YEAS AND NAYS

Want to know how Senate Democrats (and the liberal-leaning Independent) plan to vote on the confirmation of Judge Sam Alito for the United States Supreme Court? Click Here.

UPDATE (1.30.2006)

From CBSNews.com:

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito enjoys sufficient bipartisan support to surmount any Senate filibuster attempt by minority Democrats, Senate leaders said Friday.

A final vote making the New Jersey jurist the nation's 110th Supreme Court justice is scheduled for Tuesday, hours before President Bush gives his State of the Union address to Congress and the nation. ...

Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., also announced Friday he is "leaning in favor of voting for" the conservative judge. "It is clear to me that a majority of the American people and the people I represent support his confirmation," he said after meeting with Alito in his office. ...

Senator Conrad becomes the fourth Democrat Senator today to announce his support for Judge Alito's confirmation. While only two Senators remain unannounced (Mary Landrieu and Jay Rockefeller) on the eve of the vote, Indiana Senator (and 2008 Presidential hopeful) Evan Bayh has announced that he will vote against Judge Alito's confirmation.

From IndyStar.com:

While Bayh called Alito’s judicial career “more than respectable,” he said his biography was not enough to go on when considering a lifetime appointment.

“The burden of proof lies with the nominee to show that he or she will be an impartial jurist and will not bring an ideological agenda to the court,” Bayh said. “Meeting this burden is more onerous since the president implied that he intended to nominate individuals acceptable to his most extreme supporters.” ...

Bayh had a private meeting with Alito on Friday morning but said afterward through his spokesman that he had not decided how he would vote.

Bayh was one of the last senators to announce his position and was the last to declare of the five Senate Democrats considered possible 2008 candidates.

Send a letter to Senator Conrad thanking him for supporting Judge Alito. And while you're at it, send a letter to Senator Bayh and condem him for lacking the courage to stand up for the rule of law.

Joe

UPDATE (1.26.2006)

Two more Democrat Senators have announced their support for Judge Alito's confirmation to the Supreme Court: Tim Johnson of South Dakota and Robert Byrd of West Virginia. I urge you to contact these Senators and thank them for supporting Judge Alito's confirmation.

Pavlov proved long ago that positive reinforcement encourages repeated desired behavior. Show these fine Senators a little positive reinforcement today.

Joe

UPDATE (1.20.2006)

Democrat Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska has announced his support for Judge Alito for confirmation to the Supreme Court. Senator Nelson also voted for the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts last year. Contact Senator Nelson (even if you don't live in Nevada) and show your support for his courage to stand up to the party line and do what's right! You can find my letter to Senator Nelson here.

Joe

What Sports Car Are You?

Getting Nothing But Static From MSM: What Sports Car Are You?

Take a look at the quiz in this link. What Sports Car Are You? According to this:

I'm a Chevrolet Corvette!

You're a classic - powerful, athletic, and competitive. You're all about winning the race and getting the job done. While you have a practical everyday side, you get wild when anyone pushes your pedal. You hate to lose, but you hardly ever do.

Somehow, I don't really think of myself as a Corvette.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Joe

The Curse of Efficiency

I don't want to sound like I'm bragging, but I like to think I'm pretty good at what I do for a living. I'm a Retail Store Manager, I've been successful in my career with five different retail companies -- in four different product lines -- over the past twelve years. Just about anyone can work in retail these days -- whether that's a cause or result of the great decline in the quality of service, I'm not sure.

I was hired into retail at an Army job fair in Germany, six months prior to my Honorable Discharge, by one of America's largest electronics retailers, to be a Store Manager when I returned to my home town. I took the job because it was better than the prospect of unemployment. I then mailed a letter to my future District Manager introducing myself and announcing that I would some day be his peer. Since then, four other retailers have hired me to manage a store for them.

My confidence (some would call it cockiness) is only one of the many tools in my arsenal that have helped me to achieve sustained success in an industry that I landed in by accident. I learned long ago the importance of organization, situational leadership, and the ability to vary my management style to match the various personalities of those I manage.

There are curses associated with success. The better you perform, the higher the expectations are for your continued performance. The more efficient and organized you are, the more you're called upon to rescue those found lacking in such skills.

I found myself today called upon in such a way. Just two days from completing the annual inventory process required of all merchants in America, I've been asked to spend the day tomorrow in a struggling store to help them get caught up in the count process. This store has had three different Managers in the past eight months, so the day promises to be a challenge. The commute will actually be a shorter drive for me tomorrow than if it were business as usual in my own store.

Such is the curse of my efficiency. At the crucial time of inventory I'll be away from my store with only one day to regroup when I return. But that's when another key to my success will come into play: successful people surround themselves with successful people. Those left behind will perform admirably in my absence.

And what of my bold prediction that I would someday be my bosses peer? It's a job that I've realized that I never want. I have too precious little time with my family now to even consider a position that would require me to travel all over the midwest to visit stores. Of course, I'll never let him know that. That's another of my secrets to success: never let them know when you're content.

Joe

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Sent from my Palm Zire 72.

Committee Sends Alito to Senate Floor

As expected, the Senate Judiciary Committee has voted along party lines to send Judge Sam Alito's confirmation hearings to the full Senate: ten Republicans in favor of confirmation and eight Democrats opposed to confirmation. The full committee vote will be aired again this evening on C-SPAN at 8:00 pm ET.

The Senate is expected to wrap up hearings and vote before the January 31 State of the Union Address. The fight isn't over yet. It is now more important than ever that you contact your Senators and ask them to SUPPORT JUDGE ALITO FOR CONFIRMATION!

Speak up today!

Joe

Judiciary Committee Vote

The Senate Judiciary Committee is voting now on the confirmation of Judge Sam Alito to the Supreme Court. You can catch the voting live on C-SPAN or, if you are not currently near a television, you can watch live on CBSNews.com.

A full vote on the Senate floor is expected before President Bush's State of the Union Address on January 31.

Joe

President Bush's Weekly Radio Address

20060121.a.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)

In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "America's economy is strong and growing stronger. Small businesses have been a driving force behind the tremendous growth and job creation of recent years. By adopting sound policies that help our small businesses continue to grow and expand, we will keep the economy moving forward and extend prosperity and hope in our country."

Once In A Million Years

A small note from history: an event occurred sixty years ago today that never occurred before, has never occurred since, and will never occur again without major change in the structure of United States government.

Sixty years ago today, FDR was sworn in for his fourth term as President. No other President in our nations history has ever served three terms in office, not to mention four.

Under the current term limit of ten years for President -- implemented by Roosevelt -- a Vice President could conceivably ascend to the Presidency in the second half of a term, then win reelection twice on his own resulting in three Inaugural ceremonies, but no one will ever again take the Presidential oath of office four times. It's the unbreakable record of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Joe

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Sent from my Palm Zire 72.

Canned Reply from Evan Bayh

I received the following email today in response to yesterday's email to Indiana Senator Evan Bayh:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

-----Original Message-----
From: noreply@bayh.senate.gov
Sent: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 07:07:30 -0800 (PST)
Subject: From the Office of Senator Evan Bayh

Thank you for contacting me regarding President Bush's
recent nomination of Samuel Alito Jr. to the United States
Supreme Court. I appreciate your thoughts and concerns
on this issue. Please be assured that I take my duty to
give advice and consent on Presidential appointments very
seriously, and will carefully review this nominee. I
look forward to learning more about Judge Alito during
his confirmation hearings which began on January 9, 2005.

Again, thank you for contacting me. I hope the information
I have provided is helpful. My website, http://bayh.senate.gov,
can provide additional details about legislation and state
projects, and you can also sign up to receive my monthly
e-newsletter, The Bayh Bulletin , by clicking on the link
at the top of my homepage. I value your input and hope
you will continue to keep me informed of the issues important
to you.

Office of Senator Evan Bayh
(202) 224-5623
Russell 463
Washington, D.C. 20510

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The tone of the message is that of a form letter. Though I received this response faster than I've ever received a response from Senator Bayh's office, it does nothing more than tap dance around the issue of Judge Alito's confirmation. He (and by 'he' I mean the staffer that wrote the email) says he looks forward to learning more about Judge Alito in the confirmation hearings, the bulk of which have already been completed in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. All that's left of the hearings now is to listen to the Democrat Senators bash him and the Republican Senators praise him on the Senate floor. What more can there be to learn?

As I commented yesterday after calling Senator Bayh's office and speaking with a staffer, it seems very clear to me how Senator Bayh will vote, and I'm sure it won't be in favor of confirmation.

Maybe if our Senators would read the occassional email rather than having their staffers handle email and phone calls, they would actually know where their constituents stand.

Nevertheless, you should still contact your Senators today. They will see a report of how many calls they receive in favor and opposed.

Joe

A Call to Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana

I made a phone call today to the Washington office of Indiana's Democrat Senator Evan Bayh, asking that he not allow fillibuster tactics and that he support a fair up-or-down confirmation vote for Judge Alito before the full Senate. You can listen to that call here.

The call was very brief and the staffer I spoke with -- if he hadn't been so drippingly phony -- was actually almost rude. He cut me off in mid-sentence to get my voter information, and didn't give me the opportunity to speak again afterward.

Maybe this is just wishful thinking from the Conservative within me, but I like to think that the staffers were so busy fielding calls similar to mine that they have to be so brief.

I followed up my call with the following email:

Senator Bayh:

I'm a concerned Indiana voter with a keen interest in the Federal Judiciary. It is important to me that the bench be occupied by qualified Justices who will interpret the Constitution, not attempt to rewrite it. President Bush has nominated two such individuals in the persons of John Roberts and Sam Alito.

I was greatly troubled when, after introducing John Roberts to the Senate with such kind words, you were unable to stand behind those kind words with your vote.

A Supreme Court nominee should not be about maintaining some kind of balance on the bench, but rather placing the most highly qualifled candidate for the purpose of maintaining the rule of law. I urge you to do the right thing when Judge Alito comes before the Senate and support an up-or-down vote. Do not resort to the tactics of fillibuster.

What I would really like to see is an Evan Bayh vote in favor of confirmation. I imagine that's too much to ask of a Democrat with Presidential aspirations, though you will surely ask the same of your nominees should you ever win election to the Oval Office.

Sincerely,

You can copy this message and insert your name here, if you choose.

You can reach Senator Bayh by email, by phone at 202-224-3121, or mail your comments to:

Senator Evan Bayh
463 Russell Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Don't delay. Contact your Senators today.

Joe

President Bush's Weekly Radio Address

UPDATE

President Bush's Weekly Radio Address has finally been made available in MP3 format. You can get the file here.

In his weekly radio address President Bush said, "Now the Senate has a duty to give Judge Alito a prompt up-or-down vote. I look forward to the Senate voting to confirm Sam Alito as 110th Justice of the Supreme Court. America is fortunate to have a man of his intellect and integrity willing to serve, and as a Justice on our Nation's highest court, Sam Alito will make all Americans proud."

Thanks for your patience!

Joe

I mistakenly posted the President's Radio Address from January 7 instead of January 14. Here is the correct link and information. The White House has not yet provided an MP3 version of the address, so to listen, go here and listen in Real Audio.

20060114.a.ram

The full transcript of the address can be found here.

As soon as the MP3 version is available, I'll update this post.

Joe

Edward Kennedy's Owl Club

Steve Priest provides more great insight into the biggest evil to plague the U.S. Senate in American history: Edward Kennedy.

Getting Nothing But Static From MSM: US Senator Edward Kennedy's Owl Club:

"U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy — who ripped Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito for ties to a group that discriminates against women — says he’s going to quit a club notorious for discriminating against women “as fast as I can.”"

Book Review: Monster by Frank Peretti

In the world of Mystery fiction, you may not recognize the name of Frank Peretti. In the world of Horror fiction, you may not recognize the name of Frank Peretti. In the world of Christian fiction, you might recognize the name of Frank Peretti. If there was ever any doubt, Peretti claims a foothold in all three genres with his most recent release, Monster.

We travel with Reed Shelton, Deputy Sheriff turned hiker, and his wife Beck, into a woods unlike any we've ever seen before. Bigfoots and Monsters and Bears, oh my! Peretti introduces us to a side of evolution we can only hope we'll never encounter outside the pages of fiction.

Expertly crafting a tale that is at once compelling and thought provoking while never actually becoming preachy, Peretti proves once again that he is a master storyteller of the highest caliber.

I read Monster faster than I've read any book in quite some time. This book should be at the top of your must read list.

Joe

Ben Franklin Day

Happy Ben Franklin Day! What, you've never heard of Ben Franklin Day? That's understandable, since it doesn't actually exist.

Yesterday was Martin Luther King, Junior, Day, which does exist. It's a National Holiday to commemorate the birth of the greatest American civil rights leader in modern history. I'm sure you've heard of that one.

Next month we'll observe Presidents Day, one day set aside to commemorate the births of George Washington -- the father of our country -- and Abraham Lincoln -- the great emancipator and civil war hero..

I purposefully didn't post this yesterday in honor of Doctor King. Though I recognize him as a great American, I'm not sure that he actually warrants such recognition as a holiday that closes all banks and Federal offices. More accurately than civil rights leader, Doctor King was a black rights leader. On April 3, 1968, one day before his tragic murder, Doctor King gave a very Mosaic speech, in which he likened the plight of the blacks to that of the Israelites that Moses led out Egypt. By extension one can conclude that Doctor King likened himself -- as leader of the black rights movement -- to Moses -- a man chosen by God to deliver His Commandments to the people. Again, I recognize that Doctor King was a great American. I'm just not sure that his greatness was of Mosaic proportion.

And what of other great Americans? Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War and restored pride and patriotism to Americans. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, without which you wouldn't be reading this now. Thomas Jefferson wrote the documents upon which this great democracy stands. And Benjamin Franklin: statesman and founding father, author, inventor, discoverer of electricity, and so much more.

Benjamin Franklin would be 300 years old today -- seventy years older than the country he helped found. Had it not been for men like Benjamin Franklin, America would know no Ronald Reagans, Abraham Lincolns, or Martin Luther Kings. But for men like Benjamin Franklin, the world would know no America, nor democracy.

Happy Birthday, Ben, and Happy Ben Franklin Day to everyone else!

Joe

From Focus on the Family Action Chairman, Dr. James Dobson

Dear Friend, Greetings from Colorado Springs. In the New Year, are you praying for a return to the Christian heritage upon which this nation was founded? Are you hoping that prayer will be allowed in public schools and that the Ten Commandments will be displayed proudly on public property? We believe this may be the year our country's secular trends will begin to be reversed – if Judge Samuel Alito is confirmed to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. With more federal judicial experience than any Supreme Court nominee in the last 70 years, Judge Alito possesses a judicial philosophy firmly rooted in applying the law as written. He has pledged to strictly interpret the U.S. Constitution and federal law – not create new laws based on the latest fads of left-wing law schools. Such a judge is desperately needed on the Supreme Court, which has or will be hearing cases on religious liberty, physician-assisted suicide, partial-birth abortion and parental notification for abortion. The very definition of marriage as being between one man and one woman also apparently will be decided in the near future. Unfortunately, Judge Alito's judicial experience and outstanding record of public service are not enough for the liberal special interests. These groups are determined to defeat this good man. Judge Alito's nomination is in danger of being filibustered by those who prefer to take their marching orders from the left-wing radicals, who know that Alito would win a confirmation vote and are determined to deny him that vote. Nan Aron of the far-left Alliance for Justice pledged to do "whatever it takes" to keep conservatives off the Supreme Court. When asked what she would do to oppose Alito's nomination, she said, "You name it, we'll do it." We can be certain that the likes of George Soros and his unlimited resources will throw everything they have into the battle as well. As the nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Alito is entitled to fair consideration by each senator and an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. To ensure that he receives that fair vote, every senator needs to know that his or her constituents want the confirmation process – an integral part of our democratic government – to be conducted with the dignity and consideration it deserves. Please raise your voice on this matter now. I urge you to call your senators today and ask them to support Judge Alito when he comes before the full Senate later this month. For phone numbers for your senators, or for more information about Judge Alito, visit the "Supreme Court Resource Center" on our CitizenLink Web site. Thank you for making your voice heard on behalf of Judge Alito's nomination. Never before has it been more important for people of faith to be involved in the democratic process. Sincerely, James C. Dobson, Ph.D. Founder and Chairman P.S. To keep up-to-date on the latest developments in the Alito nomination – and to keep abreast of all the pro-family news you care about – sign up to receive our free CitizenLink Daily E-mail Update. Each weekday edition gives you the information you need to make your voice heard on today's most important issues.

In Judge Samuel Alito's career, he has: Received the highest possible rating of "unanimously well qualified" from the American Bar Association. Been unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate twice (first in 1987 for U.S. attorney; and then in 1990 as a judge for the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, where he currently serves). Argued 12 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Been named by legal scholars the most experienced judge to be nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court in 70 years. More federal judicial experience than 105 of the 109 justices nominated to the Supreme Court in U.S. history.

Book Review: Dean Koontz's Frankenstein

I'm not what you'd call a die-hard Dean Koontz fan. I've read a few of his books: some that I've enjoyed, and some that I couldn't finish. So I was a little disappointed last month when I received two used Koontz books at a Christmas party gift exchange. Being an avid reader, I thought I'd give them a try.

Imagine if Mary Shelley wasn't a novelist at all, but rather an historian. If she had penned her hit book Frankenstein not from her own imagination, but rather from actual events that occurred in her lifetime. If not only Doctor Frankenstein had really existed, but also his monstrous creation.

If such a thing were true, then it's not much of a stretch of the imagination to believe that this giver of life had found a way to ensure his own mortality. Or to believe that the monster he created is still alive today, hiding and waiting.

Dean Koontz brings just such a tale to life in his telling -- continuation, rather -- of the classic Frankenstein tale. Giving full credit to the original author, Koontz spins a tale of the impossible, making it impossibly true. To tell you more would do you a disservice. You must pick up a copy of each of the three books that comprise Dean Koontz's Frankenstein.

Book one, Prodigal Son, and book two, City of Night, are both available now. Book three is promised this summer. Frankenstein is Dean Koontz at his best. Don't miss these books!

UPDATE: Check out my review of Book 3.

Joe

Specter Announces Support for Alito

From Reuters.com:

"Five days of Senate Judiciary Committee consideration ended with Chairman Arlen Specter announcing his support for President George W. Bush's nomination of Alito for the high court."

Be sure to voice your support, too. Contact your Senators today!

Joe

Alito Hearing Proves We Need Senate Term Limitations

Getting Nothing But Static From MSM: Alito Hearing Proves We Need Senate Term Limitations:

"The performance of Kennedy and the gang was not only tactically poor, it crossed over to a nasty personal attack... ."

When I first looked at Steve Priest's Blog, he listed himself as a somewhat disillusioned Democrat. I'm happy to say that he now describes himself as a "Moderate Conservative Republican."

Welcome to the fold, Priest. Keep the great blog!

Joe

How Will The Democrats Vote?

From MSNBC.com

Samuel Alito coasted toward probable confirmation as the 110th Supreme Court justice Thursday, with the only question after 18 hours of grueling Senate interrogation being how many Democrats would support him.

The Time Is Now

Today was the fourth and final day of testifying in Judge Alito's appearance before the Senate. It's still not too late to voice your support to your Senators.

Contact them both and ask them to support an up-or-down vote before the full Senate.

Joe

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Sent from my Palm Zire 72.

Spring Fever

It's a nice January spring day here in West Central Indiana, so I took my family to the park. My 28-month-old son had a blast on the swings and the slides. He just loves to go down the tall spiraling slides that some kids bigger than him avoid. His mommy goes crazy watching him climb to such heights.

After the swings and slides, we went on a hike through the woods, my little boy leading the way. It was his first hike, and he loved it, stopping to pick up sticks along the way.

We then went into the Nature Center, where he got to look at all kinds of animals. He's quite an animal lover.

To reward him for being such a good boy, we decided to take him to Dairy Queen for a vanilla milkshake. He loves ice cream (don't all kids), and it's an easy way to give him ice cream with no mess. I ordered a Brownie Earthquake and my wife ordered a Reese Cup Blizzard with extra Reese Cup in it. As we pulled away from the drive thru, my wife commented that her "extra" Reese Cup was non-existent. I pulled back around and went inside to have the matter corrected.

Inside, I explained that we had ordered extra Reese Cup and that there were hardly any candy pieces in it at all. I asked that a new Blizzard be made. The clerk said, "I'll just have to let my Manager know." A few moments later she returned holding a small styrofoam cup and said, "She told me to just give you some more Reese Cup pieces in a cup." I said, "Well, after leaving and coming back, the Blizzard we got is kind of melted. I'd like to get a new one made." She disappeared out of sight again to confer with the Manager.

Someone who may or may not have been the Manager came back out with her and asked how she could help me. I explained the situation, and she said, "That is extra," pointing at the nearly virgin vanilla ice cream in the cup. I said, "I could get vanilla ice cream at McDonald's, if that was what I wanted." She refused to make me a new Blizzard, so I took the cup of crumbled candy and asked for a number or address that I could contact to complain.

There are a couple of things I don't understand about all of this. First, I can't imagine that a four ounce cup of Reese Cup candy cost less than a new Blizzard would have been. The ice cream can't be that expensive. When you factor in the cost of losing a customer, I think that makes all the difference in the world. Second, there are several DQ stores in town, and this is the only one that seems to have trouble making a good Blizzard.

Of course, I'll be calling "Dusty" (the name she gave me to contact) to complain about my experience, and I'll file a complaint online as well. I'll probably make the slightly further trip to one of the other DQ stores in the future, as well.

Joe

Resolutions Revisited

Just over a week into the new year, how are you doing on your New Years Resolutions? I looked at mine today, and this is what I found:

Shave every day, instead of twice a week.So far, so good. I've only missed one day so far, it was a day off, and I didn't even leave the house for more than thirty minutes.

I guess this year I have to resolve to do a better job of keeping my bathroom clean. I did a thorough cleaning of my bathroom yesterday, from top to bottom. Now the challenge is to maintain it.

I should really try to be a little more responsive when my wife asks me to do things around the house. You'd have to ask my wife how I've done on this one, but I think I've shown some improvement.

I really should set a good example and start getting to work on time every day. I haven't been late once since I got my new alarm clock -- knock on wood.

I'm going to try to reduce the amount of time I spend in the office on the computer after I get home from work in the evening. I deleted my political blog and only download a couple of podcasts a day. I don't think I've spent more than an hour a day on the computer in quite some time.

I think I'll try again this year to read through the Bible. This is where I'm not quite making it. I've already readjusted my reading plan twice, and I'm currently four days behind schedule. I'll readjust again today and try to get back on schedule.

Overall, I'd say I've done pretty well. Of course, it's only been eight days.

Joe

Voice Your Support

The Senate Confirmation process of Judge Alito begins today. This is a rare opportunity to change the Supreme Court in a positive way. We could live with the results for nearly a generation.

Have you voiced your support yet?

Joe

President Bush's Weekly Radio Address

20060107.a.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)

In his weekly radio address the President said, "As we begin 2006, we are hearing more good news about the American economy. This week we learned that our economy added 108,000 jobs in December and has added over 400,000 jobs in the last two months. Our unemployment rate is now 4.9 percent, lower than the average rate of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Our economy grew at more than 4 percent in the third quarter of 2005, and it has been growing at nearly that rate for two years. Productivity is high, consumers are confident, and more Americans now own their homes than at any time in our Nation's history."

Reader Comments

Commenting on "Bar Association Backs Alito:"

Priest said...

The strategy, if you want to call it that by those opposing Alito, is weak. It's so weak I call it "The CAP Strategy Against Alito is a Byrd CAP Strategy"

On the issue that they attack, Alito seems very progressive based on his stewardship of the "Boundaries of Privacy in American Society" task force. Things must be looking mighty bad in the anti-Alito camp for this to be their strategy. It looks for all I can tell to be an effort to Bork him from within the republican party like Meirs. That's not going to happen, and it is telling of just how weak the argument against Alito is from those who oppose and are organized against his nomination..............................

I don't normally endorse many other blogs here, but blogger Steve Priest seems to have his head on straight, and tells it to you straight in his blog, GETTING NOTHING BUT STATIC FROM MSM (Main Stream Media). I encourage you to give it a read.

Thanks, Steve, for your comments!

Joe

Bar Association Backs Alito

CBS News | Bar Association Backs Alito | January 4, 2006 13:03:49

"Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito received a unanimous 'well-qualified' rating from the American Bar Association on Wednesday, giving his nomination momentum as the Senate prepares for confirmation hearings next week.

The rating came after a vote of an ABA committee and will be delivered to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will launch Alito's confirmation hearings on Monday. ...

The ABA rating — the highest — is the same that Alito received back in 1990, when President Bush's father, George H.W. Bush, nominated him to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. "

Support Judge Sam Alito for the Supreme Court

President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, Judge Sam Alito, will begin the process of Senate confirmation on Monday. Judge Alito is extremely qualified for this position.

Take a few moments right now to contact BOTH of your United States Senators and urge them to give Judge Alito a fair up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. Tell them that you are OPPOSED to filibustering the President's nominees.

You can use the link below to contact your Senators today.

http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/dbq/officials/

Stand up and TAKE ACTION!

Joe

Book Review: Left Behind - The Regime

The second prequel book to the popular Left Behind series from Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, The Regime takes us further into the dark development of the would-be Antichrist, Nicolae Carpathia.

An up-and-coming Romanian businessman-turned-politician, Carpathia orchestrates his rise to the lower Parliamentary house thru means both immoral and illegal.

The Regime differs from other volumes in the Left Behind collection in that it is a creation purely from the imagination of the authors while the rest of the series is based on the Biblical account of the second-coming of Christ foretold in the book of Revelation.

Though a purely fictional work may seem blasphemous to the most staunch of believers, the authors do a good job of keeping their fiction true to the original series without creating any theology in the process. I found The Regime to be a much more enjoyable read than it's predecessor, The Rising. I highly recommend this episode of the Left Behind saga. You'll finish it in anticipation of the next episode, scheduled for release on 6-6-06, fittingly enough.

Joe

Reagan Assailant Can Visit Parents

CBS News | Reagan Assailant Can Visit Parents

"A federal judge loosened the restrictions Friday on John W. Hinckley Jr., allowing the man who shot former President Ronald Reagan to spend seven overnight visits with his parents in Williamsburg, Virginia."

What kind of sense does this make? A man who is later declared criminally insane tries to assassinate the President of the United States -- one of the greatest -- over a delusional infatuation with Jodi Foster, and some idiot judge later allows him to leave his cell in prison to visit with his family? I have one question: does the fact that he's criminally insane make him any less of a threat to society than if was sane? NO!

This man should be locked in a cell and should never see the light of day again. Should I be forgiving? Maybe. Am I? Unfortunately, no. This man has no business being in open society -- even under the supervision of his parents -- and someone needs to speak out!

Joe

It's A Girl!!!!

Not quite yet, I guess. But the ultrasound today went well, and we discovered that we are expecting a little girl addition to our family on May 16, 2006. My wife, of course, is ecstatic. I'm happy, too, of course. I didn't have a preference, to be honest. There were reasons that I would be thrilled to have another boy, and reasons that I'm thrilled to have a daughter.

Most importantly, both mother and child currently have a clean bill of health. Thank God!

Joe

Big News Tomorrow

My wife and I are expecting some pretty big news tomorrow. We're having an ultrasound in hopes of determining the gender of our new baby. We have the most wonderful 28 month old little boy who I can honestly say has never given us much grief.

My wife, of course, wants a daughter. She wants so badly to have a little girl to dress up in frills and lace, and do all those girlie things with.

I'd be happy with a girl, too, but you'll never hear me complain if I have another son on the way.

Check back Wednesday night for the big news.

Joe

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Sent from my Palm Zire 72.

New Year Resolutions

It's a New Year (why do we always CAPITALIZE that?), and a time to make new resolutions. I don't normally make New Year Resolutions (there are those CAPITALS again), because most people don't keep them. I figure, why set yourself up for failure right away in the New Year (CAPS) by setting several unrealistic goals that you know deep inside you will never be able to keep?

Last night when my wife asked me what my resolutions were, I told her I didn't make any. At that point, I had no plans to make any resolutions for the New Year.

I have thought of a few things, however, that might be good resolutions, that I might actually keep.

» Shave every day, instead of twice a week. I wear a goatee, but shaving the rest of my face has never been a daily priority (since I left the Army, anyway). My wife gave me a new electric razor for Christmas, and it shaves it very nicely.

» I think we all know that most men don't keep their bathroom as clean as a woman would. We don't mind if a little shaving creme stays in the sink, or if a dirty towel lays on the floor for a few days, and we certainly don't clean the fixtures as often as we should. My wife absolutely refuses to clean my bathroom for me. I guess this year I have to resolve to do a better job of keeping my bathroom clean.

» I should really try to be a little more responsive when my wife asks me to do things around the house. Instead of always putting things off, maybe I should just get up and do them.

» I really should set a good example and start getting to work on time every day. I commute two hours each way, and sometimes it's hard to get up at 4:30 so I can be to work by 7:00. My wife gave me a new "Neverlate Alarm Clock" for Christmas that she got at http://www.thinkgeek.com. It has lots of cool features, but what I like best is the customizable snooze alarm. Mine is set to go off every minute, so I never actually fall back to sleep. I've been at least ten minutes early to work each of the past two days.

» I'm going to try to reduce the amount of time I spend in the office on the computer after I get home from work in the evening. I've reduced the number of podcasts that I download to listen to during my daily commute, and I haven't blogged as much lately. In fact, I'm considering eliminating one of my blogs (http://defeatevanbayh.blogspot.com). With my other two blogs (this one, and http://stopthecar.blogspot.com), as well as a technology website I write for, I'm stretching myself a little thin. If you'd like to see all three blogs continue, send me an email.

» Last year, one of the few resolutions I made was to read through the Bible during the year. I followed a Bible reading program for seven and a half months before I got off schedule and never got back on. I think I'll try again this year.

I think that's enough things to consciously focus on. I don't want to resolve on more than I can realistically accomplish. Maybe I should ask my wife what her resolutions are.

Happy New Year!

Joe

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Sent from my Palm Zire 72.