Introspection

I’ve been taking some downtime with family while we celebrate the holidays. I’ve tried to catch up on some rest – an all too illusive commodity these days. It’s time to face the world again, but first, a bit of introspection.

As some of you know, I'm frequently torn between the objective and subjective in my writing for The Shepherd Report. Blogging is a freedom heretofore unknown and the only rules are self-imposed. Some of my intrepid readers write me private emails with suggestions, preferring not to comment publicly on the blog. I respect your wishes and I’m grateful for the sincerity in your correspondence and the honesty of your views.

Often as I sit here torn between two worlds, I sometimes feel I write in a vacuum. Still, occasionally, surprisingly, I get positive feedback which challenges me to keep going.

This is an especially tough week for me for many reasons. There are several family members dealing with health issues; they need a healing touch from the Master’s Hand. My heart’s prayer is that it will be His will to do so -- and, if not, then I pray for His grace to sustain us all. Others are struggling with stuff -- old stuff, new stuff, some major, some minor; but stuff is stuff and must be dealt with before it can be put in its proper place.

Tonight is the 10th anniversary of my lovely mother’s home-going to Heaven. Has it really been that long? It seems like only yesterday -- or was it a lifetime ago? We were so very close for so many years, much more like sisters than mother and daughter. I miss her. No, I’m not over it – I never will be -- I got through it and that’s really all that matters in the grand scheme of things. Losing one who is so loved is like that, and I think that's as it should be.

And me? I feel the weight of it all. It's a tough time, with my own concerns and the concerns of others. For the countless joys and the many wonderful blessings in my life, which are innumerable, there's another side, which at this time of year seems difficult.

The holidays have been especially hard for me this year. The days are short, the nights too long. And the only answer at a time like this is deep prayer that draws me closer to God, for it is only with His help that I survive the dark times. Prayer, and recounting all the many blessings that I am so thankful for – and they are immeasurable -- and I am profoundly grateful.

And deep prayer in all things, while holding my Savior’s hand -- the only solace that has meaning. Anything else is palliative.

Each one of us struggles with our own deepest sadness. It’s as much a part of life as the air we breathe.

With prayer and quietness alone before the Lord, I know this too shall pass. And it will -- although it's tough on the shortest of days of the year like this when so many hopes, fears and disappointments are laid painfully bare.

Why Can't Everyday Be Like Christmas?

The First Christmas -- The Birth of Jesus
By the Children of Calvary Baptist Church:




Wishing God's Blessings To All This Holiday Season

Merry Christmas!

Nikki

Why Can't Everyday Be Like Christmas?
Sung by the fabulous Mr. Elvis Presley
Music and lyrics by Red West

Fred At His Best

This is Fred at his best, tongue in cheek and cigar in hand, as he explains the government's new Econ 101.

And be extra nice to your kids and grandkids this Christmas -- they don't have a clue what we're doing to their future!



"Ask not what your country can spend for you; ask what you can spend for your country."

Nikki

From My E-Mail...

Thanksgiving is over, and a fine one it was at the Shepherd compound as the family enjoyed an abundance of fabulous food and gave thanks to God for our many, many blessings. So, I'm late getting to my email, but one contained a brief story and a YouTube link that should not be missed. This is a good story for any day.

The video is part of an interview that was done in 1978 by Charles Kuralt, perhaps one of the greatest story-telling journalists of all time. Kuralt went to a small town, Prairie, Mississippi, where he visited with the Chandler family as they gathered to celebrate their parents 5Oth wedding anniversary. The Chandler's not only endured some of the toughest of times, but they achieved amazing success in only two generations -- from the hard life of a sharecropper couple, to a family with nine children, all college educated professionals. Through it all, the family relied on their own hard work, on each other, and their faith in God. It will warm your heart. It did mine.

Kuralt said, “Whenever I hear anything in America is impossible, I'll think of them.”




Thanks to M Ritz for sending the video link and the backstory.

Nikki

May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump,

May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump.

May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize,

May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs!

~~ GOBBLE TILL YOU WOBBLE ~~

---------------------------

"It is the duty of every man to render to the Creator such homage, and such only, as he believes to be acceptable to him. This duty is precedent both in order of time and degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society. Before any man can be considered as a member of Civil Society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe."

~~ James Madison ~~
A Memorial and Remonstrance, 1785

Happy Thanksgiving!
Nikki

Does Cancer Ever Just Go Away?

Gina Kolata reports in the NYT about an interesting research study that suggests some cancers may merely go away on their own. I know what you're thinking, but stay with me a minute. We've all heard a story or two – the person dying of cancer who was miracously healed – cured -- without medical treatment. These cases were rare and most always viewed with raised eyebrows. But that could be about to change.

"Now, though, researchers say they have found a situation in Norway that has let them ask that question about breast cancer. And their new study, to be published Tuesday in The Archives of Internal Medicine, suggests that even invasive cancers may sometimes go away without treatment and in larger numbers than anyone ever believed.

At the moment, the finding has no practical applications because no one knows whether a detected cancer will disappear or continue to spread or kill.

[ ... ]

Dr. Barnett Kramer, director of the Office of Disease Prevention at the National Institutes of Health, had a similar reaction. "People who are familiar with the broad range of behaviors of a variety of cancers know spontaneous regression is possible," he said. "But what is shocking is that it can occur so frequently."

The study used large groups of women and dealt with various stages of breast cancer. Please read the whole article to get the overview because this just may prove to be an important study.

The study gives rise to the question of whether knowing one has cancer, and acknowledging it, makes the cancer more powerful. That's an old argument that goes to the psychosomatic -- the mind-body connection. Is it possible that in some cases one can simply not name or acknowledge the cancer, and by refusing to do so, keep it at bay? While I am not a subscriber to that theory, I'm open to be convinced by the triers of the proof.

I had a great aunt who died of cancer. The doctors surmised that, given the cancer's size and metastasis to other parts of her body, she must have had it for 10 years -- undiagnosed and virtually symptom-free. Once diagnosed, she became critically ill and died in less than two weeks.

This study will be interesting to follow.

Nikki

Requiem

When I began this, my first venture into the blogosphere on September 18^th of this year, I said I had no specific agenda and that's still absolutely true. I write about what's on my mind; the issues that move me; the good that people do, the bad, the wrongs that need to be made right. I hope someday soon to be able to write something trivial, joyful, and perhaps even silly. That day is not yet.

The election is now history and the outcome no surprise. The nation is gleefully planning the coronation of King Barack Hussein Obama. I'll watch the proceedings from the comfort of my home but I won't be celebrating. There is too much to mourn.

Elections have consequences, and I fear many consequences were born on November 4^th that will take us to places that we never intended to go.

One such consequence happened in the state of Washington with the passage of legalized physician-assisted suicide -- one more acceptance of the culture of death in America.

It's important to note that I'm not referring to an informed person's right to die by refusing medical treatment for a terminal condition even if the patient chooses to receive medication for pain. There is a strong moral distinction between allowing death to come naturally, without being prolonged by artificial means, and in ending a life by suicide.

I'm talking about death by design, death that is planned, death on purpose. I'm talking about death that masquerades under names like euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning. By any name, it's the culture of death.

Proponents of the abortion industry call their business healthcare. They cite the health of the mother or even the life of the mother as a reason to justify the murder of the innocent unborn. That's a lame and deceptive excuse that does not stand in light of medical facts.

I write from personal experience when I say that killing the unborn child is never required to save the life of the mother. I know. I've been there. I chose to go against the advice of my doctors and carry my third child to term and deliver by Cesarian section. It was a very close call -- I did indeed come very close to death, but I did not die. My doctors were wonderful Christian men and my personal faith was in Jesus Christ. I never doubted that He had the ultimate control. He brought me through the valley of the shadow of death and blessed me with a wonderful, healthy son. Even though I live with some residual health problems, I have never regretted my decision.

The abortion industry is about killing the most innocent and defenseless of all human life and doing it in the cruelest and most vicious ways imaginable. To those who do it, and to those who approve of it, and to those who tolerate it, you are supporting the most horrific and sinful actions ever embraced by any culture in human history. Over forty-eight million innocent babies have been killed in the U.S. alone -- and still counting. In light of this, how can we possibly expect God to continue His blessings on our country?

Peggy Noonan reminds us that The Children Are Watching. Indeed, they are and Barack Obama's election should eradicate once and for all the blight of racism from our national conscience.

But I wonder if the children will see and learn the most ironic lesson of all -- that Barack Obama, the man who has pledged to provide absolutely no support whatsoever for the rights of the unborn, or even to those born alive after botched abortions, is himself a shining example of the enormous opportunities available to anyone born in America –- that is, if they are wanted by their mothers and if they can live long enough to be born.

Barack Obama, the child of a white mother and a black father, was conceived out of wedlock and abandoned at a young age by his father. Raised by his white mother and white grandparents, he has now grown up to be the President of the United States. That in itself is a remarkable accomplishment. Had Obama's birth come a generation later, after Roe v Wade, such difficult circumstances could have caused his mother to legally end his life before he had a chance to take his first breath.

Let me be brutally honest -- the culture of death is not about choice; it's not about rights or freedom, and it's certainly not about private decisions made between a woman and her doctor. Most often, it's about convenience for the mother, but it's always about killing, it's about death. If they cannot inflict death inside the womb, they'll settle for doing it outside the womb, and it's legal. (See Born Alive Truth for Obama's shocking voting record on this.) And in several states, it's no longer just infants, they can now kill the infirm and the aged, and with the added attraction of providing physician assistance for the procedure. But it's still about killing – everything else is merely timing and geography.

I mourn the decline of the greatest nation in the world. I mourn America from sea to shining sea, Ronald Reagan's "shining city on a hill;" a nation born of faith in God and the sacrifices of its people. I mourn a nation that is now losing its way and its bearings, exchanging the Godly moral accord of our Founding Fathers for the floundering depravity of the secular progressives.

I mourn a nation so easily misled, so willing to ignore character and embrace fleeting visions of change with little consideration to where such change could lead. I mourn the triumph of the superficial over the substantial; the culture that now chooses death over life, frivolity over faith, pandering over productivity, political correctness over truth, and selfishness over sacrifice.

I mourn the failure of the people to learn the valuable lessons of history; a people so desperate for the One that they would joyfully invite an inexperienced illusionist to lead them. I mourn the foolishness -- the myopia that pervades our land in the most dangerous and unstable time in our nation's history.

It is doubtful we will ever again see -- ever again be -- what we once were.

I mourn for America but I know that a sinful and corrupt culture cannot change from the outside. Change must come from within -- one life, one heart, one soul at a time. Now is an excellent time to start. The best place to begin is on our knees.

Nikki

E Pluribus Unum

I congratulate Barack Obama and I wish him well as he prepares to assume his role as our 44th President. I truly do wish him well. I will be praying for his success and safety as he undertakes the toughest, and what's been described as the loneliest job in the world. I hope all American conservatives will join me in doing the same.

It was indeed an historic election for African-Americans. Obama made history. Obama is history. But for me, the election was never about race -- it was about character and all that character entails -- judgements, choices, associations; things that serve to form core values and beliefs that make us who and what we are.

Last night was a bad night for conservatives. While it wasn't the blow-out the Dems were hoping for, it was certainly bad enough to be felt painfully by all of us on the conservative side. Obama won soundly but his coattails weren't as long as the Dems had hoped. It doesn't pay to misbehave too badly when you're the controlling party -- just ask the Repubs.

As much as he would like to convince us otherwise, Obama is no centrist. His voting record is proof, and it would be a mistake for him to give in to the far left of his party, Pelosi, Reid, et al, and unleash an ideological and vengeful congress on the American people. Such a thing would not be wise. There is another election in two years -- there always is -- and it's said that an elephant never forgets -- especially GOP elephants who know all too well that it's more difficult to build the barn than to knock it down.

While most presidential elections culminate with calls for national unity, Barack Obama issued no such call in his acceptance speech last night, with the possible exception of this: "And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn — I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too."

He was speaking to me. I heard his words. I did not, however, hear his heart, and that is what I most wanted to hear. Does this man's heart hold a genuine love for this great country that so many Americans have bled and died to preserve and defend? Or is he merely seeking power and self-aggrandizement? Knowing where a man’s heart is based is monumentally more important than hearing him deliver rafter-reaching speeches or moving huge crowds to tears. Mr. President-Elect, show me your heart for this country that I love so much.

On this, the morning after, we conservatives know that the President-Elect is a socialist with deep ties to cultural and ethnocentric radicalism. We also know that Barack Hussein Obama’s executive and legislative agendas pose a greater threat to our American way of life than those of any president in the history of our great republic. These are the facts and we cannot escape what we know to be true. We will be watchful and we will be wary. We will also be hopeful that Obama, once fully briefed on the secret things that only presidents know, will moderate his course and take the centrist road. Reality checks can bring forth that sort of change.

I am a flag waving American and I love my country. I desperately want to support my president but I can only do that if he governs fairly from a centrist position. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt as he settles into the job and learns the ropes, but I cannot and I will not support the hard leftist position of socialism.

Nikki

Note: America has long held to three little words that carry monumental meaning for the life and liberty of every American -- E Pluribus Unum. Thanks to Michael Ramirez's clever insight in the above cartoon.

Edited 11-5-08 @ 9.49 PM to add: The stock market dropped 500 points the day following Obama's presidential victory. It was the worst post-election day drop in history. No further comment necessary.

The Audacity of the Blank Screens

"I am new enough on the national political scene that I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views... I am bound to disappoint some... of them."

~~ Barack Hussein Obama in "The Audacity of Hope" ~~

I cannot shake the icy feeling of an ill wind sweeping across my beloved land of the free. It's a wind that I fear will change America, not for four years or for eight, but for many generations to come. The election of November 4th, 2008 has brought forth a reckless abandonment of rationale among the people, a cult-like following of all ages and races who are blindly willing to surrender their liberty and security in order to hold up their tiny paper cups to be filled with the Kool-Aid of socialism by The Anointed One. Meet the blank screens.

I never expected to see such a thing in America. Even some life-long conservatives are caught up in the insanity of the blank screens. They timidly attempt to explain their unexpected switch to Obama, but they end up being un-persuasive and somewhat pitiful. Otherwise intelligent people became embarrassingly illogical. Blank screens are not limited by education, IQ or personality.

There's a cult-like atmosphere surrounding Barack Obama; one which includes a messiah complex complete with worshipful followers. And then there are the special Obama flags, and an Obama presidential seal – a colorful graphic in the shape of a capital O. The seal adorns everything from Obama's plane to his campaign literature.

Blank screens have no boundaries. There were the young school children who sang praises to the Anointed One: "Obama's gonna' change it." And there were teens wearing camouflage, marching military style and chanting Obama's name as each one named a profession that Obama will make available for them.

And there was the Obama world tour where the visitor acted more like a host than several of the actual hosts themselves. It was embarrassing but it made for amazing television that culminated in a speech in Berlin where Obama proclaimed that we are all citizens of the world. Perhaps he sees the whole world as nothing more than blank screens on whom he is going to imprint his world view.

Dear readers, this is scary stuff -- scary, but it is not exactly new.

We've all seen the very old, grainy, black and white film clips where throngs of people stood spellbound as they listened to a new exciting personality on the scene. Oh, how this man could turn a phrase! He was an orator extraordinaire! He promised to uplift the poor, comfort the downtrodden, and strengthen the weak.

He was the agent of change. He would make all things new -- make the government work for all the people. He bashed the wealthy and promised everyone their share of prosperity. There were no obstacles too large -- not when the gifted one spoke. The blank screens entertained no doubt about a bright future coming.

The great one from long ago also had a seal of his own. The new seal was seen on flags, on uniforms, on everything. The great one was new and exciting and he made his appearance at a time when the people were weary, worn, and economically broken. They loved Hindenburg but they viewed the old soldier as weak and ineffective. The blank screens were ripe and ready for change.

Did I mention that this great one also wrote a book before he became famous? He wrote to the world and spelled out all he planned to do. His book was Mein Kampf. It was read by only a few, and those who did, dismissed it as nonsense – the ravings of a mad man. No one believed that anyone could carry out such radical, terrorist programs. By the time Adolph Hitler became Chancellor of the Third Reich in 1933, his book had become a bestseller.

If Germany had not been a country of blank screens when Mein Kampf was published in 1925, there's every reason to believe the history of the 20th century could have been very, very different.

The election of 2008 is only two days away, and the question now is whether the majority of voting Americans understand the magnitude of what’s at stake; and if they do, whether they care enough to become informed about the issues. Or are they merely blank screens following the allure of the charismatic demagogue of socialism?

Nikki

Before You Vote:

Dear Mr. Obama:
A powerful message from Army Sgt. Joe Cook





Don't Tell Me Words Don't Matter:





Berg Interview:




The ultimate decision rests with your vote, dear readers. Never has so much been at stake for our country; for ourselves, for our children and for their children.

Nikki

Obama's Change Keeps Changing

RNC Ad: The Slipery Slope



How low will it go? That's change I cannot believe in.

Nikki

A Viet Nam Veteran and Former Radical War Protester Looks at Barack Obama

Thanks to William Long for submitting the following article:

I've been a Christian for 37 years. Before that, I was a radical. I was tear-gassed 5 times in Chicago in 1968 as a Vietnam Veteran Against the War. I came back from Chicago and was co-founder of an anarchist club on campus called CHAOS: Committee for the Humane Appreciation of Students. After I became a Christian, I became more or less politically inactive except for voting and trying to stay informed.

A few weeks ago I watched "Obsession", a DVD about Islamic terrorism. That led me to read Brigitte Gabriel's book, "Because They Hate". I've just finished David Horowitz's book "Unholy Alliance" about the alliance between radical Islam and the American Left.

I decided to find out as much as I could about Barack Obama by just researching the Internet. What I found is deeply disturbing. Any candidate who can support Odinga in his campaign promising Sharia in Kenya is someone I don't want as president.

Here's some more of what I found. I think it lays out a fairly complete picture of the underlying dynamic for this election.

Start with the Big Picture . Read Andy Martin's expose of the Obama-Ayers relationship going back to 1987 and watch the documentary on We Will Not Be Silenced about the fraud and abuse in the Democratic primaries. The financial crisis is influencing a lot of people to vote for Obama. So be sure to check out the links under 'Financial Crisis' to find out who and What Really Caused the Crisis. Note the part that Barack Obama played, as a trainer for ACORN, as a lawyer suing Citibank to force it to make bad loans, and in his promise to let ACORN help shape his agenda.

Read the Cult of Personality and listen to the 1985 interview with Yuri Bezmenov about ideological subversion. Also, note what Yuri Bezmenov and the Cloward Piven Strategy say about manufacturing a crisis. This election is so very important.. Look over some of the other links.

The MSM has a blackout on any negative information on Obama. The average American doesn't listen to or read conservative channels of communication. The best organized, and most knowledgeable, group I've found so far is PUMA (Hillary supporters who won't vote for Obama). The average American doesn't even know about PUMA much less visit any of their websites. The fact that Shelly Mandell, President of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization For Women, introduced and endorsed Governor Palin at a rally in Los Angeles County is encouraging. Even so, there's still so much ignorance among the general population of this nation.

The question is, how does a person get enough information to vote intelligently? (Read references below.)

Finally, and most importantly, for those of us who believe in a living God who is actively involved in the affairs of men and nations – pray. And join together with others in prayer.

William (Bill) Long

Stow, OH

Editor's Note: The following links were provided by William Long. I have not had time to check them; therefore, The Shepherd Report assumes no responsibility for their content. They are posted here exactly as they were received:

Ideological Subversion

www.dailymotion.com/video/k6KUDv1wzraWhwlBt1 1985 Interview with Yuri Bezmenov of the KGB

online..wsj.com/article/SB122212856075765367.html Obama and Ayers Pushed Radicalism On Schools

www.ibdeditorial.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=308444682748596 Ayers Has Not Left Radicalism

www.pr-inside.com/william-ayers-and-barack-obama-finally-r797225.htm Andy Martin - Obama Ayers exposed

noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/08/12/the-obama-ayers-top-ten-highlights-of-the-20-year-obama-ayers-connection/ 20 years

canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/5600 A Messiah Manufactured by Marxism

noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/09/23/the-trojan-candidate/ The Trojan Candidate

article.nationalreview.com/?q=YTQ0YjhlOGVhYjQ0OWRhZjI2MmM4NTQ4NGM5Mjg0MzU Wright 101

Personal Profile

www.faithfreedom.org/obama.html The cult of personality and pathological narcissism

colony14.net/id41.html Obama Timeline Life History

www.discoverthenetworks.org/individualProfile.asp?indid=1511 Comprehensive Profile

townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell the real Obama & Do facts matter

positron.blogtownhall.com/ The Perfect Next American 911

noiri.blogspot.com/2008/10/born-in-coast-provincial-general.html Citizenship?

www.breitbart.tv/?p=193353 The Jewish Case Against Obama

jazzman646.newsvine.com/_news/2008/10/08/1970386-barack-obama-revealed-a-dire-warning-from-an-african-american?threadId=383113&cmt=3408917#c3408917 By an African American

Affiliations

www.justsaynodeal.com/acorn.html The Big Picture

www.discoverthenetworks.org/ Barack's World

www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Y_t-Xum7o&feature=related Obama's Friends (shown on Hannity)

www.clevelandleader.com/node/7127 CNN on his terrorist ties

www.globalnewsdaily.com/ The Company He Keeps

www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.780/pub_detail.asp Saul Alinsky

www.jonchristianryter.com/2008/080908.html Obama's link to Soros

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/08/obamas-benefact.html Khalid Al Mansour

www.newsmax.com/timmerman/obama_harvard_/2008/09/23/133199.html Khalid Al Mansour & Harvard

www.renewamerica.us/columns/swank/080319 Hamas

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/01/obamas-oginga-o.html Sharia and Odinga in Kenya

www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78132 Kenya – Odinga Takeover Strategy

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=%2078035 Raised $1 million for Odinga

www.cashill.com/natl_general/mansourian_candidate.htm Muslim/Leftist connections

article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTQzMDIxZjlmMTM5N2ZhNzlmY2IyZDYxMWQ5NjQ2NDM= Another Communist

Endorsements

nicedeb.wordpress.com/2008/04/17/terrorists-and-tyrants-of-the-world-root-for-obama/ Terrorists

www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78309 Qaddaffi says he is a Moslem

www.worldnetdaily.com/?pageId=77539
Farrakhan says Obama is the Messiah

cameron.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/04/16/a-hamas-problem-for-obama/ Hamas likes him

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB8Abpuq-zk Hezbollah

noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/09/15/top-us-communist-says-elect-obama-and-change-the-world/Communist

afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iMCyQU-2FEywiO4DDeBcAT2ZJmlg Communist

newzeal.blogspot.com/2008/01/obama-file-2-sbarack-obama-was-endorsed.html

Marxists

www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=74340 Iran

www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/14/america/LA-POL-Nicaragua-Ortega-Obama.php Daniel Ortega

http://allanerickson.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/obama-endorsements-troubling-ahmadinejad-kim-jong-il-hamas/

Other Policies

www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=302137342405551 Barack Obama's Stealth Socialism

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/white_house_the_race_to_november/ A Red America

canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/5612 Investors Prepare for Change brought on by Obama's tax policies

www.youtube.com/user/TheMouthPeace Obama's tax plan

colony14.net/id35.html What Obama would do

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIdbYjmbFzo Infanticide

www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=69784 civilian national security force

obama.senate.gov/press/071211-obama_hagel_can/ Global Poverty Act

Lies

obamawtf.blogspot.com/2008/05/documented-lie-50-obama-claimed-he-had.htm 155+ documented lies

http://www.audacityofhypocrisy.com/fashion-shows/ Laundry List of Lies

www.vetsforfreedom.org/troopblog/blogitem.aspx?id=511 Taheri

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxoylBPQnBk Infanticide

http://www.gunbanobama.com/ NRA web site

www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/10/obama_campaign_now_publishing.html Ties to ACORN

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMpbpov-HcA NAFTA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFQXpGiBvnk&NR=1 Concentration Camp

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H64yKJhB528&NR=1 His church

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ehRrX7c41U&feature=related His church

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSTZJHujRmc Iraq

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQY_9ZcsjpQ&feature=related on race card

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHnVZpA69j0 John McCain and the war in Iraq

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGbYnAWCb1g&feature=related Gun Control

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YChg8giBgqw&feature=related Background

www.americanthinker.com/2008/10/who_wrote_dreams_from_my_fathe_1.html Autobiography

Financial Crisis

www.mediacircus.com/2008/10/obama-sued-citibank-under-cra-to-force-it-to-make-bad-loans/ Sued Citibank

www.americanthinker.com/2008/09/barack_obama_and_the_strategy.html Cloward Piven

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4 What Caused the Crisis

www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=308186097284712 Who to Blame

www.teleprompterpresident.com/2008/10/shocking-vide-1.html Multiple videos and commentary about crisis

www.teleprompterpresident.com/2008/10/fnc-fbn-inves-6.html Fox news investigation

www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-3C0v8eVfw How to win the debate

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MGT_cSi7Rs Covering up Fannie and Freddie

colony14.net/id46.html a failure of government

www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.1422/pub_detail.asp Foreign Force Waging War?

Member of the New Party (Socialist)

newsbusters.org/blogs/p-j-gladnick/2008/10/08/will-msm-report-obama-membership-socialist-new-party Member

noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/10/07/obama-is-hiding-a-radical-past/ Hiding a Radical Past!

http://www.chicagodsa.org/ngarchive/ng42.html Signed Contract with New Party

Campaign Strategy

ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=306977141583041 Applying Alinsky's Rules

www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/09/missouris_obama_truth_squads_2.html Truth Squads

townhall.com/columnists/TonyBlankley/2008/10/15/mccains_next_duty_call Disqualified Opponents

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/10/obamas-mop-up-m.html Scrubbed records in Indonesia www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6967 Manufactured Crisis

www.tysknews.com/Articles/dnc_corruption.htm Saul Alinsky and DNC
Corruption

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTllNTk2MDNmNDk1YmQ0OWEzOTZmMTVmODUwZTQwY2E= Fake Donors

News Sites

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/ Excellent news and commentary

http://www.justsaynodeal.com/ Excellent PUMA source of news

www.sarahforamerica.org/ News Links

http://obamawtf.blogspot.com/ Extensive coverage

therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/ The Real Barack Obama – Ongoing news

ACORN,Community Activism, and Voter Fraud

http://www.wewillnotbesilenced2008.com/video/index..htm We will not be silenced

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/voter_fraud_democrat_tool/ Voter Fraud

http://chicagothug.com/ A list of Obama's voter fraud in different states

stopacorn.org/ Stop ACORN News about ACORN and its activities

michellemalkin.com/category/acorn-watch Michelle Malkin ACORN watch

www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=73335 Radical Leftist Groups

www.newsmax.com/lowell_ponte/obama_acorn_connection/2008/10/10/139217.html Our Last Election

www.newsmax.com/lowell_ponte/obama_acorn_organizer/2008/10/13/139989.html Bury Past

patdollard.com/2008/10/husseins-rotten-acorns-are-falling-with-videos/ Rotten ACORNs Falling

www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=308358130652174 IS ACORN Stealing The Election

www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/5365 The Poisonous NUT That Ended Democracy
michellemalkin.com/2008/10/09/judge-rules-ohio-secretary-of-state-violated-federal-election-law/

ACORN Videos

roadsassy.com/2008/10/11/caught-on-tapeobama-promising-acorn-that-they-will-help-shape-his-policies-in-the-white-house/ ACORN will help shape his agenda

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NmaZIdz6Vo Obama, ACORN, and Voter Fraud

video.newsmax.com/?assetId=V3235947&s=al&promo_code=6CF8-1 Tip of the Iceberg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2onRgtgXkcPalestra.net Finds Evidence of Voter Fraud in Ohio

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhQAHKxuR1Q&feature=related Obama's Ties to ACORN Intimidation

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmn1PDULdNY&feature=related Stealing an Election Ohio

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuEHljjhjyk&feature=related ACORN voter fraud in OHIO

www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5VgzvzIJ04 Voter ID and ACORN Fraud

www.redstate.com/diaries/awtherfrd/2008/oct/06/beautiful-video/ Ohio Voter Fraud

Stanley Kurtz – National Review Online

article.nationalreview.com/?q=NDZiMjkwMDczZWI5ODdjOWYxZTIzZGIyNzEyMjE0ODI= ACORN Obama connections

article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZjRjYzE0YmQxNzU4MDJjYWE5MjIzMTMxMmNhZWQ1MTA= Seeds of Disaster

article.nationalreview.com/?q=OTc3NzZkZDYxODZiZjE2OTg5YWRmNDkzM2U0YTIwZGQ=&w=MQ== New Party

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/voter_fraud_democrat_tool/ Voter Fraud

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/muslim_in_the_white_house/ Muslim in the White House

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/obamas_foreign_contributions/ Foreign contributions

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/how_the_left_destroys_the_nation/ How the Left destroys the nation

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/jihad_in_america_enemy_in_our_midst/ Jihad in America

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/guns_the_right_to_defend_ourselves_our_nation/ Guns

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/obamas_corruption_eruption/ Obama's Corruption

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/financial_crisis_08_democrat_policy_comes_home_to_roost/ Financial Crisis

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/10/mores-the-pity.html Letter from PUMA
atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/education_hijacking_the_system/ Education hijacking

atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/lll_media_bias/ Leftist media bias

Obama's Own Words -- 2001 Interview

Listen carefully to the words of Barack Hussein Obama in a 2001 interview on Chicago Public Radio WBEZ:




Redistributing the wealth is not a new concept for Obama. It's one of his core beliefs.

Thanks to ND for the tip.

Nikki

An Important Message from Fred Thompson

Fred Thompson speaks of freedom versus tyranny. For the sake of our nation, take a few minutes and watch this. You'll be glad you did.

Nikki

Find the Good and Praise It -- Lamar Alexander

Take a moment away from the ugly politics du jour, the stresses of the tanking economy, and relax with this video from Lamar Alexander, a good man from a good state -- a good idea.



We face tough times but we should always be mindful of the good in our lives -- our families, our communities and the goodness of our people. With all of its problems, we still live in the greatest country in the world.



If you're lucky enough to live in Tennessee, a vote for Lamar Alexander for Senate would be a good thing to do for all of us. Even if you live outside our beautiful state, enjoy the above video.

Take Lamar's message to heart -- he would like that.

Nikki

Who’s Vetting the MSM?

The New York Times' Jodi Kantor, a journalist for the MSM, solicited children's Facebook accounts in an attempt to dig up dirt for their most recent hit piece on Cindy McCain.

This is the email Jodi Kantor sent to a 16-year old:

September 29 at 7:21pm

I saw on facebook that you went to Xavier, and if you don't mind, I'd love to ask you some advice about a story. I'm a reporter at the New York Times, writing a profile of Cindy McCain, and we are trying to get a sense of what she is like as a mother. So I'm reaching out to fellow parents at her kids' schools. My understanding is that some of her older kids went to Brophy/Xavier, but I'm trying to figure out what school her 16 year old daughter Bridget attends — and a few people said it was PCDS. Do you know if that's right? Again, we're not really reporting on the kids, just seeking some fellow parents who can talk about what Mrs. McCain is like.

Also, if you know anyone else who I should talk to– basically anyone who has encountered Mrs. McCain and might be able to share impressions– that would be great.

Thanks so much for any help you can give me.

Jodi Kantor
Political correspondent
New York Times
kantor@nytimes.com
212 556 4596

If you disapprove of such tactics, feel free to let Jodi Kantor know what you think.

Nikki

Biden’s Scary New Ad for John McCain

Joe Biden's New Bumper Sticker

Joe Biden gave the country one of the best reasons yet to elect John McCain president. Yes, that Joe – Joe, the senator – Joe, running mate of Barack Obama.

The spinners and the talking heads can spin this any way they wish, but here are Joe Biden's own words, as reported by ABC News:

"Mark my words," the Democratic vice presidential nominee warned at the second of his two Seattle fundraisers Sunday. "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking. We're about to elect a brilliant 47-year-old senator president of the United States of America. Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy."

"I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate," Biden said to Emerald City supporters, mentioning the Middle East and Russia as possibilities. "And he's gonna need help. And the kind of help he's gonna need is, he's gonna need you--not financially to help him--we're gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it's not gonna be apparent initially, it's not gonna be apparent that we're right."

If that doesn't frighten you, you'd better check to see if you have a pulse. I don't frighten easily but that kind of talk sure scares the bejabbers out of me! And if the Dems want to spin it as another of Biden's gaffes, remember, he's the vice presidential nominee, and those kinds of gaffes are too dangerous to be coming from anyone who will be one heartbeat away from the Oval office.

Yes, JFK was tested. He was young, charismatic and not very experienced. America was lucky -- Krushchev blinked first.

Ronald Reagan was not tested. There was never any doubt as to what Reagan's reaction would have been.

What better advertising could John McCain wish for? Biden's comments are voter manna from political Heaven and the McCain camp should play it for all it's worth.

Biden's comments should solidify all Americans to get behind the tough old experienced soldier, John McCain. Joe Biden knows something that most Dems don't know – if Obama is elected, the world will not look at America and start to feel all warm and fuzzy again. Those days are gone forever. America needs to be prepared for the many dangers that lie ahead. America needs a strong leader, a man with experience, judgement and guts. Our very survival could depend on it.

Nikki

Patriot Perspective:

"The public cannot be too curious concerning the characters of public men."
— Samuel Adams

In his Inaugural Address on 20 January, 1961, President John F. Kennedy closed his remarks with these famous words: "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

With those words, JFK, considered by many to be the most exemplary leader of the Democrat Party in the 20th Century, asked Americans to put country first, a bedrock principle of the Party until the last few decades.

However today, the current slate of Democrats have turned Jack Kennedy's national challenge on end, essentially proclaiming, "ask what your country can do for you, not what you can do for your country."

In 1963, Martin Luther King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and said for all to hear, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Has his dream been realized, or have Democrat leaders divided us up into constituency groups, where we are judged by all manner of ethnicity and special interests rather than the individual and national character King envisioned?

Kennedy and King had it right, but the Democrat Party has squandered their great legacy, and betrayed us, moreover enslaving many Americans as dependant wards of the state.

This is not the Democrat Party envisioned by Franklin Delano Roosevelt or Harry Truman, much less its founder, Thomas Jefferson, who would not recognize even the most vestigial elements of his once-noble Party. (This dramatic transition is evident in the Democrat Party Platforms from Kennedy to Obama.)

When asked why he left the Democrat Party, perhaps the most famous of former Democrats said, "I did not leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me." That was Ronald Reagan, who earned the respect and support of an enormous number of Democrats during his presidency. His observation, "the Party left me," has never been more true than today.

For several months, we have heard and observed two presidential candidates, centrist Republican John McCain and liberal Democrat Barack Obama. It should by now, be obvious to all of us who put our country first, which of these candidates possess the high qualities of a statesman, and the prerequisite moral and civic virtues for an American president.

Unfortunately, too many of my fellow Americans have difficulty distinguishing these qualities.
Every four years, at the peak of presidential election cycles, we're told by the talking heads and the party hacks that "this election is the most important in our lifetimes." This time, however, they may be right. These are indeed perilous times.

Our nation is facing crises on several critical fronts, including an historic economic disaster, the resolution of which will require the steady hand of a statesman in possession of outstanding character — character that has been honed over his lifetime, character that is proven consistent with our nation's legacy of liberty and equality.

That reformed Democrat, Ronald Reagan, wrote, "The character that takes command in moments of crucial choices has already been determined by a thousand other choices made earlier in seemingly unimportant moments. It has been determined by all the 'little' choices of years past — by all those times when the voice of conscience was at war with the voice of temptation, [which was] whispering the lie that 'it really doesn't matter.' It has been determined by all the day-to-day decisions made when life seemed easy and crises seemed far away — the decision that, piece by piece, bit by bit, developed habits of discipline or of laziness; habits of self-sacrifice or self-indulgence; habits of duty and honor and integrity — or dishonor and shame."

For the first and final word on the necessary character traits the next president should possess, let's return to our foundation, our Founders, those who risked all to proclaim our individual rights and responsibilities as ordained by God, and outlined them in our Declaration of Independence and its subordinate exposition, our Republic's Constitution.

Our Founders wrote at length about character, both of those who seek high office (or, rather, those that high office seeks), and those who elect them. Here are but a few excerpts in their own words.

John Adams: "Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom. ... If we suffer [the minds of young people] to grovel and creep in infancy, they will grovel all their lives. ... We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. ... We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections."

Samuel Adams: "Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust must be men of unexceptionable characters. ... If men of wisdom and knowledge, of moderation and temperance, of patience, fortitude and perseverance, of sobriety and true republican simplicity of manners, of zeal for the honour of the Supreme Being and the welfare of the commonwealth; if men possessed of these other excellent qualities are chosen to fill the seats of government, we may expect that our affairs will rest on a solid and permanent foundation. ... [N]either the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. ... No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused and Virtue is preserved. On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant, and debauched in their Manners, they will sink under their own weight without the Aid of foreign Invaders. ... Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual — or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country. ... Religion and good morals are the only solid foundation of public liberty and happiness."

Thomas Jefferson: "It is the manners and spirit of a people which preserve a republic in vigor. A degeneracy in these is a canker which soon eats to the heart of its laws and constitution. ... If a nation expects to be ignorant — and free — in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. ... The whole art of government consists in the art of being honest. Only aim to do your duty, and mankind will give you credit where you fail. ... An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizens."

George Washington: "No compact among men ... can be pronounced everlasting and inviolable, and if I may so express myself, that no Wall of words, that no mound of parchment can be so formed as to stand against the sweeping torrent of boundless ambition on the one side, aided by the sapping current of corrupted morals on the other. ...[A] good moral character is the first essential in a man, and that the habits contracted [early in life] are generally indelible, and your conduct here may stamp your character through life. It is therefore highly important that you should endeavor not only to be learned but virtuous. ... The foundations of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality, and the preeminence of free government be exemplified by all the attributes which can win the affections of its citizens, and command the respect of the world. ...[W]here is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation deserts the oaths...? Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism who should labor to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness — these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens."

At the end of the Revolution, when our Founders were endeavoring "to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity," Founding brothers Alexander Hamilton and John Jay and our Constitution's author, James Madison, wrote The Federalist Papers, its most authentic and comprehensive explication.

In Federalist No. 1, Hamilton warned, "Of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people, commencing demagogues and ending tyrants."

Sound familiar?

In No. 10, Madison cautions, "Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm," and insisted in No. 57, "The aim of every political Constitution is or ought to be first to obtain for rulers, men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue the common good of the society; and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous, whilst they continue to hold their public trust."

Madison's Supreme Court nominee, Justice Joseph Story, wrote, "Republics are created by the virtue, public spirit, and intelligence of the citizens. They fall, when the wise are banished from the public councils, because they dare to be honest, and the profligate are rewarded, because they flatter the people, in order to betray them."

The Founders thus warned of the perils posed by the candidate who lacks political courage; the candidate who tells us everything we want to hear.

In November 1800, John Adams, in his fourth year as president, wrote to his wife Abigail, "I Pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessing on this house, and on ALL that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof!"

We should all pray likewise. Now. Today. This minute.

As Adams understood, "A Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever."

Almost two centuries later, Ronald Reagan reiterated, "Freedom is ... never more than one generation away from extinction. Every generation has to learn how to protect and defend it, or it's gone and gone for a long, long time."

So, what of the current generation of voters, and the two presidential candidates?

On 4 November, one of these candidates will receive a majority of electoral votes, and in January, be seated as our next president. But for sure, this election is much more than a referendum on the two candidates; it is a referendum on the ability of Americans to discern between one candidate who possesses the character and integrity of a statesman, which the office of president requires, and one who does not.

At this pivotal moment in our nation's history, let's hope that a majority of us have sufficient courage and character to make that distinction, and vote on what we know rather than how we feel.

Let's put country first.

For more information on the character of the presidential candidates, link to The McCain record and The Obama record.

__________

Most of you know someone who plans to vote for Barack Hussein Obama instead of John Sidney McCain. If you don’t know any Obama supporters personally, you certainly have family, friends or associates who know them.

McCain, a centrist Republican, is a statesman and a patriot of the first order. As such, he is much more suited to the office of president than Obama, the most liberal member of the Senate, a still-mysterious man whose tissue-thin résumé contains no qualifications for that office beyond his age and his claim to U.S. citizenship.

Please copy and paste these insights into email and send to your family, friends and associates.

This essay posted with special thanks to Mark Alexander and The PatriotPost US.

America is at a major crossroads and our liberty hangs in the balance.

Nikki

Ramblings of a Political Junkie

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
~~ Ronald Reagan ~~

There are many aspects of this election that I find compelling beyond my control. As a political junkie since my teen years, I need a new fix at four year intervals, but this time it began slowly and with less than the usual enthusiasm.

I've always believed that our political process works best when neither party serves more than two consecutive terms. It has to do with checks and balances -- the proverbial pendulum that swings too far in one direction, and in an effort to redeem itself, it reverses and attempts to correct any damages while on its way to swinging too far the other way. Such is the nature of politics. While I confess to never having followed that logic while casting my ballot, I do believe the idea has merit.

We've had a Republican administration for the last eight years and they behaved badly. The first six years saw the Reps in control of the House and Senate, and we've had the Dems during the last two. Need I say more than Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid? They all behaved like spoiled brats. But Bush is in the Oval Office and that's where the buck stops and the blame drops.

There's little doubt we're heading into another Dem controlled House and Senate and that's all the more reason to put John McCain in the White House. In a word -- gridlock. Gridlock slows government and gets it out of our faces. Gridlock can be good. Now would be an especially good time to implement gridlock in order to hold at bay the Gruesome Gang of Three – Obama, Pelosi and Reid. The damage they can to do our country will have our Founding Fathers spinning. The lesser of the evils, the Tantrum Two of Pelosi and Reid, will be more than most conservatives can stand, but with McCain in the White House, the ship of state will stand a better chance of surviving intact. Yes, gridlock would be good here.

To place all of the ills of the last eight years at Bush's feet is grossly unfair and I rather imagine history will judge him with more kindness than his contemporaries are willing to bestow. He's endured the MSM spinning any good news badly: "Unemployment is down to 4.2% and the economy grew by 3% this quarter, but the experts caution… ." And this from last year: "Experts surprised at good economic numbers…"

For far too long good news from Iraq was embargoed. If the MSM could not report the death of American troops or fierce battles lost, they preferred not to cover it at all. Our American men and women in uniform performed valiantly and with honor, and there are many stories of real heroism from both wars that have been ignored. What dishonor and shame for the MSM. These soldiers are heroes and should be celebrated throughout our land. But the MSM doesn't want America to feel good about a war they've worked so hard to convince us is both wrong and unpopular.

And who do we thank for keeping our country safe from terrorist attacks during the last seven years? History will sort it out and books will be written about it, but I sent my personal thanks to President George W. Bush. It was his watch and we were safe.

Conservatives like me have been suffering from eight years of political exasperation. The choice of John McCain was, for me, another frustration. While I believe he's fully capable of being a strong president, he was not my candidate of choice. McCain is an extremely honorable and good man, and I certainly appreciate and honor his service in uniform to our country, but I felt I had no horse in this race.

I was in the mood for None Of The Above. And then along came, Sarah Palin. What a breath of fresh air! I felt an instant kinship with her. She's like me. I can relate. I get it. Enthusiasm for the political process had returned.

Oh, did I mention the final debate took place tonight, just a few hours ago? While it wasn't a prize fight, it was far and away the better of the three debates. It was still too structured, too practiced, but nowhere near being the yawner we endured last week.

McCain answered the questions clearly and in as much detail as the time allowed. He exhibited great strength of character on several occasions. It was his best debate by far and he was able to get a lot of solid info before the public. But no knock-out -- McCain is not telegenic, a flaw that can be fatal in our celebrity-obsessed culture. He seemed stiff and somewhat uncomfortable, but he's always like that on television and that makes his message hard to sell, no matter how strong. And McCain's message was strong but the public thrives on the shallowness of image.

Obama seemed to be pulling answers out of thin air. He had more than one occasion to show his character and he did -- or sadly, the lack thereof. The vision of an empty suit kept floating through my head. But he's telegenic, polished,charismatic, and he is an image. He could recite the Philadelphia phone book and his followers would proclaim his brilliance in sound bites throughout the land.

The differences between the two candidates were obvious. The strong old soldier turned statesman who loves his country and will give his all for her if necessary versus the polished young lawyer who is little more than an American Idol candidate.

Obama has no real qualifications of substance, only a maze of extremely questionable background associations that can't stand beneath the light of full disclosure. And Obama has a record of disloyalty to his friends, even to his pastor of twenty years, who, when it was politically feasible, Obama threw him under the bus. No one is allowed to tarnish the image of The One.

The choice could not be more clear.

The patriotism and love of country from McCain was obvious.

The Socialism from Obama was chilling. "Spread the wealth" is more than Robin Hood -- it's Stalin, it's Marxism, and it will be fatal to the American economy.

Voters, beware!

The winner was Joe the plumber. He'll be on the Huckaby Show on the Fox News channel this week-end. Can a reality show be far behind?

Nikki

Edited to add: In response to a reader's question, the term, MSM, is blog-speak for the Main Stream Media; otherwise known as NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Newsweek, and all of the liberal media, both broadcast and print.