With the race for the Tennessee Republican Gubernatorial nomination heating up and all three campaigns going on the offensive, I thought it was a great time to lighten the mood of the debate a bit.  Here are a few videos sent my way by a reader that he and his friends/colleagues put together.  Enjoy.

Mayor Haslam… I really hope you have a sense of humor…

Hat Tip …Fred Nurk

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Bill on his Experience and Temperament

A Familiar Conservative?

Bill On the Issues

Why He Should be our Next Governor

Bill on Tough Times…

“The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.” (USC Title 4. Chapter 4. § 8j)

During a weekend storm last Sunday, an American Flag displayed on a pole outside of a federal contractor’s (METI Inc.) building in El Paso, Texas fell to the ground in driving wind and rain.  When employees arrived the following morning, they found their flag folded military style and the pole secured alongside the building.  Mystified as to how Old Glory found such a cozy resting place, they turned to their surveillance cameras only to find that the patriotic act was the handiwork of a simple passer-by; a Good Samaritan who happened to be walking past the location when the flag fell to the pavement at 1:40 AM.

The story would have been heartfelt and may have even invoked a sense of pride in this great nation and its loyal citizens if the heroic tale ended there, but this story revealed an even greater picture of devotion to one’s country regardless of the hand that may have been dealt to an individual in this Land of Opportunity.

The Good Samaritan; the altruistic passer-by; was a homeless man.  Gustus Bozarth to pay him his full respect.  He lives in a makeshift apartment in the back of a nearby warehouse.  He was simply walking by the night the flag fell amidst an onslaught of wind and rain and felt a duty to his country and all that it represents to show our national symbol the respect that it deserves.

The video added below, tells the tale of Gustus traveling the country and once working as a security guard in Tampa where he learned how to properly fold a flag.  It also features a few words from this wonderful patriot where he tells the reporter that the flag symbolizes Freedom.

One man – a homeless man- understands the duty owed to his nation’s flag, and despite all that he must overcome on a daily basis, still has enough admiration and respect for his great nation that he would never allow the Stars and Stripes to be soiled.  He said “It’s a small respect, folding the flag like that.”   After all that he has undoubtedly overcome and all that he must continue to face on a daily basis, he still has love for the nation that affords him the opportunity to live as he chooses and doesn’t begrudge that nation for his current situation.

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I have searched endlessly for more information on Gustus and have yet to find anything related to his current situation, how he got there, or what lies ahead for him.  The local Fox affiliate posted on its webpage that it received hundreds of emails and phone calls from people around the country wanting to lend a hand to Gustus.  I can only hope that these wonderfully compassionate people and those in his local community are able to reach out to Gustus and do whatever they can to show this wonderful patriot the respect that he so effortlessly and brilliantly showed them and their great nation through this humble act.

Full surveillance video…

UPDATE:

I received a comment earlier from a reader who had contacted METI about how to reach out to Mr. Bozarth and they responded with the following.

Thank you Cindy for you feedback.

(January 26, 2010 - Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images North America)

The newly christened “swing-vote” of the Nation’s Highest Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy, has reportedly told friends and family that he is in no hurry to hang up his robe.  Kennedy may be basking in the sunlight of a newfound importance on the bench as many who closely follow the Court believe he is relishing the role of “tiebreaker” since Sandra Day O’Connor retired in 2006.  Kennedy, a Reagan nominee, is often characterized by the ideological Left as a member of the “conservative block” – the group comprised of Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Alito.  Ironically, many on the other end of the political spectrum see Kennedy as a wayward soul who rarely adheres to the strict interpretation principles which guide the aforementioned ”conservative block.”  The strange dichotomy may in fact give credence to the characterization that he is the new tie-breaker of the Court of Last Resort.

Whether it is his new position of perceived power or simply a newfound lease on life, the nearly 74-year old Justice who many had believed would step down sometime before the next Presidential election, appears content to remain on the Court through at least 2013 and past the end of President Obama’s term in office.  Such a decision would signal an end to President Obama’s nominations unless he is able to gain reelection in 2012.

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Ed Morrissey at Hot Air had this to add regarding the perceived change of heart by Justice Kennedy.  Remarking on an assertion made by the New York Daily News that Kennedy may have decided to wait out the President after he made disparaging remarks about the Court during his January State of the Union, Morrissey hits the nail on the head…

(March 20, 2010 - Photo by Astrid Riecken/Getty Images North America)

The House of Representatives passed this week legislation which it has deemed a “Fix” to campaign finance policy which has been at the center of partisan debate since the Supreme Court announced its decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission earlier this year.  The ruling resulted in the Left crying foul painting the decision as a victory for big business and a threat to Free Speech.  Ignoring the reality that the decision was equally beneficial for big labor, many on the Left have taken the position that the current system allows big money to play an unfair role in the political forum placing Free Speech in jeopardy for helpless Americans unable to compete with the overreaching voice of corporate America.

Well the “Fix” is in folks….

So, in typical big government knows best fashion, the House took it upon itself this week to fashion a new system of regulations that would reign in the “injustices” left in the wake of the “controversial”  Supreme Court ruling.

What was the result you ask?  A new system that would handpick which special interests were allowed to infringe upon Free Speech and which would be barred from doing so – that is if you are of the mindset that any of this is in any way a threat to Free Speech in the first place.

I for one am not.  In a perfect world… I would advocate for a system where any and all contributions were required to be disclosed by ALL candidates.  Let the wretched pigs take money from whomever they so choose.  Just make them tell the American People exactly who it is that they are in bed with.  That said, such a level of disclosure would never be popular in the People’s House now would it?  So this is what those brilliant individuals have come up with.

The DISCLOSE ACT (Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Election) as it has been coined, in part, would do the following…

Here’s what the self-described Voice of the Left has to say about the bill..

HuffPo doesn’t like it??? Interesting.  I guess that NRA bailout was pretty painful for those guys over there.  But you know the NRA didn’t get a carve-out here without some tit for tat….

Now I’m starting to see a clearer picture here.  Free Speech can only be infringed upon by big business and small non-profit.  Those really really really big non-profits serve a noble purpose and their existence for more than 10 years absolutely speaks to the credibility as worthwhile organizations.

Such a distinction is what makes this legislation absolutely laughable.  This logic lends itself to the following ridiculous conclusion… Big Business is a threat to Free Speech because of its reach and means of involving itself in a partisan fashion.  Big Non-Profit – equally capable in means and reach is not a threat – because it is “non-partisan”(???) even though Big Business stands to alienate half of its consumer base by picking a side in ANY election?  Doesn’t the capitalist model restrict Big Business’s spending – or at least make sure it hands out the bucks with relative equality to both sides?

What world do we now live in… in these United States that the special interest is now elevated to such an impartial and noble enterprise?  How is it that Free Speech has become such a convoluted and marginalized term that Congress thinks it can pick and choose who has the Right to exercise it?

Congressman John Boehner released this statement Wednesday in response to the bill clearing the House…

The bill narrowly passed in a 219- 206 tally (213 needed).

REPUBLICANS VOTING YES ON THIS BILL….

Michael N. Castle  DE-1

Ahn Cao LA-2

There is good news – and then there’s more good news – regarding this bill however.  First, any Republican Senator who votes “yes” on this bill when it reaches that House will be excommunicated by the conservative Right.  Any bill that pays this much homage to special interest while limiting the inclusion of the private sector would be a death sentence for anyone even remotely plugged into the ideological Right to sign on for.  As RedState aptly points out… Don’t immediately start thinking John McCain.  I know, the thought crossed my mind as well, but he’s already made a statement in opposition to the bill.  The threat of finally losing an election appears to have brought our resident changeling over to the Right just a bit.

Let us pray that this thing is truly dead on arrival when it hits the Senate.  This is very scary business folks.  Special interest gaining exemptions from regulations aimed at curbing Free Speech infringement?  Who could even dream this stuff up?

(June 22, 2010 - Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe)

GOALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!  Team USA has won Group C at the World Cup in a thriller. If you’re not a soccer fan after watching this game you’re not breathing.  Serbia/Ghana/Germany… bring it on, and then on to South Korea/Uruguay.  What a result.  Proud to be an American!!

(April 13, 2010 - Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images North America)

Bill O’Reilly of the Fox News Network had former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin on his program The Factor last night to discuss President Obama’s national address regarding the oil spill in the Gulf – now commonly known as the “BP Oil Spill” – all blame being spelled out intentionally by the mainstream media with its word choice.  Well done.  Score one for the Left.

For as long as Gov Palin has been on the national political scene, she has been very outspoken on “energy” issues and many have trumpeted her grasp of the subject matter even going so far as to call her an “expert” in and where the energy business crosses into political matters.  Having served as governor of a state which requires such a background, I have been supremely confident that this was one area where the Palin fanatics were squarely on point.

With that as the background, O’Reilly began a conversation with Gov Palin that focused on the President’s response to the ever-growing environmental catastrophe in the Gulf.  Both were highly critical of the administration and referred to the nearly 60 days that have passed with no resolution found or hopes of one on the horizon.  After discussing the fringe of the crisis for a few moments, at the 4:30 mark of the interview, O’Reilly asked Palin a direct question.  Listen along if you would like…

O’Reilly:  “What is your solution?  What would you do tonight?”

Here was part of Gov Palin’s response:

She then changed focus and said that “We saw this with Katrina… but I’m not going to get into pointing fingers and partisan issues.  She went on to add that “government” has its priorities wrong stating, “We need to be focused on National Security – safety of the people is where we need to be funding.”

That’s where she lost me…   What does that have to do with the frigging oil spill?  She tried to bring the convo back to her expertise as an energy governor in Alaska – which only succeeded in reminding me that she was supposed to be answering the question of –  what the hell SHE would have done if she were President of the United States….

Look folks.  I try to be as fair as I can around here.  I pride myself on consistency and I have to tell you that this was one of the most incoherent and idiotic interviews I have ever seen from a past or present elected official – especially one that fancies herself an “expert” on the topic.  She was asked a simple question and offered nothing – zip – zilch – nada.

I am all for being critical of the President’s response.  I think it has been slow, but I think more importantly it has been lacking in the department of sharing with the American people exactly what IT (the response) really is/ was/ or will be.

That said, I don’t have an answer.  I’m not a deep sea geologist, an oil man, or even someone who can grasp how big the hole in this pipe really is from watching the spill-cam 24-7.  Having no solution of my own to offer, I can only be critical of the President for not telling me what it is that HE is attempting to do.  Unless I have something to offer as an alternative to the current course of action, my words are rather meaningless now aren’t they?

(January 22, 2010 - Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images North America)

With that in mind… When a publicly-perceived “expert” such as Sarah Palin chimes in on such a discussion, I fully expect that she has some solutions.  How could she not?  Time served as Governor of oil rich Alaska must have prepared her for the event of such a catastrophe.  Right? Isn’t that what great “executives” are supposed to be – prepared for the event of a crisis or catastrophe?

Well if this interview is any indication of the answer to that question I do believe the answer is a resounding N-O!  Like the President, she too has had nearly two months to formulate the Palin Plan for disaster relief and recovery, and when asked – she had nothing.

That leads me to two scenarios.  1.)  Palin is about as much of an expert on these matters as I am on the human genome project or even the allure of MTV’s The Jersey Shore.  Trust me when I tell you that an expert on nucleotides and Pauly D I am not.  OR 2.) No one – and by that I mean NO ONE – currently has a solution to this spill.

I am inclined to believe that Governor Palin can probably handle herself over cocktails in a conversation regarding similar matters – perhaps being limited by her lack of access to information regarding the current matter.  That said, for a woman of the people as she envisions herself to be – a little honesty would have been refreshing.  Save the “focus on national security – the safety of the people” talking point for another day…. thank you very much.  How bout trying not to insult the intelligence of conservative America by slipping in a few “rah rah Right Wing” references into a conversation that clearly had your head beneath the surface of the water.

In sum… kudos to Bill O’Reilly for attempting to get an answer out of the Former Alaska Governor.  He tried mightily and undoubtedly shook his shed with the rest of us when the segment came to a close.  A small note to fellow Right-Wingers commenting on the disaster… Maybe draw up a plan on a napkin or two before you take to the national stage and talk about a lack of a plan from this administration.  The last thing incompetence needs is company.

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Related Posts

Sarah Palin & Bill O’Reilly on Obama’s Gulf Oil Spill Address

Sarah Palin to O’Reilly: Call the Dutch on the Oil Spill Because …

Palin Humiliated by Bill O’Reilly. “What Would YOU Do?”

Sarah Palin On Oil Spill: Send In Dutch Dike Builders

“The story will be the spill-cam not the speech.” – Charles Krauthammer on President Obama’s speech to the nation last evening.  The Hammer never fails to deliver and he was on form last evening.  Referring to the President’s reference to our nation’s ability to put a man on the moon as evidence for ability to do “anything” – including our capability to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels – Krauthammer remarked… “That is the most tired trope we’ve ever heard”…  If we can land a man on the moon… fill in the blank - cure Cancer, abolish poverty, etc…. Create a green economy by legislating it in Congress?  If we could do those things  - we would.  The notion that if we legislate it, if the President wills it to happen is absurd.

Via Real Clear Politics

Jon Stewart critiques the President’s long history of broken campaign promises and sheds some light on the glaring hypocrisies of the Obama administration.  The old say/promise one thing and do another plan being revealed by the Daily Show… Gotta love it.

Stewart concludes that President Obama has been charmed in a Frodo-esque fashion by the power of the “Ring.”

“All that power that you didn’t like when someone else had it… you decided to keep it.  Oh my God.  You’re Frodo.  You’re Frodo!!  Mr. President you know what you need to do.  Throw the ring into the fire and destroy it.”

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“Restore America’s moral high standing”?????

Close Guantanamo?????

Restore Habeas Corpus????

Say no to Rendition?????

Say no to Warrantless Wiretaps?????

“Part of my job is to break the fever of fear that has been exploited by this administration.”??????

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Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann and Howard Fineman rip into President Obama’s address to the nation.  Big trouble in Obamaland when these three are on the other side of this or any issue.  Certainly not what I expected to see from this crowd.  Perhaps a clear indication that this catastrophe may be the biggest setback of this administration.  Call that a win if you want, but I for one am beginning to worry that oil-crisis-management may cast a favorable shadow over the real shortcomings of the Obama Presidency.  Dare I predict a win for the administration even in a failure?  ”Never let a good crisis go to waste!!”

UPDATE:

Everyone should check out this post at the Strident Conservative.  It appears the President’s speech may have been plan B – inspired by another incompetent Chief Executive – Jimmy Carter?

Obama Loses Original Speech – Recycles One From Carter

UPDATE:

The MSNBC talking head has thrown a tantrum and apparently parted ways with the Daily Kos. I know you’re all going to cry yourself to sleep tonight on the heels of this news… no doubt.  Next step?  Leaving MSNBC?  I’d say I wish but who the hell really cares.  I’m not watching that nonsense anytime soon either way.

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