Supreme Court a disgrace to Constitution

Twice in the past week, I have been stunned by two separate decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court. Although, by now, I suppose I shouldn't be "stunned" anymore because the misinterpretation of the Constitution has become so commonplace.

First, the court ruled that not only could property be seized by the government via eminent domain, for public purposes, but that now PRIVATE PROPERTY could be seized by the government for PRIVATE purposes. What?? You've got to be kidding me. So, basically if the government decides (or is paid off by corporate lobbyists) that the particular business can do a better job with the land or property than the person or group that owns the land, than the government can force the private property owner to sell it for another person or corporation's private use. WHOA. This is a big deal, and unreal.

The next decision that was made was one over the Ten Commandments and the place of religion in the public square. The court made two decisions here, which I believe are rather inconsistent with each other. They stated that while the Ten Commandments which are on display OUTSIDE a courthouse in Texas are ok, they also ruled that the Ten Commandments that are on display INSIDE a courthouse in Kentucky are not okay. As James Robison says in his column this week, "Religious freedom, we have been told, can exist as long as it is silent. But, this is not what the framers of the Constitution intended." I encourage you to read his column on this case, where he discusses the original meaning of the Establishment Clause in the U.S. Constitution.

Something has to be done about the insane decisions by the Supreme Court. I just don't know what. Maybe some more courses on the Constitution and the Federalist Papers for law students? Maybe a better separation of powers between the courts and the rest of the governement officials? Something needs to be radically different, or we will be on the road to injustice, and justice and respect for the rule of law and the Constitution are critical for the survival of our country.

Campus Progressives at CRNC

Hey, those Campus Progressives are "watching" us... here's a link to their blog: http://www.campusprogress.org/page/community/group/main

They really took in the entity that was the College Republican National Committee's National Convention. I get the feeling they believe that the College Republicans are THE youth conservative movement. I got news for them: they're only one element.

I could have characterized this convention the same exact way they did - and frankly, some of what I saw (including what Campus Progress witnessed) is a bit nerve-wracking, from a conservative's perspective. I hope some of this doesn't define our movement. But, I could have also characterized this convention much differently and added a lot more viewpoints to it - there are plenty of intellectual conservatives here - they just won't get the attention of most viewers. For example, nowhere in these blogs do "Conventioneer" and "Conventionette" mention the good work done by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) - or some other really great organizations. That said, if they don't mention intellectual conservative organizations such as ISI, they probably weren't able to even "see" or "hear" the intellectual conservatives that are not the "ra ra" type of College Republican.

College Republicans are after all, college students - they drink, they look at girls, they party, and they characterize things very simply, without much depth. But, there are plenty of other College Republicans (and college students) that are more intellectual, don't drink (yes, plenty of non-drinkers here!) and read books. Where was the mention of all the free books my organization gave out? And, the conversations about ideas that I had with these students? Not mentioned. But the fact that an outsider viewed things with such honesty does show us that the conservative movement has a lot of work to do to ground our side in the intellectual and philosophical foundations that really define who we are and what we're all about.

And the winner is...

Paul Gourley! Congratulations to the Gourley/Beeson team. From my experience working with the CRNC, I know that the entire team they assembled are full of solid people, particularly Paul and Jess, Tom Robins and Nat Harding. I know they'll do a great job keeping the CR membership up and taking on new challenges.

I also give credit to the Davidson team - I don't know them as well, but from the people I have talked to over the past few months that worked on this campaign, they are also proven leaders. The two campaigns clashed over ideas and leadership, and well... that's politics (even at this level!) But, they all are solidly conservative (no RINO's here!) and that's not where they clashed. Each team just has different ideas of how to better recruit, retain, and activate the over 100,000 College Republicans around the nation. After the success of the past several years under Eric Hoplin, and following a vigorous campaign to re-elect President Bush and many other Republican leaders, the CR's nationwide decided they didn't need a major change, and stuck with the "insiders".

Now that the election is over... all CR's need to engage in the battle of ideas on college campuses, and remember who the real enemy is: Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, the Democrat Party, and all those looney Leftists. Time to work hard to make a difference.

Gourley vs. Davidson

Who will be the next Chairman of the College Republican National Committee? I just arrived to the site of the CRNC national convention in Arlington, VA and you can feel the excitement, anxiety, and political fighting that is going on to elect the next chairman of the CRNC.

Karl Rove once held this position, and Rove stated that Eric Hoplin (the current chair) would go down as the "best chairman" to date because of the successful impact that the CR's made in last year's re-election of President Bush. Both Paul Gourley and Michael Davidson hope they will get elected and continue the Rove-Hoplin tradition of moving the conservative movement forward and rallying thousands of college students to join the Republican Party, which tends to be the central component of the campus conservative movement.

I'm down here to introduce hundreds of College Republicans from around the nation to another side of the "political" - the intellectual conservativism that grounds the movement in ideas and principles. The Republicans hold the majority in our country today - but will they continue to lead principally? Hopefully our generation can hold the movement together and lead it forward.

I'll continue my thoughts over the weekend...

Protesters Kill Black Police Officer

This past week, a mass of protesters were in Philadelphia to oppose biotech research methods, biological weapons, genetically modified crops and other issues. They had announced plans to disrupt traffic and events in the city throughout the day. Well, they did a lot more... during a skirmish with police officers who were simply maintaining order in one of the largest cities in the U.S., one officer, Paris Williams, a 52-year old black male officer, was killed in the process.

Officer Williams collapsed and died, and was pronounced dead beacause of hypertensive cardiomyopothy or heart disease.

5 protestors were arrested, but will not face charges of murder or even manslaughter, but simply of "aggravated assault." You can read more about this story here: http://www.nbc10.com/news/4640083/detail.html

"Club Gitmo"

"Club Gitmo", what Rush Limbaugh is now calling the prison camp at Guatanomo Bay, Cuba. Hey, I'm not for torture, and if I thought real torture was going on there, I'd say close the base too. But, come on... we treat these prisoners better than we have to. Not only do we give them food and water, and all the stuff required by international law, but we go ABOVE and BEYOND that and give them free copies of the Koran, prayer time (with rugs!) and we do other nice things too. And this... all to our enemies! (enemies who used their religion to plot, kill, and conspire to kill thousands of Americans!)

Well, Rush is poking fun at the fact that Amnesty International has called "Gitmo" the "gulag of our times" (moral relativism? hello) and even some US legislators have condemned US action there, saying that Gitmo should be closed.

Check out Rush's "Club Gitmo" t-shirts here: http://store.rushlimbaugh.com/

Some slogans on the shirts:

"I Got My Free Koran and Prayer Rug at Gitmo"

"What Happens in Gitmo, Stays in Gitmo"

"Your Tropical Retreat from the Stress of J'had"

"My Mullah went to Gitmo and All I Got was this Lousy T-shirt"

Also, I highly recommend visit http://www.rushlimbaugh.com and scrolling down to the "Club Gitmo" section, where you can hear an audio version of the "commercial" for "Club Gitmo."

"Get some R&R at Gitmo!"
"Gitmo: The Muslim Resort"
"The Jewel of the Carribbean"
"Korans, prayer rugs, where else can Muslims go for everything they need"

and my favorite... "For terrorist extremists everywhere, at Club Gitmo we have a spot reserved for you" (damn right!)

Taxi to the United States, waves included.

Last week, 13 Cuban refugees crammed into a blue taxi (pictured) and set "sail" for the United States. That's right. They took the taxi, turned it into a boat and drove through the 90 miles or so of water to escape the totalitarian regime they have lived under for the past 45 years.

I gotta give these guys applause for their efforts. The U.S. needs to update its policy towards immigrants fleeing from Cuba and revert it back to the Cold War policy. We should accept all immigrants that are fleeing from totalitarian regimes. The Coast Guard caught these guys and according to this article in U.S. News and World Report, "Generally, Cubans intercepted trying to make the 90-mile crossing from Cuba to Florida are sent home to the Communist-ruled island, while those who make it to U.S. soil are usually allowed to stay."

The fact that they had to take a 1949 Mercury shows that the last time Cubans had it good was before a certain dictator came to power, that was 1959, when this car was already 10 years old. Good thing we have communists around, they can keep the same car running for more than 50 years and can utilize it in many different ways. Communism surely equals innovation. And, the car must have been running so good, these guys said, "Taxi! Take us to the United States."

WAVES OF FREEDOM: Cuban refugees take a blue taxi to the United States... 90 miles to freedom, watch for puddles. Now this is what I call hydro-planing. 

From the 'Lectric Law Library Stacks

The following are from Rush Limbaugh's Original (1988) and Updated (1994) "Undeniable Truths". I just felt like a random post today. Enjoy!

The "Undeniable Truths" were part of an article he wrote for the Sacramento Union back in 1988. Here they are:

1. The greatest threat to humanity lies in the nuclear arsenal of the USSR.
2. The greatest threat to humanity lies in the USSR.
3. Peace does not mean the elimination of nuclear weapons.
4. Peace does not mean the absence of war.
5. War is not obsolete.
6. Ours is a world governed by the aggressive use of force.
7. There is only one way to get rid of nuclear weapons - use them.
8. Peace cannot be achieved by developing a "understanding" with the Russian People.
9. When Americans oppose America, it is not always courageous and sacred; it is sometimes dangerous.
10. Communism Kills.
11. Neither the US, nor anyone else, imposes freedom on the peoples of other nations.
12. Freedom is God given.
13. In the USSR, peace means the absence of opposition.
14. To free peoples, peace means the absence of threats and the presence of justice.
15. The Peace Movement in the US, whether by accident or design, is pro-Communist.
16. The collective knowledge and wisdom of seasoned citizens is the most valuable, yet untapped, resource our young-people have.
17. The greatest football team in the history of civilization is the Pittsburgh Steelers of 1975-1980.
18. There is no such thing as war atrocities.
19. War itself is an atrocity.
20. There is a God.
21. Abortion is wrong.
22. Morality is not defined and cannot be defined by individual choice.
23. Evolution cannot explain Creation.
24. Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women access to the mainstream of society.
25. Love is the only human emotion that cannot be controlled.
26. The only difference between Mikhail Gorbachev and previous Soviet leaders, is that Gorbachev is alive.
27. Soviet Leaders are just left-wing dictators.
28. Abe Lincoln saved this nation.
29. The L.A. Raiders will never be the team that they were when they called Oakland their home.
30. The US will again go to war.
31. To more and more people, a victorious US is a sinful US.
32. This is frightening and ominous.
33. There will always be poor people.
34. This is not the fault of the rich.
35. You should thank God for making you an American; and instead of feeling guilty about it, help spread our ideas worldwide.


Rush has updated this list, many of the "old" UTOL having becomesomewhat dated (but no less true for being in the past tense!) As read by Rush Limbaugh on his radio show, Friday, February 18, 1994:(All equally truthful: number 1 is not more or less important than 35.)

1. There is a distinct singular American culture - rugged individualism and self-reliance - which made America great.
2. The vast majority of the rich in this country did not inherit their wealth; they earned it. They are the country's achievers, producers, and job creators.
3. No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity.
4. Evidence refutes liberalism.
5. There is no such thing as a New Democrat.
6. The Earth's eco-system is not fragile.
7. Character matters; leadership decends from character.
8. The most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you cut it down.
9. Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of the twentieth century.
10. The 1980s was not a decade of greed but a decade of prosperity; it was the longest period of peacetime growth in American history.
11. Abstinence prevents sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy -every time it's tried.
12. Condoms only work during the school year.
13. Poverty is not the root ("rut") cause of crime.
14. There's a simple way to solve the crime problem: obey the law; punish those who do not.
15. If you commit a crime, you are guilty.
16. Women should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a stud.
17. The way to improve our schools is not more money, but the reintroduction of moral and spiritual values, as well as the four "R's": reading, 'riting, 'rithmatic, and Rush.
18. I am not arrogant.
19. My first 35 Undeniable Truths are still undeniably true.
20. There is a God.
21. There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America is too much religion. 22. Morality is not defined by individual choice.
23. The only way liberals win national elections is by pretending they're not liberals.
24. Feminism was established as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.
25. Follow the money. When somebody says, "It's not the money," it's always the money.
26. Liberals attempt through judicial activism what they cannot win at the ballot box.
27. Using federal dollars as a measure, our cities have not been neglected, but poisoned with welfare dependency funds.
28. Progress is not striving for economic justice or fairness, but economic growth.
29. Liberals measure compassion by how many people are given welfare. Conservatives measure compassion by how many people no longer need it.
30. Compassion is no substitute for justice.
31. The culture war is between the winners and those who think they're losers who want to become winners. The losers think the only way they can become winners is by banding together all the losers and then empowering a leader of the losers to make things right for them.
32. The Los Angeles riots were not caused by the Rodney King verdict. The Los Angeles riots were caused by rioters.
33. You could afford your house without your government - if it weren't for your government. 34. Words mean things.
35. Too many Americans can't laugh at themselves anymore.

The Phyllis Schlafly Report

Last week, I traveled back down to DC for a 2-3 day trip to the Eagle Forum Collegians Summit. Check me out, I made the schedule in an incredible lineup of speakers,

(I spoke on "Day 2" at 1:45pm)

I spoke to about 50-100 students, introduced them to ISI and encouraged them "to reject ideology altogether" and "to find the truth of things." I tried to blend the ideas of Kirk, who warned us about adhering to any ideology, with Father James Schall, a professor of government at Georgetown, who has said that the human mind must choose "to achieve it's primary purpose, which is to find the truth of things." So, my message to them was: reject ideology, and pursue the truth, and that ISI and all of ISI's resources could help them to do this.

One of the coolest things of the day, besides meeting some really great students, was being introduced by Phyllis Schlafly. How cool is that? This woman is a "historic figure" herself, which I said at the beginning of my talk, and I was honored to be in her presence. She led the fight in the 70's and 80's to defeat the "Equal Rights Amendment", commonly referred to as the "ERA". This potential amendment to our Constitution would have been disastrous, despite its benevolent sounding name. Due to her victory over the ERA, Schlafly at the same time began the start of the current day"pro-family" movement in this country, a movement which has been a large part of the conservative movement in recent years.

One thing I also reminded the students of (as well as myself) is about all the great people that have "paved the way" for our generation of conservatives. Without figures like Phyllis Schlafly (and countless others), who fought the battle when there was no one (not even most Republicans) on their side, the success of the conservative movement wouldn't be where it is today.

When conservative college students feel they have such an "uphill" battle, they can look at some of our role models over the past half-century who have climbed most of the hill for us already. It's up to us to push ourselves over. Or, as Dinesh D'Souza often reminds us, there is an old Indian saying, "After you climb the mountain, what do you see? More mountains." Precisely.

Gay marriage an expression of "anarchic freedom"

From Reuters today:

Pope Benedict, in his first clear pronouncement on gay marriages since his election, on Monday condemned same-sex unions as fake and expressions of "anarchic freedom" that threatened the future of the family.

The Pope, who was elected in April, also condemned divorce, artificial birth control, trial marriages and free-style unions, saying all of these practices were dangerous for the family.

"Today's various forms of dissolution of marriage, free unions, trial marriages as well as the pseudo-matrimonies between people of the same sex are instead expressions of anarchic freedom which falsely tries to pass itself off as the true liberation of man," he said.

My reaction: Thank God for Benedict. His ideas and leadership are well-needed in today's climate of moral decay. And, I think it's great that he not only condemned "gay marriage", but also other issues that are harmful to the family: including divorce , which is so prevalent among heterosexual couples, and birth control, which is so prevalent among heterosexuals (both couples and single people). It is great that he is putting the "hot topic" of "homosexual marriage" in the proper context, making it consistent with all church teachings that deal with sexuality, reproduction, and the family.

Lovin' de Tocqueville

Over the past couple weeks, I have been reading "Democracy in America," written by Alexis de Tocqueville in the 1830s. It is a lengthy, but remarkable read. I have been reading and reflecting on his many thoughts. He was a Frenchman who traveled America, with the purpose of discovering our democratic republic and how it differs from "democracy" in Europe, particularly in France.

I just had to blog about it because it is such an enlightening reading. I don't see how this was passed up by most of my history classes in the university. Then again, I sort of can see why it was. I can only remember one instance, in a 19th century America course I took at FAU, where Tocqueville was mentioned. Despite the greatness of that course and that professor, we never read directly from Tocqueville. We missed out.

I'll occassionally supply quotes from Tocqueville on the blog. Here is one of his insights, cited on page 67 of "Democracy in America":

"In the United States, therefore, they did not claim that a man in a free country has the right to do everything; on the contrary, they imposed on him more varied social obligations than elsewhere; they did not have the idea of attacking the power of society in its principle and of contesting its rights; they limited themselves to dividing it in its exercise. They wanted in this manner to arrive at the point where authority is great and the official is small, so that society would continue to be well regulated and remain free."

Bringing the Conservative Revolution to Your Campus

I'm trying to help the best I can. Here's an article I wrote that was published on CAMPUS magazine today. Check it out.

We're Still Losing Them...

Here's a link to the casualties from the war in Iraq.. You can also use the link to find another link to casualites from the war in Afghanistan.

Just since last Saturday (May 28), we've had 14 of our guys killed in action in Iraq. Memorial Day honors veterans and fallen soldiers, including the ones we continue to lose.

Revolutionary War? I guess. I don't think any of them fought though, but probably many remained widowed and fatherless. Soliders' families have certainly had a price to pay and a sacrifice to make, not to mention fathers, brothers, and sons they had to live without. Freedom isn't free. 

CIVIL WAR VETERANS: The first Memorial Day Parade in Wilmington in 1868 certainly paid tribute to these guys. But, for some reason, they haven't aged. What? Oh yea, those were re-enactors. 

KOREAN WAR VETERANS OF DELAWARE: Heroes of "the forgotten war" are remembered and honored. 

Coming Through: How would you like to see this bad ass vehicle going down your friendly neighborhood street. 

Delaware's National Guard is represented and honored in Wilmington's 138th Memorial Day Parade. This parade occured right down my street (you can't see my building in this one, as it's in back of me). This parade has been taking place in Wilmington since 1868, when the first national observance of "Memorial Day" was declared.  

Saluting our Heroes: An ROTC group pays tribute to our nation's (and our state's) fallen heroes during a wreath-laying ceremony at the "Soliders and Sailors" monument, which is in front of my apartment building. See that building in the background? Yep, that's where I live.