Passing Thoughts In Life’s Rearview Mirror...

Yes, we’re back. We told all of our readers awhile back that we would be going through some changes, and we weren’t kidding. For those that have noticed, we have a new addition to the Asylum. Her name is Sabrina, and has quickly become a good friend, willing ally, and has shown her staunch conservative roots. Unfortunately, she’s not able to join us in what had been a regular feature here at the beginning of each month. It’s a month-end round-up of the big stories that have been all over the blogosphere, and on our site. Many a people enjoy this because it reminds them of things that have occurred that might have slipped their mind. And so, without further adieu, Marcie and I will begin...

A Lesson In Defeat
This past week, Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination. According to her letter, it was over the kerfuffle involving what documents would be released, and which ones would not. I am sure that the opposition she was facing from the base of the GOP was another factor. We had questions, and quite a few, but none of them were being answered by the White House. So, the pummeling continued. What also continued to pop up was her past political dealings while in Texas. Her stint with the Lottery Commission that had a former director willing to testify before the Judiciary Committee over alleged "dirty pool" behind the scenes. The large sums of money heaped on her and her firm for work not yet done; yet glaringly not referred to as a "retainer." There were the same character witnesses giving the same stories constantly, yet no one else to corroborate her supposed conservative judicial philosophy. The White House maintained her credentials warranted a chance. The problem with such a move is that once on the Supreme Court, if she had fallen back on judicial activism, what would the White House have done then? Getting a justice off the court is no easy task, and only one judge was ever impeached.

The Lesson We Hope He Learned
The president learned a valuable lesson from this fiasco: Do your best not to outrage your base. The base was adamantly against Miers proceeding because enough questions regarding her qualifications existed. Those questions went unanswered, but there is hope from the president. He is now looking to highly-qualified nominees; nominees that we emphasized three weeks ago, and were hoping for prior to Miers being nominated. Her judicial philosophy had to be scrutinized. Her experience with the Constitution had to be disseminated. She had next-to-no experience regarding cases based on the Constitution, and too many question marks floated about her philosophy of the court, and what it’s proper role was. Lip service paid the public is not a way to prove a case. You need it in writing, on the record. I’m a site kind of guy, and if I don’t see it, I’m not buying it. So is the fair majority of America. She was stopped before the hearings because we were told by the president "Trust me," and we answered "Prove it." He couldn’t, and the debate that ensued was good for not only the party, but the nation, as well. The party benefits because the base spoke loud and clear as to what the philosophy of a Supreme Court Justice was to be, and focused on it’s roots. The nation wins because we, the vocal "extremist" base (according to schmucky Chucky Schumer), prevented a potentially dangerous person to advance to the court. And I don’t mean dangerous in the typical sense. I’m just referring to the possible death of more of our rights.

A Grim Milestone: One That Is Skewed, Yet A Necessary Reminder
World War I: 126,000
World War II: 413,000
Korea: 33,686
Vietnam: 58,226
Gulf War I: 147
Global War On Terror–Phase Afghanistan: 249; Phase Iraq: 2000
I cited the above to show a couple of things. Throughout the 20th Century, this nation had no problem rushing to the aid of their allies in defense of freedom. We have always been the one nation to do so. Anne Robert Jacques Turgot stated that "They [the Americans] are the hope of this world. They may become its model." And what a model we have become as we have never backed down when it comes to defending freedom across the globe. And the Global War On Terror is no different. We were attacked on Sept. 11th by animals that cared nothing for the standards of war. They attacked this nation–as cowards rather than martyrs–and dragged us into a war that neither this nation nor this president wished to engage in. But we did. And we have sacrificed with our dearest blood. The point of citing that which has come before this is to emphasize that the amount of deaths in the GWOT compares nothing to what happened in the past. The media hyping those that have died is not an honor to them, but a spit in their face; they use the deaths to give the president a black eye, just as they did in Vietnam. This is a highly personal issue for me. My brother serves in Afghanistan, and is finally home for his first leave since 2001. He is making the sacrifice we have asked of him. The Left will never understand what it takes to defend a nation, nor will their willing minions in the MSM.

But Let Freedom Ring Nonetheless
And it has. It rang loud and clear in January for the Iraqi parliamentary elections. It rang strong and true just a week, or so, ago when the Iraqis approved their new constitution. Voter turnout was over sixty percent, and it was approved–overwhelmingly–by over seventy-five percent of the populace voting. The Iraqis have constructed their first constitution ever, and didn’t do a half bad job on it. They looked out for the rights of all, rather than a minority. Gone are the thugs of the past that moved at the whims of a madman content with terrorizing his own people, and what has emerged is a burgeoning democracy. Yes, it still maintains some aspects of sharia law, but it is not the Islamo-fascist state that the terrorists and insurgents were hoping to create in the wake of Saddam’s departure. And the people are standing up for their new nation. More people are signing up for the security forces and military, those that have signed up are engaging the enemy on the battlefield, and they’re learning quickly. The terrorists are on their heels as they continue to attack the civilian populace. There are two reasons for this. Obviously, they intend to continue terrorizing the populace in a vain attempt to get them to quit cooperating with us and their fellow Iraqis. The second reason is that they know to engage us or the Iraqis in a straight-up fight, they’re going to lose. They always do, hence the craven roadside bombs being used on our forces. No, the president was correct: Freedom is on the march, and the Iraqis have embraced the concept fully.

They Still Cannot Balance A Checkbook
Yes, I am referring to the out-of-control spending perpetuated by the federal government. Sen. Tom Coburn grabbed headlines across the nation when he introduced an amendment to recent spending legislation. He wanted the Alaskan "Bridge to Nowhere" cut off. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and three hurricanes since, the Gulf Coast and South have been hammered. Repairs and rebuilding are needed. Obviously, taxpayer money has to be spent. But we have already paid our fair share in more ways than one. It was time for Congress to end it’s wayward, drunken ways. No more pork. Too much of it was being wasted for things that people have deemed undeserving of attention. Sen. Coburn’s amendment went down in flames with only fourteen other senators siding with his assessment. Sen. Patty Murray threw a tantrum on the floor of the Senate, and promised that no other state budgetary inclusions would be made on her watch. Sen. Ted Stevens threw a fit befitting of Sen. Byrd, and even threatened to resign if the amendment passed. This is what we have to deal with in Congress. These people are happy to take our money and spend it on whatever they deem necessary, and fail to see the long-term repercussions. Those repercussions being the public outraged to learn they may be asked to fork over more of their hard-earned money because the Congress cannot learn how to work within a solid budget. WE have a budget, and WE do not overspend. We do not waste our money on insignificant things. If WE can do that, then why is Congress incapable of it.

One Indictment? One Lousy Indictment? NO FAIR!
Patrick Fitzgerald has finished his investigation into the Plame CIA leak case, and only one indictment has been handed down. "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's Chief of Staff has been charged with five separate crimes, including perjury and obstruction of justice. The Left was popping corks on Friday, especially with Libby's resignation (a guaranteed reaction, and one that had been promised by the White House), but they were discontent over the fact that only one indictment was handed down. Karl Rove has been informed to be ready for an indictment heading his way, but I doubt any will come down for him. He may have offered up testimony--cooperating with Fitzgerald--to avoid an indictment, but that still remains to be seen. What is asinine about this whole fiasco is that by the time her name was "leaked" by Robert Novak, it was already known by many others. Plame made no serious attempt to keep her identity a secret from friends in Washington, DC, and her lying husband blew that cover long before the Novak column on his own website. Many of their friends have stated that "of course we knew Val worked for the CIA. She was an analyst." Her covert status had expired by the time of the Novak piece, and by the time that the White House acknowledged her. What is most interesting in this case is that the person who should have been indicted was Joe Wilson. His testimony before the Senate backed up MI-5's assertions--the same ones made by the White House--and then he started writing op-eds and going on talking head shows saying exactly the opposite. He has maintained that Iraq never attempted to buy yellow cake uranium, yert that wasn't what he said in his testimony. Will Libby be found guilty? Possibly, and only time will tell. The indictment is solid, and he's in deep trouble. We'll just have to see what comes around on this case.

Where She Is Going She Need Not Make A Stand
Rosa Parks, one of the preeminent leaders of the civil rights movement, passed away at the age of 92. She is going to Heaven, and trust me when I say that she is equal among all there. But the stand she took on Dec. 1, 1955 made history, and prompted one of the first boycotts started by blacks then. Ms. Parks was asked to give up her seat on a bus, and move to the back where blacks were supposed to be. Below is Ms. Parks’ own words regarding the exchange between her and the bus driver.

"When he saw me still sitting, he asked if I was going to stand up and I said, 'No, I'm not'. And he said, 'Well, if you don't stand up, I'm going to have to call the police and have you arrested.' I said, 'You may do that.' "

Ms. Parks took a stand against the intolerable way that blacks were treated back then. She did not do it at the prompting of civil rights leaders at the time. In fact, those leaders took a page from her, and started the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For 381 days, blacks refused to ride the buses, and many sat unused in yards because of this move. The PC crowd has decided that Ms. Parks was physically tired, and she just did not feel like standing. No, Ms. Parks refused to move because she was sick of giving in all the time. This nation was founded on the belief that "all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." We wrote them in 1776, and we meant it. It was only through simple stupidity that it took us well over a century before freedom was granted. They have been fighting ever since. Rosa Parks took the initial steps, and whereas I am sure she is not pleased with the way blacks have acted since then (the LA Riots, the looting in New Orleans, the riot recently in Toledo, etc.) she is pleased that the civil rights movement brought the necessary changes to right the wrongs of the past. God rest her gentle, kind soul. She is an icon that should be honored and never forgotten.

We’ve been out of this loop for a couple of months. It’s hard to bring up topics to discuss when the month only has one or two predominate stories. Ans as we are bloggers, we pound on those targets daily. No need to reinforce what people are reading on a daily basis. But we’re back to this. WE need this. Everyone needs to be reminded of the important things in life. Especially as we enter this election cycle next year. A lot of people are up for reelection, and many are seeking their first term–content in the belief they’re better than who they’d be replacing. For some, like Sen. Byrd, Sen. Kennedy, Sen. Feinstein, Sen. Clinton, and the "Nelson twins," that’s true, and hopefully they’ll be defeated. But we need to stay informed so that we have the facts to deal with debates that are coming up. Life tends to happen pretty quickly, and disappears even faster in the rearview...

The Bunny ;) And Publius II