ job of retaking the Senate more difficult. Defending 22 seats and needing just one more to retake the chamber, the GOP will need to invest heavily to keep Virginia, which has gone Democrat in its most recent Senate and gubernatorial elections. Former Governor James Gilmore
 http://PatriotPost.US/election/2008/gilmore.asp  and Representative Thomas Davis III are two Republicans who will likely battle for the chance to run against popular former Democrat Governor Mark Warner. Former Senator George Allen is another possibility, though he is more likely to run for governor.

On the other side of the aisle, Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) returned to work this week after missing more than nine months due to a brain hemorrhage that hospitalized him in December. Johnson will still have to undergo speech therapy three times a week and will only ease back into work in the Senate.

In the House: Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-OH) was found dead Wednesday in his Arlington County townhouse of unknown causes, though he had a history of heart trouble. He was 68 and is survived by his wife and five children. May he rest in peace.
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In the Executive Branch: Snow to leave White House

Press Secretary Tony Snow resigned this week as the Bush administration’s principal foil against the unforgiving White House press corps. Snow had returned to the job after spending several weeks away earlier this year battling recurrent colon cancer. Although Snow says his health is fine, he will be continuing the chemotherapy that has left him noticeably gaunt. His replacement will be Dana Perino, the Deputy Press Secretary. Like Snow, Perino does not suffer Leftmedia fools gladly. This is good, because she will have her hands full defending White House policy against them. She does not have the experience and gravitas Snow brought to the West Wing, but she will soon get a crash course. Our best wishes to them both.

New & notable legislation

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said that expecting Congress to pass 12 appropriations bills by the deadline at the end of September would be “unrealistic.” He blamed the Senate, which still must pass 11 of the 12. House Minority Leader John Boehner, however, blamed Democrats’ preoccupation with losing the Iraq war. “Had... Democratic leaders not devoted six months of the taxpayers’ time and money to forcing a U.S. retreat from the war against al-Qa’ida in Iraq at the expense of pressing national priorities, the Congress could have completed more of the work the American people sent us here to do.”

Judicial Benchmarks: DC gun-ban appeal

In March, the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled
 http://archive.PatriotPost.US/pub/07-11_Digest/page-2.php  that the Second Amendment means exactly what it says — “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed”  — thus overturning DC’s 30-year-old handgun ban. This week, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and his cadre of leftist lawyers petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the appeal. “It is eminently reasonable to permit private ownership of other types of weapons, including shotguns and rifles, but ban the easily concealed and uniquely dangerous modern handgun,” states the petition. “Whatever right the Second Amendment guarantees, it does not require the District to stand by while its citizens die.” Mayor Fenty insisted, “The only possible outcome of more handguns in the home is more violence.” Mind-numbingly stupid. Why not just throw out the rest of the Bill of Rights
  http://PatriotPost.US/histdocs/constitution/bill_of_rights.asp ? In the interest of DC, of course.

It is likely that the Supreme Court will hear the case due to its landmark nature and constitutional questions, though we probably won’t know until November. The Court hasn’t heard such a seminal Second Amendment case since 1939, when a federal gun-control law was upheld. A decision could come next summer.

From the Left: More Clinton antics

Last year, ABC ran a miniseries titled “The Path to 9/11,” drawing more than 28 million viewers. Since then, there has been nary a peep from the network on releasing the series on DVD. The DVD release is standard procedure for something so successful — “Path” received seven Emmy nominations. Screenplay writer Cyrus Nowrasteh believes that the Hollywood “Elect Hillary Campaign” is responsible for spiking the film. Nowrasteh says an ABC executive told him, “If Hillary weren’t running for president, this wouldn’t be a problem.” The Clinton machine originally tried to prevent the broadcast of the miniseries, but they were thwarted in the end. Apparently, it proved easier to suppress the truth once the dust had settled. They must have made someone an offer he couldn’t refuse, though we’re sure Mrs. Clinton doesn’t know anything about it. Meanwhile, anti-Bush DVDs (“Fahrenheit 9/11,” anyone?) are a dime a dozen.

The bigger egg on Hillary’s face, however, is donor Norman Hsu (pronounced “Shoe”), who was arrested in Colorado late Thursday. Hsu turned himself in last Friday near San Francisco after 15 years on the run, but then, after posting $2 million in bail, he skipped his bail hearing and vanished. The judge issued a fresh arrest warrant. Hsu is suspected of illegally reimbursing individuals who donated to Democrats’ campaigns in the amount of hundreds of thousands of dollars: Hillary received at least $23,000 from him. As is always the case with the Clintons, a stone wall is all that is offered in explanation — for example, Hillary’s infamous “I don’t recall” defense. Also in California, Hollywood mogul Peter Paul’s lawsuit regarding an illegal fundraiser for Hillary’s 2000 Senate campaign will be heard by an appeals court next week. Hillary herself may be a defendant. If the shoe fits...
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NATIONAL SECURITY

Warfront with Jihadistan: ‘Surging’ confidence?

Despite years of gloom and doom from the MSM and treasonous Democrats, the American people still know a winner when they see one, as evidenced by last week’s Zogby poll which found that a majority of Americans, 54 percent, believe the U.S. has not lost the Iraq war. Naturally, there is a dramatic difference between Republicans and Democrats, who have staked their political future on U.S. defeat at the hands of the jihadis. Some 66 percent of Democrats say the war is already lost (that’s the spirit!), but just nine percent of Republicans say the same.

During August, ten congressional delegations “surged” through Iraq, and both Democrats and Republicans agreed that the troop surge has made significant progress. Realizing that their “Let’s Surrender” attitude may cost them dearly, some Democrats have already begun whistling a different tune. “I don’t think we have to think that our way is the only way,” said Sen. Harry Reid (D-Backtrack), clearly having second thoughts about a total troop withdrawal. Even CBS News anchor Katie Couric, on tour in Iraq, observed that “real progress has been made.” (Where are the smelling salts?) Then again, Sen. Dick Durbin preemptively dismissed General David Petraeus’ 11 September report: “I expect the Bush report to say, ‘The surge is working. Let’s have more of the same’.” Notice the words, “Bush report.”

Seeking to leverage the good news to his advantage, President Bush made a surprise visit to Iraq on Monday, arguing that the troop buildup is stabilizing Iraq. “[W]hen we begin to draw down troops from Iraq, it will be from a position of strength and success, not from a position of fear and failure,” the President said. “To do otherwise would embolden our enemies and make it more likely that they would attack us at home.” While much remains to be done in Iraq, our winning troops are turning the tide — both on the ground and in the court of public opinion.

This week’s ‘Alpha Jackass’ awards

“The violence in Anbar has gone down despite the surge, not because of the surge. The inability of American soldiers to protect these tribes from al-Qa’ida said to these tribes, ‘We have to fight al-Qa’ida ourselves.’ It wasn’t that the surge brought peace here. It was that the warlords took peace here, created a temporary peace here.”  — Sen. Chuck al-Schumer

“It’s sad to say, but the American Army has presided over the largest ethnic cleansing in the world since the Balkans. When people say bad things are going to happen if we leave, bad things have already happened. Where were you for the last four years?”  — Fareed Zakaria, Editor of Newsweek International, who wrote the piece “We’re losing...  http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=514  back in January

Publisher’s Note

In keeping with the presidential proclamation that Tuesday, 11 September 2007, be designated as Patriot Day, all flags should be flown at half staff and a moment of silence should be observed beginning at 8:46 am EDT in memory of those who lost their lives six years ago. We will be praying for their families and for those now serving on the front lines of this Long War  http://PatriotPost.US/papers/primer03.asp  to keep us safe at home.

As you remember September 11th, we invite you to visit The Patriot’s resource to commemorate the attacks on our countrymen, including photographs of the attacks, a chronology of events and flight data for the hijacked aircraft. Visit Day of Terror: A September 11 Retrospective  http://PatriotPost.US/September11/  today.
Profiles of valor: Tennessee Army National Guard

Tennessee Army National Guard 1st Lt. David Tiedeman and Sgt. Robert Betterton saved lives in the midst of a fierce battle in April 2005. Their 12-soldier team, accompanied by two Iraqi companies, was conducting a search for stolen weapons when insurgents ambushed the Americans and Iraqis with mortars, machine guns, RPGs and small-arms fire. Tiedeman led his team to an area from which they could mount a counter attack. After two soldiers were hit by enemy fire, Tiedeman risked his life to administer aid, stopping to return fire twice. Betterton, who had been shot eight times in the hand, stomach and leg, took out an RPG gunner and a sniper targeting Tiedeman. Tiedeman once again exposed himself to enemy fire to run to the aid of Betterton, and, after killing several jihadis with a grenade, carried him to safety. In all, 17 terrorists met their end that day, essentially eliminating a training camp that had plagued central Iraq. For their heroism, Tiedeman was awarded the Silver Star, while Betterton received the Bronze Star with Valor.
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Patriot Act provisions ruled unconstitutional

U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York ruled Thursday that provisions of the Patriot Act related to National Security Letters (NSLs) are unconstitutional. NSLs require information regarding individual suspects’ phone, bank and Internet records and the request itself cannot be divulged to the individual. Marrero said that NSLs are ”the legislative equivalent of breaking and entering“ and undermined checks and balances by leaving the judiciary out of the process. This is the second time Marrero has struck down the law — the first was in 2004, when he found the law unconstitutional because of the restrictions on the individual being investigated. We support the Patriot Act as an invaluable tool in the Long War  http://PatriotPost.US/papers/primer03.asp , though we readily acknowledge that checks, balances and oversight are critical to maintaining the liberties of all Americans.

On the Homeland Security front: Chinese hackers

Senior Bush administration officials have unofficially accused the Chinese government of hacking Pentagon email servers over the summer. The breach was fairly insignificant, resulting in access to declassified and relatively unsecured email data. This is consistent with the Pentagon’s past warnings regarding information-warfare units being set up by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. China has been known to be developing new capabilities in ”asymmetric warfare,“ methods that would in theory allow China to neutralize America’s technological superiority by striking the military’s electronic nerve centers. Of course, China has embraced asymmetric warfare since at least the 6th century, when legendary warrior Sun Tzu penned his treatise The Art of War, in which he states, ”To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.

This news comes at a bad time for America’s relationship with China, contributing to increasingly strained trade relations between the two countries in the wake of recent recalls of Chinese-produced goods. It is altogether proper to be wary of China’s Red government and of the PLA, but we also maintain that free trade, which will create an increasingly strong Chinese middle class, is the best way to color China differently. In other words, subdue the enemy without fighting. Still, Chinese culture is about saving face, and our government would do well to keep that in mind during discussions regarding the security breach.

Al-Qa’ida Meets Timothy McVeigh

Like something from a poorly scripted B-movie thriller, three al-Qa’ida operatives in Germany planned this week to use 1,500 pounds of commercial-grade hydrogen peroxide to bomb Americans in Germany. Fortunately, members of Germany’s elite GSG-9 anti-terrorist unit had other plans. Had the mixture detonated, the equivalent force of 1,200 pounds of TNT would have instantly reminded the U.S.  — along with the rest of the planet — why establishing freedom in places like Iraq remains so critical. For comparison’s sake, such a detonation would have easily eclipsed both London and Madrid bombings. German authorities are seeking ten more suspects who may have helped in the plot, and also, just one day earlier, Danish authorities arrested eight other radical-Islam nutcakes for a similar scheme. Apparently, al-Qa’ida had fallen behind in its “murder-of-innocents” quotas throughout Europe.

Prosecutors said the would-be bombers were trained in Pakistan (go figure) and the group’s hallmark is — wait for it — “a profound hatred of U.S. citizens,” another shocking revelation about al-Qa’ida’s attitudes toward U.S. ideals of freedom and democracy. Want similarly “insightful” trivia? Three of the four 9/11 suicide pilots lived and studied in Hamburg. That’s right: Hamburg, Germany. With Germany’s parliament deciding over the next few weeks whether to extend troop support in Afghanistan, we’re hoping this decision is a no-brainer.

North Korea promises nuke shutdown

This time they really mean it. According to press reports, North Korea has apparently agreed to shut down its nuclear programs, and to account for all of its nuclear materials, by the end of 2007. A North Korean spokesman made clear the payoff expected by Pyongyang for pledging — yet again — to do what they have already pledged to do many times before. “We will receive political and economic compensation,” said Kim Gyegwan. He also indicated that the United States would restore normal diplomatic relations with Pyongyang, and would give North Korea their always sought security guarantee.

If there’s one thing the North Korean regime can be counted on to do, it’s prevaricate. This latest NoKo pledge to straighten up and fly right does little to instill confidence, given the North’s history (see 1994 Agreed Framework, et al.). While the U.S. is bound to continue negotiating out of good faith prior to the upcoming Six Party Talks, North Korean action is the criterion on which this latest agreement must be judged. There must be no wiggle room for Pyongyang — either they are keeping their word, or they’re not. While we won’t wager on Pyongyang coming clean, we will keep our eyes on this issue, and we wish Assistant Secretary Christopher Hill and his troops well as they continue talking to the lunatics from the North.
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BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Regulatory Commissars: Nanny Edwards

Hoping to generate some much-needed press for his presidential campaign, John Edwards recently claimed that his $120-billion-a-year universal-healthcare proposal would require Americans to make preventive-care visits to their doctor’s office. “It requires that everybody be covered. It requires that everybody get preventive care,” he declared. “If you are going to be in the system, you can’t choose not to go to the doctor for 20 years. You have to go in and be checked and make sure that you are OK.” So he simply cares about your well-being, right? Not so fast. The Breck Girl failed to explain how American citizens would be coerced into their doctor visits. Presumably it will involve incarceration, which is the only motivation that affects all citizens equally. This should result in many restful stays in the big house for those criminal mothers who forget their mammograms.

Edwards’ aggressive plan, featuring dramatically higher taxes and suffocating government over-regulation, primarily provides Americans with access to waiting lists based upon a person’s demographic desirability, and little actual medical care.

The disconnect between competing liberal philosophies of murderous abortion through an absolute right to privacy and the surrendering of that privacy in order to go to the doctor is a compelling view into the logical inconsistency of liberalism. If their schizophrenic desires become law, the Serbonian bog of government-run healthcare promises to be an intractable mess. To wit, Edwards said, “The whole idea is a continuum of care, basically from birth to death.” That’s liberalism in a nutshell — cradle-to-grave government nannyism.

Income Redistribution File: FEMA trailers

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced this week that Hurricane Katrina refugees living in FEMA trailers would be permitted to move to hotels if they are concerned about formaldehyde gas in the trailers. A House committee found in July that FEMA had suppressed information about the presence of cancer-causing formaldehyde. In 2005, FEMA spent $2.7 billion on trailers that often couldn’t even be used because of regulations, as well as $1.8 billion on hotel rooms and cruise-ship cabins for those who were homeless after Katrina. Then there were those debit cards used to purchase such necessities as jewelry, furs and exotic dancing. While we will concede that losing one’s personal possessions to a hurricane can be emotionally devastating, we don’t recall seeing “lap dance” in any physician’s desk reference for reparative therapy.

Our question: Why has it taken more than two years for U.S. taxpayers to be relieved of this burden? The answer is simple: Your federal government at work.

Sub-prime mortgage bailout?

Congress, at the behest of Sens. Christopher Dodd and Charles Schumer, is asking the White House to take action regarding the adverse developments in the sub-prime-mortgage markets. But first, a brief history lesson.

Sub-prime mortgages are a subset of non-conforming mortgages, meaning those loans that do not conform to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac underwriting standards. Initially non-conforming mortgages were limited to large-balance loans, primarily located on either coast, or extravagant estate properties. Sub-prime mortgages were specifically geared to consumers whose credit history or income would preclude their qualification for a conforming loan. These loans were also marketed to borrowers as no-hassle loans that eliminated the cumbersome paperwork requirements of a traditional mortgage loan. Borrowers had less hassle, and investors received higher returns; everybody was a winner.

Then, on 11 September 2001 the financial world changed. Over the next 22 months, the Prime Rate dropped from 6.50 percent to 4.00 percent. Mortgage rates took a similar nosedive, and institutional investors saw their earnings stream evaporate as borrowers sought to refinance. As fund managers scrambled to replace the runoff with comparable returns, they accepted more risk. As rates began to recover, and borrowers still wanted to acquire their dream homes, brokers promoted adjustable-rate loans with a low teaser rate that might drastically increase later. Now all these factors are forming a perfect financial storm. Borrowers are facing significant increases in their monthly housing expenses; brokers have seen their business evaporate as rates increase and underwriting standards are tightened; and investors have a newfound respect for the return of their money.
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So who benefits if Mssrs. Dodd and Schumer are successful in curtailing the pending foreclosures? Well, obviously the homeowners benefit by staying in their homes with sustainable payments, and the local real-estate market avoids a flood of distressed properties forcing down the values of other sellers. Who loses? Bankers who rejected risky ventures in favor of sound underwriting practices, future borrowers who face an additional default-risk premium for their first home and, of course, the taxpayer bearing the burden of this bailout.

American workers are world’s most productive

Just in time for Labor Day, the United Nations’ International Labor Organization (ILO) announced that the United States boasts the most productive workforce in the world. According to the ILO report, average productivity per American worker is $63,885 per year, far outpacing second-ranked Ireland ($55,986), followed closely by Luxembourg, Belgium and France. Additionally, in hour-per-hour output, the U.S. outperforms all nations in the European Union and every other country in the world save Norway.

While Americans achieve this productivity in part by working more hours than their European counterparts — 1,804 hours in 2006 compared with 1,564 for the French and just over 1,407 for the Norwegians — long hours claim only partial credit for American output. Workers in several Asian countries, for example, spend over 2,200 annual hours on the job, yet these nations lag in national productivity rates.

ILO’s head of employment, Jose Manuel Salazar, chalks America’s lead to “the ICT (information and communication technologies) revolution... the way the U.S. organizes companies... the high level of competition in the country... [and] the extension of trade and investment abroad.” Imagine that! Competition and ingenuity lead to productivity! Despite the angst with which the UN must have made this concession, we applaud the American worker for a job well done.

CULTURE

Faith and Family: Cartoons spiked

Berkeley Breathed, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for The Washington Post, saw two recent editions of the “Opus” cartoon strip spiked by editors. Was it because they made fun of Christianity? No, that was an op-ed published by Sam Harris, who called the Christian doctrine that Christ died for sinners “a direct and undisguised inheritance of the scapegoating barbarism that has plagued bewildered people throughout history.” The Post had no problem publishing that, nor was there a problem with Opus making fun of the late Jerry Falwell the week before. The spiked strips poked fun at — you guessed it — Islam. The character Lola Granola, a trendy hippie, takes up the fashion of the “Radical Islamist,” which she tells boyfriend Steve is the “[h]ot new fad on the planet.” In the second strip, Steve wants Lola to wear her “smokin’ hot yellow polka dot bikini.” Instead, she comes out of the dressing room in a “burqini.”

Amy Lago, the comics editor for the Washington Post Writers Group, said, “I don’t necessarily think it’s poking fun [at Islam]... but the question with Muslims is, are they taking it seriously?” No one should take her seriously — that much is sure. As Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker 
http://PatriotPost.US/opinion/entrylist.asp?source_id=49  observed, “Thanks to previous acts of protest and intimidation, radical Muslims have succeeded in directing editorial content of America’s free, and formerly courageous, press.” She added, “The joke really is on us. And it’s not funny.”

The Frontiers of Junk Science: DiCaprio’s flop

Speaking of jokes, Hollywonk Leonardo DiCaprio ventured into the world of the environmental crockumentary with “The 11th Hour,” but the flick has nearly flickered out. After 18 days in release, the film grossed only $418,000. Yes, that’s thousand. Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth”  http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=520  raked in $3.5 million after 18 days. The problem is that the film centers on dull interviews mixed with boring footage of melting glaciers. DiCaprio’s film was described by Fox News movie critic Roger Friedman as having “the effect of Ambien — with no hangover post-nap.” He noted that one Russian filmmaker claimed to be the only person awake at one point during the film. Thanks to DiCaprio, “watching glaciers melt” could become the new clichè for boredom, replacing the age-old favorite “watching paint dry.”

Around the nation: PZEVs and the ‘Clean Air Act’

Thanks to the “Clean Air Act,” anyone involved in the sale of a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) in the wrong state could be fined as much as $27,500. This ironically named legislation effectively cripples the sale of a few dozen environmentally friendly gas-powered cars that would otherwise be available everywhere. PZEV sales are restricted to the mere handful of states that piggyback California’s pollution rules. While the California Air Resources Board has declared PZEV emissions cleaner than the outside air in a smoggy city, there are no real savings to be had in terms of fuel economy, making the additional cost of the green machines a hard sell. Although it seems preposterous to be penalized for the out-of-bounds sale of a pricier vehicle that promotes cleaner air, don’t hold your breath if you expect to hear sensible outcry from the illogical Left.
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From the ‘Non Compos Mentis’ File

Our nation’s rapid cultural decline becomes strikingly obvious with one look at our basest, and most popular, television shows. Of these shows, “reality” TV particularly lacks intellectual stimulation of any kind. More important, it thoroughly perverts the concepts of values and morality. The latest example is on CBS, which is planning to air a show called “Kid Nation,” in which 40 children ages 8 to 15 are left in a ghost town in New Mexico to see if they can build a working society without their parents.

What is CBS really doing here? In reality, it is a subtle attack on the family — one that condones children’s disobedience and encourages rebellious behavior. “Kid Nation” is not the first but merely one of the many so-called reality shows that debase family values and promote a secular-progressive agenda. “Real World,” a popular MTV reality show, regularly features homosexuals engaging in lewd acts, premarital sex and rampant underage drinking. When half of American children grow up in divorced families
 http://PatriotPost.US/alexander/edition.asp?id=537 , the last thing the youth of this nation needs is a heaping helping of Hollywood “reality.”

And last...

The Red Chinese have taken their long battle with Tibet’s Buddhist monks to a new level. Indeed, Beijing’s State Administration for Religious Affairs has made “an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation.” Translation: Buddhist monks may not reincarnate without permission from the Chinese government. According to Buddhist religion, the Dalai Lama reincarnates himself after death. This is particularly annoying to the Chi-Coms, since the current Dalai Lama has for many years vigorously campaigned for Tibet’s freedom. The Chinese thus hope to gain the upper hand in Tibet by, in effect, choosing the next Dalai Lama. If these secular Reds actually believe they can pull this off, then they deserve to be embarrassed on the world’s stage. For our part, we in our humble shop are just proud to live in a country in which we’re free to reincarnate whenever and wherever we want!

Veritas vos Liberabit — Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus, et Fidelis! Mark Alexander, Publisher, for The Patriot’s editors and staff. (Please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces standing in harm’s way around the world, and for their families — especially families of those fallen Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, who granted their lives in defense of American liberty.)