Politics, Culture Wars, Relationships
Thoughts about Sluts
by Clay Staggs
Boy, has there been a lot of ink spilled and pixels devoted to Rush Limbaugh calling Sandra Fluke a slut. In case you've been in a cave the last two weeks, he did so based on Fluke's testimony before Congress, which I discussed here.
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Politics, Culture Wars
Paying for Law Students’ Birth Control
by Clay Staggs
If you have any question about just how far American culture has fallen, then boy do I have a video that will tell you all you need to know.
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Politics, Culture Wars
Carrie Nation at the Centers for Disease Control
by Clay Staggs
Binge drinking is a problem, right? I mean, who's going to dispute that? But how widespread is this problem? Well, according to a new study by the federal government's Centers for Disease Control (your tax dollars at work), over 17% of US adults binge drink, and the average …
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Politics, Culture Wars, Children
Presidential Views on Roe, or, Abort Your Way to Equality
by Clay Staggs
Roe v. Wade is turning 39 years old, so President Obama decided to comment. It was pretty much what you'd expect from a pro-choice Democrat, and you can read it all here. What is truly remarkable in the statement is this little gem here:
And as we remember this …
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Politics
Evangelicals, dilemmas & creeds
by Jeff Miller
Apparently last weekend, some 125 evangelical leaders met in TX to decide who should be encouraged among their flocks as the candidate of choice in the Republican primary. I haven't heard any results- only that they met.
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Politics
Newt Is Not Running For Pope, or, Richard Land Tries to Play Nathan
by Clay Staggs
Boy this pushes just about every button I’ve got. It’s wrong on almost every front I can think of.
Richard Land, who is the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, has published an open letter to Newt Gingrich telling him that, if …
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Politics
Turkey Terror
by Clay Staggs
You’ve probably heard by now that the Super Committee failed to reach an agreement on how to cut $1.2 trillion from the budget over the next ten years. Keep that in mind for a second.
Today, whoever the designated tweeter is at the Department of Homeland Security sent …
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Politics
The Inevitable Herman Cain Post
by Clay Staggs
I haven’t chimed in on politics in a while, and with the hurricane swirling around Herman Cain, I thought this would be a great time to comment.
And my comment isn’t so much to advocate for Cain (though, in full disclosure, he is my current candidate of choice …
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Politics
Letter to TNews
by Jeff Miller
Sent this to the TNews. It’s a little too long, so I have sent a revision. Hopefully, they’ll print it soon. This is the ‘director’s cut.’
Sometimes we choose to change things in our lives. In rare cases, we choose to change the entire course of …
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Politics
Did he really say that?
by Clay Staggs
This according to the New York Times:
Mr. Obama has told people that it would be so much easier to be the president of China. As one official put it, â??No one is scrutinizing Hu Jintaoâ??s words in Tahrir Square.â?
It is no secret that I am …
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Politics
My Patriotism Led To My Affair
by Clay Staggs
That’s essentially what Newt Gingrich, who appears from all indications to be running for President, said of the affair that ended his marriage while he was Speaker of the House. Get this:
Thereâ??s no question at times of my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about …
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Politics
Bernie makes an excellent point…
by Peggy Drinkard
Noticed this headline in today’s news: “Madoff to NY magazine: Government a Ponzi scheme.” If you stop and think about it, he’s closer to right than we might want to admit. If a ponzi scheme is a practice in which investors are urged to invest in something with …
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Politics
Cain for President?
by Clay Staggs
Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, has formed a presidential exploratory committee - the first Republican to do so for the 2012 cycle. Over the weekend, I listened to his speech to CPAC. It was a stem-winder. I have thus far counted myself something of a Palinista, but …
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Politics
Carrie Nation in Tuscaloosa
by Clay Staggs
I really thought I was at an end with the Carrie Nation posts after the Gourmet Beer bill passed. However, leave it to the Tuscaloosa Baptist Association to bring back an old favorite.
As local readers of this blog probably know, there will be a vote here in the city …
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Politics
For your amusement, or not….
by Peggy Drinkard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_23Nt5XumaU funny…sort of. Then again, appallingly sad.
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Politics
Kagan Should Be Rejected
by Clay Staggs
Generally speaking, I am of the opinion that, when it comes to presidential nominations, the President should get his nominee. The only exceptions to that rule that I think legitimate are when the person is corrupt or demonstrably incompetent or unqualified. Up until yesterday, in keeping with my general rule …
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Politics
“Women can be wingnuts too.”
by Clay Staggs
So says Tina Brown. This is what passes for analysis on the mainstream news nowadays. No wonder their ratings are swirling the drain.
This little gem comes from Good Morning America, where George Stephanopolous (whose career in journalism appears to have sprung from being Bill Clinton’s political hack) interviews …
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Politics
Estimate, Schmestimate
by Clay Staggs
I have refrained from commenting on the healthcare debacle thus far, principally because I didn’t know whether I’d be able to stop once I got started. And besides, the opinions of the people of this country proved entirely irrelevant to the intentions of those who govern us.
However …
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Politics
A Superbubble
by Clay Staggs
Many folks I know fear China. They are afraid that China, with its billion-plus population, strong economic growth, and command and control government, will soon overpower the US. I recall similar sentiment about the Japanese from the late 80s and early 90s. History, however, has proved the fears about Japan …
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Politics
About Senator Bunning
by Clay Staggs
Senator Bunning (R-KY) is getting a lot of press about blocking a fairly non-controversial bill on the quaint grounds that no one has said how the $10 Billion provision will be paid for. Here is a great blog post by Ed Morrisey explaining what is really going on. Lots of …
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Politics
This is a revelation?
by Clay Staggs
Here’s the intro paragraph from a Politico story on the upcoming testimony of Toyota executives before Congress this week:
Internal Toyota documents derided the Obama administration and Democratic Congress as â??activistâ? and â??not industry friendly,” a revelation that comes days before the giant automaker’s top executives …
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Politics
Overreactions
by Clay Staggs
I am (predictably) thrilled that Scott Brown won on Tuesday. That said, it never ceases to amaze me how people get so totally overwrought about the least little nothing in the aftermath of such big stories. Two points to consider.
First, people are already speculating about whether Brown will run …
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Politics
The Newest Red State?
by Clay Staggs
This is starting to break into the mainstream press, so perhaps you’ve seen this already. However, it’s such a fascinating potential development, that I have to comment.
Scott Brown is the Republican nominee for the senate seat from Massachusetts that is open as a result of Ted Kennedy …
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Politics
Twenty Years Ago Today
by Clay Staggs
Though this seems impossible, it was twenty years ago today that the Berlin Wall fell. By the time I studied in Germany in 1993, what had been THE symbol of the iron curtain had been reduced to a small patch in the concrete in front of the Brandenburg Gate. As …
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Politics
Paglia’s Critique
by Clay Staggs
Camille Paglia has a new column out today in on Salon.com. You can (and should) read the whole thing here. I do not share many of Paglia’s views - she is a liberal Democrat. However, her analysis of her own party is one of the most devastating indictments I …
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Politics
Dueling Projections, or, A Trillion Here, A Trilllion There…
by Clay Staggs
Anyone who’s as geeky as me has probably read by now about how the Obama administration has revised its budget and economic forecasts, and not for the better. The basic gist is that, at the beginning of this year, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB …
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Politics
A Political Object Lesson
by Clay Staggs
I read this morning about the demise of the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program. The idea started off pretty simply: get old, fuel-inefficient cars off the road and stimulate new car buying at the same time. If a buyer trades in a “clunker” they get a credit of $3 …
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Politics
Doug and Sarah
by Peggy Drinkard
Doug Wilson had a fun take on Sarah Palin’s influence on the health care debate with her “death panel” comments. He also links to her own FB comments. Couldn’t keep all the fun to myself. Read and enjoy.http://www.dougwils.com/index.asp?
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Politics
Testy
by Clay Staggs
Here’s a political palate cleanser. Remember Hillary Clinton? You know, the Secretary of State? I know, she hasn’t really been in the headlines much, what with Bill swooping off the North Korea to get those two Americans released and all.
Apparently this has gotten under her skin. Watch …
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Politics
Thoughts About The “Beer Summit”
by Clay Staggs
You know, if beer is involved, I suppose I just can’t resist commenting about it.
I reckon that everyone in America has heard about Gates-gate - that is, the incident concerning Henry Louis Gates, the prominent professor of African-American Studies at Harvard, and Jim Crowley, the cop who arrested Gates …
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Politics
The Obligatory Sarah Palin Resignation Post
by Clay Staggs
Well, I really timed that last post well, didn’t I?
On Friday of last week, Sarah Palin announced that not only would she not seek reelection as governor of Alaska in 2010, but that she would also resign the governor’s office at the end of July. You can …
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Politics
A Tale of Two Governors
by Clay Staggs
The Michael Jackson freakshow isn’t the only game in town, it seems. Just a day before MJ’s death, Mark Sanford, the governor of South Carolina, admitted that he’d been having an affair. Not just any affair either. The governor had disappeared without telling his wife or his …
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Politics
What’s Going On In Iran
by Clay Staggs
It is becoming increasingly clear to me that the political left in this country has either (a) lost its stomach for advocating freedom or (b) doesn’t even recognize true repression when it happens. Witness the events going on right now in Iran. Actually, that’s a fairly difficult thing …
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Politics
A Response
by Clay Staggs
Earlier, Clay Staggs put up a blog posting from the Belmont Club. I would like to take the time to unpack some of the things mentioned. First and foremost, credit is, for better or worse, the blood of the economy. Everyone uses credit every single day. If you don’t …
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Politics
A Summary and a Prediction
by Clay Staggs
Our latest issue of the Salt & Light (available here) centers on economic issues this month. So, I’ll take this opportunity to add onto the pieces there.
I was reading a piece sent to me by my friend Herb Saunders from the Belmont Club blog. I commend the post to …
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Politics
The Hops Are Free!!!
by Clay Staggs
The Alabama Senate has passed the Gourmet Beer Bill!!!
Senator Erwin was absent. Providential? I report, you decide.
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Politics
Respecting Everyone’s Laws But Our Own
by Clay Staggs
Two events this week illustrate perfectly the absurdity that the Obama administration is becoming.
First, as almost everyone has heard by now, Supreme Court Justice David Souter is retiring. I, for one, will not miss Justice Souter. He is obviously of a very liberal political and judicial mentality, yet accepted …
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Politics
Carrie Nation Filibusters - Again
by Clay Staggs
Well, at least for now, the Gourmet Beer Bill is dead, the victim of a filibuster in the Alabama Senate. If there is any governing body that can rival the Alabama Senate for dysfunction, I’d like to know what it is.
The purpose of this blog post is to …
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Politics
One Step Closer To A Banana Republic
by Clay Staggs
Honestly, the Obama administration is even more fertile ground for blog material than even I dreamed possible. I thought his performance at the Summit of the Americas this past weekend was awful. Not because he shook Chavez’s hand, but because he failed to stand up for what we as …
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Politics
This is CNNBiased.
by Clay Staggs
During Clinton’s terms, folks of my political stripe were fond of calling CNN the Clinton News Network because of its, well, friendliness toward an administration more to its liking than Reagan and Bush had been. Media bias is nothing new for conservatives to bemoan. I am firmly convinced that …
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Politics
It Did At Least Have “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend”
by Clay Staggs
After all, if you’re going to give the Queen of England an iPod loaded with showtunes, then that one simply must be included, right?
Honestly, having appeared in the press yesterday (April Fools’ Day), one might have hoped that this story was just a sad joke. Alas, the sad …
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Politics
Buyer’s Remorse Sets In
by Clay Staggs
At least with George Will anyway. You might recall that, prior to the election last fall, George Will was one of several (supposed) conservatives to trash the McCain/Palin ticket and praise the cool, smart post-partisanship of Obama.
Well, so much for that. Today Will rips into Congress (calling them …
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Politics
Politico-Econcomic Potpourri
by Clay Staggs
Just a few short comments on some things I’ve been seeing and reading this week on the subjects of politics and economics and their inextricable intertwining of late.
- Fed Printing Over a Trillion Dollars out of Thin Air. This is the most recent installment in the continuing and …
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Politics
Who Are We and Why Are We Here?
by Clay Staggs
Paraphrasing Admiral Stockdale, this seems to be the question that the Republican party, and conservatives in general, are asking themselves. And boy is ink (and pixels) being spilled debating this question. So I’ll add mine to it.
As a Republican and a conservative, I find the whole debate somewhat …
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Politics
Hey Peggy, You Need This Bumper Sticker
by Clay Staggs
This is pretty apropos of your last post, don’t you think?
Direct your orders to the Tennessee GOP.
HT: Powerline
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Politics
This About Sums It Up
by Clay Staggs
Following Jimmy’s post yesterday, I thought this was apropos:
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Politics
Running Up Uncle Sam’s Credit Card
by Clay Staggs
I’ve been eager to find a few minutes to post on President Obama’s stimulus plan. For those who have not had a TV or internet connection for the past few weeks, Obama proposes to spend $825 billion - let me write that out; it’ll be more fun - that …
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Politics
An Honest Liberal
by Clay Staggs
I’ll hand it to Joel Klein. He gets it.
I have long believed that, in general, liberals don’t see the United States as anything particularly special, and, instead, see it as something bordering on evil. Conservatives, on the other hand, tend to think of America as a special …
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Politics
More Cognitive Dissonance
by Clay Staggs
I suppose everyone has heard that Bush has decided to use money from the bank bailout to bailout the Big 3 automakers. (Nevermind how this is legal, I guess.) Now these companies get $17.4 billion. That’s $17,400,000,000.
Our lame duck leader (emphasis on LAME) reassures …
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Politics
Great stuff on the Christian’s role in Election Day…
by Eric Venable
Here’s a link to another church’s blog on things to keep in mind on election day, found it extremely helpful and lucid.
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Politics
There’s Something Happening Here…
by Clay Staggs
And what it is ain’t exactly clear. Politically speaking, that is.
The supposed coronation of Barack Obama may - just may - not be all that was advertised.
Now, I’m not predicting a McCain win, much though I hope for one. But, I think that several things are happening that …
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Politics
A Taxing Question
by Clay Staggs
By profession, I am a tax lawyer. So perhaps these questions interest me more than others. Please bear with me as I explore the depths of my dorkiness here.
I ran across this post by Ed Morrissey, one of my very favorite bloggers, who writes at the excellent Hot Air …
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Politics
Mr. Ramirez Gets It
by Clay Staggs
Political Cartoonist Michael Ramirez sums up the current financial mess and the government’s response. I can’t add a thing:
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Politics
Sing for The One
by Clay Staggs
This is just really, really creepy. Reminds me of one of those videos you see of all the children singing for some communist dictator. You be the judge:

Did you get those lyrics:
Weâ??re gonna spread happiness
Weâ??re gonna spread freedom
Obamaâ??s gonna change it
Obamaâ …
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Politics
“I am shocked by the depths of my hatred for this woman”
by Clay Staggs
The woman in question is Sarah Palin. Check out this article from the NY Sun. It chronicles the reactions of some women in New York upon Gov. Palin’s selection as McCain’s running mate. Here is a representative sample:
“All of my women friends, a week ago Monday, were …
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Politics
Keep On Talking, Michelle
by Clay Staggs
The reaction to Sarah Palin seems to be overwhelmingly positive, judging by the poll numbers. McCain/Palin now leads among the totally-crucial independent vote in Gallup’s latest survey by a whopping 15 points. McCain also has improved his standing with women voters to almost tied. I highly recommend this …
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Politics
“[T]he only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose.”
by Clay Staggs
So, you all knew that I couldn’t keep silent over the Palin nomination for too long. Personally, Palin was my pick all along, but I never dreamed that McCain would actually have the guts to pick her. McCain is proving me wrong more and more often. As I’ve …
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Politics
The First Rule of Holes
by Clay Staggs
When in one, stop digging. Pretty simple, right?
Barack Obama has an ego problem. Remember his own presidential seal? McCain has even ridiculed Obama’s messiah complex in his ad “The One” which I linked earlier.
Now, if you were Obama, and were being ridiculed by your opponent (to some …
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Politics
Huckabee’s Advice to Romney
by Clay Staggs
According to Ed Morrisey at Hot Air, Mike Huckabee, during a recent interview, criticized Mitt Romney for not ignoring a Massachusetts Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage when Romney was governor. Huckabee essentially argues that Romney would have been within rights to simply disregard that decision.
We’ve had some …
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Politics
Speechless
by Clay Staggs
I can’t begin to describe or comment upon this. It must be experienced.
HT: Allahpundit.
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Politics
The One
by Clay Staggs
Wow. I didn’t know McCain had this in him. Check out this new ad:
Pretty edgy stuff. Have the gloves come off?
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Politics
Obama Abroad
by Clay Staggs
So, unless you’ve been under a rock for the past week or so, you probably already know that Obama is traveling in the middle east and Europe. This has created a frenzy of mainstream media attention unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I’ve found a couple of …
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Politics
Statutory Construction
by Clay Staggs
Barack Obama’s campaign has created a seal, of sorts. Here it is, compared to the real presidential seal (hat tip to CNN for the graphic):
Now, from the US Code, 18 U.S.C. 713:
(a) Whoever knowingly displays any printed or other likeness of the great seal of …
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Politics
Take a Chance on Me
by Clay Staggs
Anybody whose read my political commentary for the past year knows that I haven’t been a huge John McCain fan. That said, I have to admit that he is grudgingly earning my respect, despite my continuing policy differences with him.
Here’s something else to add to my growing …
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Politics
41% and 2012
by Clay Staggs
I haven’t opined on politics in awhile. And, I probably should just quit talking about it because my track record stinks. (I did predict that this fall we’d see HRC v. Rudy, after all.) However, it’s like watching a train wreck - I just can’t look away …
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Politics
Static Analysis
by Clay Staggs
If Barack Obama comes out of Denver the winner this August, one of his biggest liabilities is going to be his wife, Michelle. If I were advising the Obama campaign, my very first piece of advice would be that she get out from behind the microphone. She has this tendency …
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Politics
Christianity and Politics
by Clay Staggs
I write a lot about politics here on the Riverblog. In a reply comment to my last post on the subject, I acknowledged that it might be in order some time for me to explain my views on the intersection of faith and politics. Today, I had in mind to …
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Politics
State of The Race, Or, What a Great Time to be a Republican
by Clay Staggs
So, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts. One of the reasons for my reticence has been a fear that I just won’t be able to control my thinly veiled glee at what’s transpiring on the Dem side of the aisle. What …
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Politics
Uh, What Were We Talking About, again?
by Tim Lien
Barack’s pastor(actually, former pastor), Jeremiah Wright, lays it down:
Watch and discuss.
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Politics
Super Tuesday Post-Mortem
by Clay Staggs
Since it’s all over but the exact computation of the delegates, I’ll opine on the state of the race post 2/5.
On the Democrat side, what a contest! The dems have this requirement that delegates be absolutely proportionally allocated. So, since HRC won a few big states …
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Politics
Doing the Math
by Clay Staggs
A follow up to my last post. Survey USA has new poll numbers out for Alabama. You can find them here. The summary:
McCain 40 Huckabee 31 Romney 21 Paul 5
Again, assuming for the sake of argument that the conservative Huckabee voters would go for the more conservative Romney …
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Politics
Security Blanket
by Jimmy Hopper
I have been thinking about predestination for several days now. I think it started in the Book Group discussion about Chesterton’s Orthodoxy. In a chapter about the paradoxes of Christianity, Chesterton makes this comment:
It would have been easy, in the Calvinistic seventeenth century, to fall into the bottomless …
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Politics
And Then There Were Two (kinda)
by Clay Staggs
Since my last entry on the topic, the presidential race has seen the departure of both John Edwards and Rudy Guliaini. The former is really no surprise; the latter, however, had been the candidate I thought would carry the day on the Republican side. Politics is strange and unpredictable.
Speaking …
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Politics
Bill Clinton, Unhinged
by Clay Staggs
I had resolved not to blog anymore about politics until after the SC election on Saturday, but this is just too much to pass up.
Check out this video of the former president unloading on a CNN reporter.
Wow. Duane Patterson fisks this tirade here, if you’d like to …
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Politics
State of the Race
by Clay Staggs
It’s been a while since I opined on the presidential race, and much has changed since then. So, here goes:
The Democrats first. Boy oh boy did HRC and Obama go after each other last night in that debate. Here’s the video in case you missed it.
As …
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Politics
Be Thankful…..
by Clay Staggs
That you don’t live in Iowa or New Hampshire or any of the other early voting states, or else you’d have to see drivel like this every time you flick on the TV:
This is just about the worst political commercial I’ve ever seen. Is this supposed …
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Politics
The Presidential Candidate in the Glass House
by Clay Staggs
I’ve picked on the Republicans lots lately, so here’s some equal time for the Dems.
Free advice for Hillary: When you’re married to the man who made famous the line “but I never inhaled,” don’t go insinuating that folks shouldn’t vote for your opponent because …
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Politics
Inflation Tax
by Blake Johnson
I’d be interested to hear from those a bit more adept in economics interact with Congressman Paul’s views on the Inflation Tax. It makes good sense to me.
How long can we as a country live way beyond our means, pump fiat cash into the system, finance our …
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Politics
The “Christian” Candidate
by Clay Staggs
The latest boomlet in the GOP primary belongs to former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Gov. Huckabee is a former Baptist minister, and with the fading of Fred Thompson’s campaign, has become (supposedly) the darling of the Iowa Christian conservatives. He now leads in most polls of Iowa GOP voters …
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Politics
Prof. Althouse Fisks the AP - and Hillary
by Clay Staggs
For those not familiar with the verb “to fisk”, it means to analyze a (typically absurd) written piece on the internet, ripping it to shreds logically, frequently line by line. I think it came from a bad writer whose last name was Fisk, whom other bloggers frequently held up to …
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Politics
Nothing Succeeds Like Success
by Clay Staggs
Apparently the “surge” in Iraq is working. According to the Rasmussen polling group (which is, as near as I can tell, just about the best in the business), support for the War is up.
The latest Rasmussen Reports tracking poll finds that 47% of Americans now say the U.S …
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Politics
“Tell the Christians to come home”
by Clay Staggs
I noted last week the return of the cross to the St. John’s Church in Baghdad, and Michael Yon’s dramatic picture. Today Yon has another post, which I recommend that everyone read in full. There are some more great pictures.
The first services have been held in the …
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Politics
Hocus Pocus
by Peggy Drinkard
According to a news report on Yahoo,Tuesday morning a family was having breakfast and mom was serving up the pancakes when, lo and behold, she realized that there was an image of Jesus and Mary right there in the browned parts of one of the pancakes! Yahoo had a …
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Politics
Refreshingly Candid
by Clay Staggs
For the record, I remain officially undecided about the GOP primary. Frankly, I think that all four Republican front-runners would make such better presidents than HRC or Obama that it’s somewhat difficult for me to choose among them.
Rudy Guiliani continues to intrigue me the most. He’s pretty …
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Politics
Maybe Worth More Than 1,000 Words
by Clay Staggs
I’m hardly the first person online to make this observation, but I think that the photo below may just turn out to be one of those that achieves true icon status. It was taken by a guy named Michael Yon. His blog is here. He’s an independent blogger-journalist …
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Politics
GOP Primary Update
by Clay Staggs
Because I’ve written so much on this blog slamming Dr. Dobson and some of his fellow travelers about their third-party rumblings, I thought I’d note that there are some high profile social conservative figures who are living in the “reality-based community” and are making endorsements for various primary …
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Politics
Satan Must Love Candy
by Tim Lien
Once again, fundamental fringe Christianity makes us all want to wear a costumeâ??preferably a brown paper bag. For those of you who donâ??t believe that Godâ??s gracious act towards sinners is shocking enoughâ?¦.ladies and gentlemen, I give you Hell House. Quick definition: Hell Houses are church-sponsored …
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Politics
Why is this on YouTube?
by Clay Staggs
Everybody reading this blog knows that I consider myself a pretty staunch Republican. That said, the Republican party frustrates me to no end with its failure to do the smart thing. I’ve blogged before about the S-CHIP reauthorization, which you can read here.
It appears that the Republicans won …
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Politics
A First in Louisiana
by Clay Staggs
An interesting thing happened over the weekend in Louisiana (besides the Auburn game). That state elected a new governor, whose name is Bobby Jindal. Read the wire dispatch here.
Jindal, currently a Congressman from subsurban New Orleans, can claim several firsts. He’s the first non-white governor in Louisiana since …
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Politics
Dobson, Abortion, & the 2008 Election
by Clay Staggs
I’ve been pretty hard on Dr. Dobson for his political activities, especially in this cycle. Basically, I’ve accused him of being too desirous of political influence. I probably shouldn’t beat a dead horse like this, but Dobson’s statements display at best political miscalculation, and, at worst …
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Politics
It’s For The Children
by Clay Staggs
A wise man I know named George Kelley once told me that whenever a politician proposes to do something “for the children,” that you’d better watch out for your wallet or your freedoms, because they’re coming for one of the two. I propose that the current debate over …
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Politics
Dobson’s Dilemma, or, Score One for Fred
by Clay Staggs
In my previous posts entitled Core Competency and Dobson on McCain, I’ve commented on Dr. James Dobson’s dalliances in Republican presidential primary politics, and found his comments on both occasions to be improper.
Recently, it was reported that Dobson, Tony Perkins, and several other politically active evangelicals got …
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Politics
Up In Smoke
by Clay Staggs
Vancouver, BC, is apparently in the process of banning smoking on city sidewalks, bus shelters, and taxis. Now, I could write about how ridiculous that is, and I’d be right. However, that ridiculousness pales in comparison to the ridiculousness of the exception they’re granting. Get ready: Muslim hookah …
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Politics
Where’s the Outrage?
by Clay Staggs
I’ve written before about the disturbing inability of our culture - especially our supposed elites - to make even the most basic moral judgments. That inability is on display again for the world to see at Columbia University.
The president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, will be in NYC this week to …
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Politics
Carrie Nation in California
by Clay Staggs
I’d probably better stop posting on this topic, lest I be accused of being a lush, but it just burns me up.
According to sources quoted on Don Surber’s blog, the California Council on Alcohol Policy will be using federal grant money to convene at some posh resort …
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Politics
How To Make Better Soldiers
by Clay Staggs
I know that Ron Paul says equally kooky things on the GOP side, and that the minor candidates in a presidential nomination are really cheap shots, but I just couldn’t resist this.
Citing the ancient Spartans, Mike Gravel has some ideas about making our military men more effective fighters …
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Politics
Carrie Nation in Nashville
by Clay Staggs
If I were to survey the good people of Tennessee about what the worst problems facing their state were, I think I know what I’d see: jobs, economy, health care, education, taxes, security, etc. I’m pretty certain that underage drinking would not make anyone’s top 10.
Yet …
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Politics
June 12, 1987
by Clay Staggs
I am an unabashed fan of Ronald Reagan. I think he was a great (not perfect) president in a time that desperately called out for great leadership. In many ways, his ghost haunts the Republican Party to this day, which is searching for the next great leader of that caliber …
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Politics
A Rare Agreement
by Clay Staggs
It isn’t terribly often that I find myself sympathetic to any of the statements of the group Americans United for Separation of Church and State, but this may be one.
This all centers around the latest idiotic statement coming out of a televangelist’s mouth - or, rather, computer. Bill …
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Politics
Stayin’ Alive
by Jimmy Hopper
The Riverwood Book Group will finish at our meeting tonight our discussions on two very fascinating books about persecution. They are Night by Elie Wiesel and Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch. Night is a memoir by Mr. Wiesel of the 15th and 16th years …
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Politics
Big Sister is Watching
by Clay Staggs
The Hillary Clinton - Barack Obama race promises to be great fun, especially if you’re a Republican like me who’s basically not invested in the outcome. It’s gotten off to a great start, but in a decidedly 21st century way - on YouTube.
Someone, operating under a pseudonym, whose …
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Politics
Doofus du Jour
by Clay Staggs
I’ve been paying attention to politics pretty much all of my adult life. I cannot remember a presidential campaign season starting so early or having as many doofus candidates as this one. But hey, lots of blogging material, right?
The doofus du jour is John Edwards. Let me supply …
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Politics
Guarantied GOP Presidential Victory
by Clay Staggs
Seriously, somebody in Rudy’s, Romney’s and McCain’s campaigns should all be taking note of this blog post. There is one issue so powerful, it can, if properly executed, propel whichever one of them is the eventual Republican nominee straight to 1800 Pennsylvania Avenue. And no, it’s …
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Politics
Handicapping the Evangelical Vote
by Clay Staggs
There’s an interesting article on the web today about one man’s view on the 2008 Republican presidential primaries. The one opining is Richard Land, who is president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and a sometime informal adviser to President Bush. You …
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Politics
Bush Derangement Syndrome, or, Whose Side Are You On?
by Clay Staggs
I’ve heard conservative bloggers refer to “Bush Derangement Syndrome” - a condition where, out of sheer blind hatred for George W., his opponents are compelled to oppose everything he supports, regardless of whether that’s good for the body politic or not.
I now believe quite firmly that this condition …
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Politics
How Quickly They Forget, or, What’s Italian for “Hypocrite”?
by Clay Staggs
Great Observation from the guys at Powerline this morning. I can’t add to this (aside from perhaps wondering how the UN can do anything like a global ban on anything), so I’ll simply copy and paste:
CNN Europe reports that Italians are shocked—shocked!—by the cell phone video …
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Politics
Eulogy Potshot
by Clay Staggs
I really enjoy a good political argument. But, to paraphrase Ecclesiasties, there’s a time and a place for everything. And a funeral is NOT the place for cheap political shots.
Here’s an excerpt from the AP report about former President Ford’s funeral service at the National Cathedral …
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Politics
Reactions to Saddam’s End
by Clay Staggs
Saddam has met his end at the gallows.
From where I sit, this can only be construed as good news. And I think that most folks would agree. But yet, there is a not insubtsantial segment, even of the non-arab/non-Muslim world, that is bemoaning this development.
First, and not …
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Politics
Clean-up On Aisle 9: The Working Poor
by Tim Lien
In 1969 Americaâ??s largest employer happened to be General Motors: Then CEO, James M. Roche made $4.2 million per annum. His average employee (adjusted to account for inflation) brought home $45,000.
Welcome to 2006.
Wal-Mart is now the nationâ??s largest employer. CEO H. Lee Scott takes …
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Politics
The Gospel According to Jimmy Carter
by Clay Staggs
Full Disclosure: I do not like Jimmy Carter. Those who think Jimmy Carter is such a great humanitarian as to be beyond criticism may want to skip this post.
I ran across a devastating review of Carter’s new book, entitled Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid, in the Washington Post. In …
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Politics
Who Loves The Lord?
by Clay Staggs
Just when you think that politics can’t get any weirder when it comes to its intersection with religion, along comes something to prove you wrong. Perusing Hugh Hewitt’s blog (which I recommend to all interested in politics, especially on the GOP side of the aisle), I found a …
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Politics
On Christianity and Political Activism
by Jimmy Hopper
A column in the Tuscaloosa News that I almost never miss is that of Cary McMullen, who appears each Saturday on the Religion page. I’m not sure why I’m so faithful to read him because He is obviously a bit to the left of my stance on most …
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Politics
Get Over It
by Clay Staggs
I’ve been reading a lot recently about the furor in the Muslim world over the pope’s speech. For those who may not know, the pope gave a talk at Regensburg University in Germany. In it he said the following:
In the seventh conversation edited by Professor Khoury, the …
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Politics
“Profound Moral Confusion”
by Clay Staggs
Hugh Hewitt is one of my favorite bloggers to read. He asserts this morning that the country, or at least certain parts of it, are profoundly morally confused regarding the decision by Harvard, the University of Virginia, and others to invite former Iranian president Khatami to speak. Now, I agree …
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Politics
Feeling Blue
by Clay Staggs
Anyone who knows me knows that my politics are broadly conservative. As such, I find myself firmly in the Republican camp. I generally consider myself to be a good party guy, and, generally support the party’s candidates. Lots of “generallys” in that last sentence, and that’s because I …