Frederick Dalton (Fred) Thompson, with his candidacy to be declared just after Labor Day, is described by Republican pollster Frank Luntz as the “Six-million-pound gorilla” of the Republican primary race. At 64 years, Thompson is best known for his role as New York CityDistrict Attorney Arthur Branch on TVs Law and Order series. However, he is also a well-known politician having served in the U.S. Senate as the Representative from Tennessee from 1994 to 2003.

While his career is quite diversified, his heart is in government where he is still actively involved in the Council on Foreign Relations, specializing in national security and intelligence.

Fred Thompson born in Sheffield, Alabama, was the first member of his family to go to college where he earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy and political science before going on to earn his J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1967. His early credentials then show that him admitted to the Tennessee State Bar where he worked as an assistant U.S. attorney from 1969 to 1972 before becoming the campaign manager for Republican U.S. Senator Howard Baker. Baker primarily worked as an attorney until the early 1990s during which time he served as a special counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Intelligence.

During his time in practice he was appointed as minority counsel for the Watergate hearings and according to Fox News was responsible for getting Senator Baker to ask “What did the President know, and when did he know it?” This question is one that led directly to President Nixon’s downfall. According to historian Stanley Kutler, Fred Thompson and Howard Baker “carried water for the White House, but they were watching out for their interests, too… they weren’t going to mindlessly go down the tubes” for Nixon.

As early in his career as 1977, Thompson exposed corruption of Tennessee governor Ray Blanton when he took on the case of Marie Ragghianti the chairperson of the Tennessee Parole Board who was fired for refusing to release felons who had bribed aides of the governor. With the successful completion of the case, Blanton was found to have arbitrarily fired Ragghianti and was ordered to reinstate her with back pay. Thompson’s success in this case resulted in Blanton being toppled from power.

When control of the Senate passed from Republican to Democratic in 2001, Thompson became the ranking minority member of the Committee on Governmental Affairs.

In March 2003, Thompson was featured in a commercial by the conservative non-profit group Citizens United that advocated the invasion of Iraq, stating: “When people ask what has Saddam done to us, I ask, what had the 9/11 hijackers done to us — before 9/11,” and he has remained supportive of that invasion. In 2006 Thompson served on the advisory board for I. Lewis (”Scooter”) Libby, Jr., who was convicted of lying to federal investigators during their investigation of the Plame affair. Thompson was convinced Libby was innocent and set out to raise more than $5 million to help finance the his defense, even going so far as to host a fundraiser for the Libby defense fund at his home in McLean, Virginia.

Fred Thompson believes that federalism provides a basis for a proper analysis of most issues and considers each vote on the depth of government involvement and as to if it is a matter that should be decided on the federal, state, or local level. Endorsed by U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato of New York and fourteen other current members of Congress Thompson is well on his way to be a contender in the Republican primaries. However, Thompson is not controversy free, most notably his pro-choice lobbying, allegations of utilizing his political action committee to benefit his son, and finger-pointing accusations that he worked as a White House mole during Watergate.

Another controversial factor is Thompson’s non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), a form of cancer and whether it would affect his performance as president. However, according to Thompson, he is in remission and currently experiencing no symptoms from the disease. Thompson’s cancer is reportedly the lowest of three grades of NHL. Overall, there is a lot to be said for Thompson who has led a full and successful life as not only a politician but also as an actor. In my opinion, he has many things in common with former President Reagan but is probably a better actor. For him, his acting career could be an advantage as it gives him instant name recognition and if you top that with his political credibility, you could be looking at a really viable candidate.

Also in his favor according to Tom Bevan at RealClearPolitics is that two of the top-tier candidates on the Democratic side (Obama and Edwards) currently have eight years in the Senate which is exactly the amount of time that Thompson has belonged to the Senate. Additionally, in his favor is the fact that in today’s political arena the aura that a candidate sends off is nearly as important as experience and Fred Thompson projects both strength and seriousness, which makes people feel comfortable in trusting him. In other words, Thompson would never come out looking like a lightweight if he is put in a debate pitted against Obama, Clinton, or Edwards. Given that, it will come down to how grueling a schedule Thompson is willing to commit himself to over the next several months since he going to need to fight for the nomination if he really wants it. As for myself, I think that America could do worse than Thompson since he is enough in the center to possibly enable him to draw together members from both parties. Given my perfect choice, though, I would still prefer Ron Paul because he is man who will not be swayed by mediocrity or lobbying efforts.

Tags: frederick thompson, fred thompson, law & order, presidential campaign, 2008 candidates, republican, ron paul, ronald reagan, edwards, obama, tom bevan, scooter libby, watergate, realclearpolitics, mid stream conservative, conservative, pro-life

Republican Chuck Hagel, one of the loudest Iraq critics in his party, may find himself running as an independent if he feels that he would be unable to take his party’s nomination for president. As the Senate war debate continues, Hagel’s conservative voting record has been overshadowed by his forceful criticism of how Mr. Bush has handled the war, causing him to state, “it has been very, very lonely over the last four years.”

These days, however, with no republican running with his point of view, Senator Hagel is seeing a turn around with significant Republican fundraisers encouraging him in his run for presidency. However, he is still keeping a low profile as he decides if he wants to seek re-election to his senate seat, run for president, or completely step away from public office and return to the private sector. He has stated, however, that he believes that,

 “People have enough regard for him to know that he is not a flake, that he is a serious leader,” adding that, “Whether you agree with me or not – or whether you think I’d have a chance or not, that’s a different thing. But I don’t think anyone would doubt my sincerity to do a good job and do it right.”

On his Iraq position he states that at a town meeting in Nebraska, that drew a crowd of over 300 he received “an overwhelming response.” He qualifies the statement by stating, “That doesn’t mean, of course, that the hate mail to his Senate office has entirely stopped. (It hasn’t.)” The positive response, however, did provide him with reason to continue to ponder his decision on running for the White House. Further proof of his solid performance was called to national attention when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) called Senator Hagel a “solid, thoughtful, conservative Republican, whose voice is invaluable to the nation, and who is an indispensable member of the Republican team.” McConnell then went on in an article published by the Lincoln Star Journal, on May 18, 2007, to say “Hagel’s Iraq warnings were right”

During the July 24 CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate, Joseph Biden and John Edwards were asked who they would choose as a running mate if the list were limited to either a Republican member of Congress or a Republican governor. In both instances Senator Chuck Hagel’s name was mentioned which gives one pause to wonder if he would not be the one person who could transcend partisan lines and unite the country.   

In general, it appears that Hagel, like former president Eisenhower will realistically emphasize cooperativeness on the international level and fiscal austerity at home. Along with that Hagel could possibly forge a bipartisan consensus to tackle critical issues including extricating the U.S. from Bush’s Iraq fiasco, dealing with immigration reform, and developing a health care reform that will benefit those without insurance. If these issues are also important to you visit www.drafthage108.com where there is an ongoing sweepstakes to get Senator Hagel to enter the presidential race.

Tags: chuck hagel, senator chuck hagel, republican, conservative, iraq war, immigration reform, nebraska senator, lincoln star journal, mcconnell, eisenhower, presidential candidate, 2008 candidates, republican, edwards

Google who acquired YouTube last November in an unprecedented $1.65 billion deal is planning to implement a new technology by early fall that will help to combat video piracy. However, a YouTube spokesman has stated that due to the complicated development process “it is difficult to forecast specific launch dates,” he wrote.

The development of this new technology has been deemed critical in face of the copyright-infringement lawsuit that was filed in March by Viacom Inc. that sought $1 billion in damages against Google. The new technology will be a form of video recognition that is expected to be as sophisticated as IAFIS (fingerprint) technology currently used by law enforcement.

According to the Associated Press, the new software will allow attached digital fingerprints to copyrighted materials that will in turn trigger a block from YouTube whenever someone tries to upload a copyrighted video without permission.

In April, Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt said “the system in development isn’t being designed to filter out or block pirated videos but rather to flag illegally copied videos so that Google will be able to remove them from the site.” Its’ main intent is to give Google a means of identifying the offending material more effectively so that it will be compliant with copy right law.

As of July, however, Google’s attorney implied that the software is being improved to include blocking capabilities and to eliminate the need for content owners to notify Google.

Tags: google, youtube, video pirating, new technology, eric schmidt, digital fingerprinting

California Representative, Duncan Lee Hunter, is making a bid for the 2008 presidential nomination based on his espousing of the politics of former President Ronald Reagan, which includes his fiscal conservatism and belief in the need for a muscular military. 

Former member of the United States Army Airborne turned lawyer, Hunter was elected to Congress in 1981 where he chairs the Committee on Armed Services. During his tenure, Hunter has voted 89.3% of the time with a majority of his Republican colleagues. This percentage, however, does not include the 27.6% of the votes in which he failed to vote, which translated means that during the current Congress he has missed 200 chances to vote. 

Hunter stated at his official kickoff in San Diego that, “This is going to be a long road, it’s a challenging road, there’s going to be some rough and tumble but I think it’s the right thing to do for our country.”  

However, Hunter’s bid for the presidential nomination may be more about his fear of losing his current power as chairman of the armed services committee in November 2007, if Democrats are able to gain control in Congress, than of any desire to actually win the prized White House. Then too, it could be that he is looking at boosting his earning power in the private sector, if he were to lose a future election to Congress, by being able to add a failed presidential bid to his resume.  

However, Hunter is not the only Republican candidate eyeing the 2008 presidential race who views themselves as the logical heir to Reagan. Other such conservative contenders include Virginia Senator George Allen (R) who has openly vowed that he would follow Reagan’s governing philosophy.  

However, Allen’s presidential ambitions have wavered due to the stronger-than-expected challenge from former Navy Secretary Jim Webb. If Allen removes himself from the race it will mean a better chance for people like Hunter, former Representative Dick Armey (R-Tex.) and a few other lesser known national figures to weigh a potential bid in hopes of picking up the Reagan mantle. However, one should note that no sitting House member has won the White House since James Garfield in 1880 which most likely means that neither Hunter nor Armey will play a significant role in the upcoming presidential race. 

For myself, I wouldn’t cast my vote with Hunter, Armey, or Allen but would stand steadfastly behind Ron Paul, a man who has stood by his principles time and again despite strong party opposition. To date Paul seems to have the best qualifications if you the voter are not looking for a rubber stamp of the failed Bush presidency. 

Tags: hunter, duncan hunter, california representative, presidential nominee, republican candidates, ronald reagan, ron paul, george allen, jim webb, armed services committee, republican 2008 candidates

David Baltimore in American Scientist praises The God Delusion, an anti-religious book by Richard Dawkins, Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. In his review, Baltimore notes that “Dawkins doesn’t ever come to terms with the large number of scientists who are comfortable believing both [in] evolution … and that there is a God.” He then goes on to suggest that Dawkins’s “core reason for writing his manuscript was to change the status of atheists in America to one of tolerance if not ultimate acceptance.”

It appears that Dawkins has written this manuscript as an attempt provide fodder for both the secular and scientific worlds as they take on those religious sects that want to rule the masses through the political arena. He believes this is necessary in order to reduce the political turmoil caused by religion, which does little other than make it harder for world communities to live together peaceably. However, I have a hard time subscribing to Dawkins philosophy that belief in a supernatural creator is nothing short of delusional, which he defines as a persistent false belief in the existence of God despite strong contradictory evidence. While I tend to believe that God is from an advanced planet somewhere outside of our universe, I cannot buy into evolution nor fathom how man could exist unless we were brought here by a higher power.

To prove his points Dawkins, in The God Delusion, incorporates four “consciousness-raising” messages, the first of which states that Atheists can be happy, balanced, moral, and intellectually fulfilled. Secondly, that natural selection and similar scientific theories are superior to the theory of intelligent design. Thirdly, that children should not be labeled by their parents’ religion and lastly, that Atheists should be proud, not apologetic, because atheism is evidence of a healthy, independent mind. What is amazing, however, to this reviewer, is that Dawkins displays a religious enthusiasm for science which he explains away as “Einsteinian religion”, referring to Einstein’s use of the word “God” as a metaphor for nature or the mysteries of the universe. Apparently Einstein’s “God” is ok since it is not focused on a supernatural creator who man worships. Thus showing no respect for conventional religion Dawkins continues his rant by concluding that religion is given a privileged and undeserved immunity against criticism incorporating a quote by Douglas Adams to illustrate his point. The quote states that “Religion … has certain ideas at the heart of it which we call sacred or holy or whatever.” What Adams intends this to mean is, “Here is an idea or a notion that you’re not allowed to say anything bad about”.Dawkins then precedes to list a number of examples of religion being given privileged status, such as the ease of gaining conscientious objector status; the use of euphemisms for religious conflicts; various exemptions from the law; and the Muhammad cartoons controversy. 

By chapter 2 Dawkins attacks God directly when he describes “Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, as arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction which basically came down to His being a malevolent bully.”He continues by suggesting that the existence of God is merely a hypothesis like any other, one that should be treated with as much skepticism as evolution or any other proposed hypothesis.  

Then in chapter 3 Dawkins turns his attention to the five proofs of Thomas Aquinas the main philosophy behind our believing in the existence of God.  Dawkins argues throughout this chapter that the first three of Aquinas’s proofs are based on infinite regresses and states, “it is by no means clear that God provides a natural terminator to the regresses”. He then suggests that Aquinas’s fourth way, the Argument from Degree, is “fatuous” by way of an overload objection of the “pre-eminently peerless stinker”. However, he reserves the fifth proof, the Argument from Design, for later discussion in the next chapter on evolution, which he considers its ultimate refutation. However, Dawkins isn’t content to stop there but takes on as many of the arguments as he can in his short manifesto to explain why there almost certainly is no God.

By chapter 4 he is ready to tackle evolution by natural selection and to demonstrate that the argument of Intelligent Design is wrong. He contends that a hypothetical cosmic designer would require an even greater explanation than the phenomena of natural selection. He uses an argument from improbability, to suggest that “God almost certainly does not exist”: stating, “However statistically improbable the entity you seek to explain by invoking a designer, the designer himself has got to be at least as improbable. God is the Ultimate Boeing 747.” The “Boeing 747″ reference alludes to a statement made by Fred Hoyle: the “probability of life originating on earth is no greater than the chance that a hurricane sweeping through a scrap-yard would have the luck to assemble a Boeing 747″.  

In chapter 5, Dawkins explains that the roots of religion were an accidental by-product of human’s susceptibility to religious memes and was therefore able to spread like a “mind virus” across societies. This leads into chapter 6 where Dawkins addresses the subject of morality, maintaining that our morality has a Darwinian explanation: “altruistic genes that have been selected through the process of our evolution.” Chapter 7 continues the morality theme insisting that moral Zeitgeist continue to evolve in society, often in opposition to the warped and brutal influence of religious morality.  

Towards the end of the book, Dawkins states that his hostility toward religion comes from religion’s efforts to subvert science, its ability to foster fanaticism, encourage bigotry and influence society in other negative ways. He supports his message by providing examples of cases where people have been accused of blasphemy only to find themselves sentenced to death and how people in the name of religion have picketed at the funerals of gays or gay sympathizers. Dawkins further shows how the Bible was manipulated by southern preachers to condone slavery and how during the Crusades, anyone who refused to convert to Christianity were murdered.  

Dawkins even manages to draw a parallel between childhood, abuse and religious training of children by equating religious indoctrination of children by parents to a form of mental abuse. If Dawkins had his way people would cringe whenever a young child was taught about God rather being allowed to develop their own independent views on the cosmos and humanity’s place within it. Finally, his argument suggests that the world would be a better place if everyone maintained an atheistic viewpoint so that no one had to struggle with religion’s unsatisfying “answers” to life’s mysteries. 

Overall, Dawkins may be right in his assertion that religions themselves are potentially dangerous, and that religious zealotry is neither necessary nor sufficient for suicide bombers. However, his fervor is no less dangerous and his thesis shows a superficial knowledge of the Bible and an intolerance towards theists that is no less dangerous. The physicist Lawrence M. Krauss, suggests that an unrelenting attack upon people’s beliefs might be less productive than “positively demonstrating how the wonders of nature can suggest a world without God that is nevertheless both complete and wonderful.” As far as religious training of children being child abuse I can definitely see instances where that was the case but for most rational human beings God is relayed to children as a benevolent persona that is non threatening, by loving parents, and can in no way be viewed as detrimental to a child’s mental health.

Tags: god, delusion, the god delusion, book, non fiction, richard dawkins, oxford university, book review, child abuse, intelligent design, creator, yahweh, religion, suicide bombers, atheism, atheist, scientific

Fifty-nine-year-old Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson has over the last 25 years proven himself to be a reliable leader serving not only seven terms as a congressman but also as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Secretary of Energy, and as a two-term governor of New Mexico.

Richardson is basing his long-shot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination not only on his thick curriculum vitae and mainstream political views, but also on his knack for the kind of personal campaigning that’s sacred to New Hampshire. He is hoping to perform so well in the New Hampshire polls that he will be able to change the consensus of political experts who have placed him as a second-tier candidate, lagging behind Clinton (33 percent) and Obama (25 percent). Nationwide, Richardson’s support is hovering at 3 percent, according to Pollster.com, which publishes an average of several polls. When it comes to so-called retail campaigning, however, Richardson may have an edge in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary, which is set for Jan. 22.

Discussing how he might bridge the gap in the polls Richardson compared his strategy to that of Jimmy Carter’s 1976 campaign, when as a largely unknown persona outside of his home state of Georgia, he managed to win the presidential seat. During his campaign, Carter scored a victory, with 28.4 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary and then rode those coups to success in later primaries after virtually living in Iowa and New Hampshire for months. If Richardson were to win or make a surprisingly strong showing in Iowa and New Hampshire, it would set him up for a win in the possibly 20-state-plus sweepstakes on Super Tuesday, February 5.

On the major plus side for Richardson the debates show that Richardson has the strongest position on getting all of our troops out of Iraq. This is shown in the consistency between his statements at both the Democratic Presidential debate in Charleston, South Carolina, and then again in the YouTube debate on 7/23/2007. During both instances, Richardson declared his position regarding the Iraq War with the following comment: “we should bring all of the troops home in six months with no residual forces”. He then added that “the lives of our men and women are more important than George Bush’s legacy,” and that “this war is a quagmire. We have to get all of our troops out now. No more politics.”

However, with Congress still unable to pass legislation setting a strict timeline for the removal of troops from Iraq, Governor Richardson’s frustration was noted, on 7/24/2007, when he stated “We need to remove all American troops from Iraq by the end of the year.” Adding that not only do the American people want us out the Iraqi people want us out.” If both countries are in agreement then why are we still there?

While Richardson’s stand on Iraq is critical to his campaign it is not his only focus as was seen in the presidential debate where the strongest positive reaction came when Governor Richardson responded to a question about whether he would keep or do away with the Bush administration’s No Child Left behind program. To the question he without hesitation answered, “I would scrap it. It just does not work, the worst thing it does is take the funding away from nonperforming schools that need it the most and where it should be used as an incentive to increase teacher performance. He further emphasized that both science and math should be made priority subjects for our youths and qualified/motivated teachers rewarded with a wage that is worthy of their contribution to their field.

Other high points during the debate included Governor Richardson’s strategy for restoring U.S. government to a leadership role in the world by addressing the need to stop the genocide in Darfur, as well as, to how we can better respond to homeland emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina.

Richardson’s biggest challenge will be to raise an additional $30 million by year-end if he hopes to compete in the race with Clinton and Obama who have garnered more than $100 million each. Although Richardson has said that he expects to have enough money to compete effectively, the front-runners’ lopsided financial advantage is already obvious when you compare Edwards staff of 40 people in eight regional New Hampshire offices, to Richardson’s campaign staff of 14 with a single office in Manchester. To top the quagmire, however, is the difference that the candidates have invested in Missouri where the top contenders have already opened offices across the state while Richardson has yet to open one.

In the end it comes down to Richardson’s actually having the best resume for the job and his desire to use the office to bring our troops home which is the major priority of most Americans. It is also notable that Richardson’s sensible approach to the issues, his record and background along with his basic knowledge of the issues make him a viable candidate to be considered in the primaries. Besides, for those of us who cringe at the thought of Hillary becoming our next president, Richardson shines like a beacon from afar.

Tags: bill richardson, democrat, presidential hopeful, democratic candidate, iraq war, clinton, obama, edwards, carter, new mexico, governor bill richardson, no child left behind

According to Eons.com of the 450,000 people who completed their Longevity Calculator for age 50-plus Americans all of them should live to age 90 or more. That’s good news for those who have bought into other statistics that place the average life expectancy in the 70s. What makes the results of Eons Longevity Calendar different is that it is intended to be taken by those individuals who have already seen their 50^th birthday. That means that they have already survived the childhood accidents and diseases, as well as, the early onset of forms of cancer, heart disease and other ailments that can shorten life.

Longevity expert for Eons, Dr. Tom Peris, founder and director of Boston University’s New England Centenarian Study is the one that created the Longevity Calculator that is comprised of 40 short questions about health, history, attitudes, and behaviors. The survey takes an average of only 10 minutes to complete to discover your projected age of death.

Interestingly, Dr. Peris discovered when calculating the results of some 450,000 completed questionnaires, that there were interesting state trends such as the fact that residents of Hawaii live at least two years longer than residents of any other state. However, it also showed on the other end of the scale that residents of West Virginia had the shortest projected life span at 89 years of age.

Since baby boomers then can expect to live 20 years longer than their grandparents did the longevity calendar may help them think differently about how they want to spend the remaining healthy, vibrant years of their life.

To add real years to your life Dr. Peris suggests some changes that make a real difference.

• Change your attitude - You can add five years to your expected life expectancy by maintaining a stress-free, optimistic outlook on life.
• Exercise - You can add up to 10 years to your expected life expectancy by maintaining a steady exercise routine that raises your heart rate for 30 minutes, four days a week.
• Eat Healthier - You can add another seven years to your expected life expectancy by choosing to eat a well-balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish and lean meat.
• Put Out the Cigarette - Smoking subtracts 15 years from your projected life expectancy even if you don’t succumb to one of the diseases associated with smoking such as lung cancer and emphysema.
• Train Your Brain - You can add five years to your life expectancy while strengthening your brain engaging in sustained and challenging brain activity. This can be done in the form of games such as Sudoku or crossword puzzles worked on for a minimum of 20 minutes a day.

The test is easy and quite interesting so everyone should take advantage of it, if they desire to know what changes that they need to make to expand the time they have left to enjoy on this Earth. To take the Eons Longevity Calculator test, go here. Or take the full Eons State of Longevity Report here.

Tags: eons.com, longevity calculator, longevity, living better, health, wellness, life expectancy, dr. peris, boston university, dr. tom peris, centenarian

Governor Mike Huckabee, an ordained Baptist Minister, from the Bible state of
Arkansas has thrown his hat into the 2008 presidential race.

As far as his platform goes, Huckabee states that the centerpiece of his presidential campaign will the implementation of the “fair tax” that would replace the Internal Revenue Code with a consumption tax, like the taxes on retail sales that 45 states now have. Huckabee’s vision of the “fair tax” would be one that would completely eliminate all federal income and payroll taxes, including personal federal, corporate federal, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative minimum, Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment. Instead, he would implement a simple tax based on wealth.

To ensure that necessities are not taxed Huckabee’s fair tax would only be applied on what consumers decide to buy not on what they earn. It would also eliminate many of the loopholes used by big corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying their full share of federal taxes.

The beauty of the fair tax is that individuals would not be penalized for saving money since they would not be taxed on what is saved or the interest that is earned on those savings. Also, since the tax will only apply to new goods, taxpayers could cut their taxes further by buying used items that wouldn’t be taxed which would also help our landfills last longer.

Club for Growth, a watchdog group and critics of Huckabee are quick to point out, however, that by the end of his second term as governor he had raised sales taxes 37 percent, fuel taxes 16 percent, and cigarettes taxes 103 percent.

Other critics, such as the National Review have charged that Huckabee was not the poster child for smaller government that he claimed by citing the increase in state employees and spending during his tenure.

On foreign policy Huckabee’s stance is that there can be ‘No Negotiation’ With Radical Islam. He further contends that as the leader of the free world he would possess a raw no-nonsense understanding of the immensity of the evil we are facing as a people and as a civilization.His statement was that “This is not a typical geo-political war over boundaries, borders, or political bravado — it’s a theological war with radical adherents to their religion who believe that their God has ordered them to purge earth of all that is not a part of their ‘pure’ faith. “There is no negotiation with those engaged in a theological war — it’s naive and downright dangerous to believe they will leave us alone if we leave them alone. That’s nonsense. They don’t care if the war lasts 1,000 days or a 1,000 years — their goal is our annihilation and their supreme rule over the whole earth.”

One of the things that could hold up his nomination, however, is whether he has enough support to beat Hillary Clinton if she wins the Democratic nomination. In response to this, Dave Eberhart of NewsMax reported on Tuesday, July 10, 2007, that while Huckabee acknowledges that Hillary will be tough to beat, he insists he is the republican candidate that has the best chance of success. In the interview with NewsMax the former governor states that he has the “truest consistent conservative credentials and has never flip-flopped on important issues.”

Meanwhile, the candidate is starting to register in the polls and has emerged from the second tier pack as the potential comer. At the least he is talked about as a possible vice presidential candidate who could anchor a presidential candidate like Rudy Giuliani or Mitt Romney to the GOP’s base in the South and among evangelicals.

This reviewer’s major concern is whether Huckabee can set aside his religious beliefs long enough to view issues in an objective way or if everything he votes for or vetoes will be based on his religious prejudice. Separation of Church and State has been preached at us since we were in grade school so it seems dangerous to place a Baptist minister in power where it is likely his influence will deprive many Americans of their secular rights, and/or possibly their religious ones. An example of such callus handling of other’s religious beliefs was seen on October 19, 2006, when Huckabee appeared on the Imus in the Morning radio show with Don Imus who noted that Huckabee looked “emaciated.” Huckabee then quipped that, “I have just come out of six weeks at a concentration camp held by the Democrat Party of Arkansas in an undisclosed location, making a hostage tape…That’s why I look that way. In response to his comments The National Jewish Democratic Council spoke out against the remarks; with their deputy executive director David Goldenberg stating that Huckabee’s comments were “insensitive” and that “making light of the Holocaust isn’t something any elected official should be doing.”

Other provocative statements included the following:

• Hate abortion but allow it is like hate slavery but allow it. (May 2007)
• Certainly good day for
  America when Roe v. Wade is repealed. (May 2007)
• Embryonic stem cell research creates life to end a life. (May 2007)
• Pro-life includes improving life after birth. (Jan 2007)
• Outlaw all abortions; err on the side of life. (Jan 2007)
• Pro-life and pro-death penalty, & sees them as far different. (Jan 2007)
• Eliminate public funding for abortion organizations. (Nov 2002)
• Supports woman’s right-to-know legislation. (Jan 2001)
• Pro-life, but respects choice as mandated law. (Jan 2001)
• Address gay behavior if problematic, not gay attitudes. (Jun 2007)
• Respect gay couples but no gay adoptions. (Jan 2007)
• 
  USA has gone from Barney Fife to Barney Frank. (Jan 2007)
• Signed legislation outlawing same-sex marriage in
  Arkansas. (Dec 2006)
• No civil unions; only one-man-one-woman marriage. (Nov 2002)
• No affirmative for state contracts nor colleges. (Nov 2002)
• More federal funding of IDEA for disabled education. (Mar 2000)
• Support principles embodied in the Equal Rights Amendment. (Feb 2001)
• Supports death penalty, but only reluctantly. (Jan 2007)
• Eliminating parole gives no incentive for rehabilitation. (Jan 2007)
• Three Strikes based more on revenge than restoration. (Jan 2007)
• Build more prisons, and privatize their management. (Nov 2002)
• Supports flexible federal block grants for crime programs. (Sep 2001)
• Tougher juvenile crime penalties; but let states set them. (Aug 1999)

No matter where you stand on the candidates, however, please take the time to study each one’s credentials and reason for running. Then remember what a privilege it is to be able to have a voice in who leads us and take the time on election day to vote your conscience on election day.

Tags: mike huckabee, presidential candidate, republican candidate, conservative, baptist minister, pro-life, fair tax, discrimination, abortion, arkansas, hillary clinton, club for growth, don imus, national review, islam, radicals

Republican presidential candidate Senator Sam Brownback is the Evangelical Christians idea of a savior that will help to establish a pure blissful sin-free government. Backed by Pat Robertson, Brownback is in a good position to reap the votes of the millions of Christian Right voters who are still upset over the issues of abortion and gay marriage. However, if you do not happen to share their beliefs a hundred percent then a red flag alert is advised and you probably don’t want to vote for him for president.

From the Catholic leaders in Iowa to Don Lamberti, founder of the Casey’s General Store chain Brownback finds being held up as the best candidate to uphold and defend Catholic values and those of Fundamentalist Christians everywhere. Brownback for his part openly declares that he has fought for many years to support the principles family values and critical fiscal and economic reforms. In addition it must be noted that Senator Sam Brownback led the fight against indecency going so far as to ask the Marriott hotel chain to stop offering pornography in its rooms.

Pledging to take these standards with him to the White House Brownback has also garnered the support of the Iowa Faith and Family Leadership Committee. This group of 50 Christian leaders has vowed their full support to the senator due to his promise to protect human life and to fight to maintain the integrity of traditional marriage, as well as, the American family.

Senator Brownback stands against the Reid-Harkin Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, arguing that it uses federal taxpayer dollars to sanction the destruction of innocent human life. He reiterated this stance when he voiced concern over recent comments by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi that likened embryonic stem cell research to “a gift from God”. On the contrary, the senator claimed that “the greatest gift from God is life itself, not a controversial form of life-destroying research,” adding that “the destruction of innocent human life for research is incompatible with the Ten Commandments and other core biblical principles”

As far as gay marriage goes Brownback adamantly stands against it and went so far as to criticize Gov. John Lynch of New Hampshire for signing legislation into law that grants the rights of married couples to homosexual couples. His criticism included statements such as “in nations that have embraced same sex unions, overall marriage has declined putting families in jeopardy.” Then adding, “this is a massive social experiment whose early results have been quite harmful to families and children.”

Where foreign policy is concerned Senator Brownback wants to see Iraq divided into three states, separating each warring faction. On Darfur, the senator praised President Bush for imposing new economic sanctions on Sudanese businesses and individuals that aided the on-going genocide in Darfur saying that “it is our moral responsibility as a nation to make every effort we can to stop the innocent bloodshed in the Darfur region”.

On a positive note, Brownback believes that North America must in the next fifteen years use all available ingenuity and resources to obtain a goal of energy self-reliance. Furthermore, Brownback states that, “For too long our foreign policy has been dictated, in part, by our need for foreign oil”.

While this article must be limited in scope Senator Brownback has a vast platform for change including defending and promoting traditional marriage, building market- and consumer-based solutions to health care reform, and meaningful tax reform including an optional flat tax. He has worked hard to ensure that we confirm judges who will interpret the law and not legislate from the bench. However, his most focused agenda is as I have pointed out in this article the desire to protect and renew our American culture, and to defend human life and rights, be it in Darfur, Iran or North Korea.

While the New York Times declares him “one of the most conservative, religious, fascinating — and, in many ways, admirable — politicians in America today” unless you want someone in the White House whose campaign backers have publicly compared gays and lesbians to shoplifters and drug addicts you might want to look elsewhere for a viable candidate.

Most frightening to this reviewer, however, is Brownback’s membership in the Opus Dei. Yes, there really is such a group, and they’re way more secretive and ruthless than “The Da Vinci Code” makes them out to be. They’ve worked closely for decades — behind the scenes of course — with Fascist governments and movements, including Francisco Franco, Spain’s dictator from WWII to the mid-1970s. A like group called the Fellowship using Christianity as a front was founded in the 1930s when they were closely allied with various Nazi organizations. The Fellowship also engineered the anti-Communist hysteria of the late 1940s and ‘50s, which paved the way for Joe McCarthy’s reign of terror. Given those supporting him, it is little wonder that Brownback, in partnership with Alan Keyes (the anti-abortion fanatic who insulted Dick Cheney‘s daughter in front of millions), sponsored the Constitutional Restoration Act. The Constitutional Restoration Act is intended to reduce the “tyranny” of godless federal judges and “acknowledge God as the sovereign source of law.” Overall, my feeling is that if you’d like to have the Taliban replace our centuries-old system of laws, the Constitutional Restoration Act is just what you’ve been clamoring for and Brownback will do all he can to bring it about.

Tags: sam brownback, presidential candidates, republican, senator, constitution restoration act, taliban, pro-life candidate, opus dei, the fellowship, alan keyes, fundamentalist, evangelical christians, conservative, iraq, dafur, nancy pelosi, governor john lynch, anti-abortion, same sex marriage

Having suffered from recurring headaches for much of my adult life I was glad to find this article from the National Headache Foundation in my local paper. I am condensing the information I found for your perusal and hope that the guidelines that they offer can be of help to you.

According, to the National Headache Foundation (NHF) winter’s approach sees more Americans booking air fares and packing up the SUV as they travel across the country to escape the cold or to enjoy the sites while children in school. However, preparing for vacations and traveling are known to create added stress and tension two of the key components that are known to bring on headaches. The NHF estimates that over 45 million Americans experience chronic, recurring headaches and based on a recent on-line survey 68 percent of respondents said they experience headaches more frequently when traveling.

To address this issue the NHF offers travelers the following tips:

1. Maintain your normal sleeping and waking patterns (seventy-three percent of respondents attributed late-night visits and early morning tours to the disruption of sleep schedules that can lead to headaches).
2. Plan in advance (sixty-six percent of survey respondents stated that a well-planned trip eased their stress when traveling. This included arriving at an airport at least two hours before the scheduled departure or if driving making hotel reservations in advance).
3. Discuss your travel plans with your healthcare provider (Eighty-eight percent of respondents stated that adjusting medications based on travel may be needed due to high altitudes, lack of activity or different climates.)
4. Don’t skip or delay meals (sixty-nine percent of survey respondents reported the lack of available food as a component that negatively impacted their headache condition.) 

The NHF, a non-profit organization, is a source of help to sufferers’ families,  physicians who treat headache sufferers, allied healthcare professionals and to the public. The NHF accomplishes its mission by providing educational and informational resources, supporting headache research and advocating for the understanding of headache as a legitimate neurobiological disease. For more headache information or to find out more about NHF you can visit their website at (www.headaches.org).

Tags: national headache foundation, headache, travel, airport travel, stress headaches, headache tips, recurring headaches