The Eve of the New Year

Blogging will resume after the holiday weekend. Happy New Year!

Prophetic: "One-Man Global Content Provider"

Journalist and cultural commentator Mark Steyn chats about the West, America, Europe, and Islam ... not a boring second in this exchange.

Ashton Kutcher Channels Glenn Beck

Now that's a revelation: The actor airs his concerns about the end times.

Given that it's Ashton, I wonder if we are being punk'd?

On the other hand, Demi's third hubby's point about modern people, especially in the cities, being overly dependent on electronic amenities and personal concierges (read: government services), as opposed to being self-reliant, is well taken. The mess in NYC, due to the blizzard, is one pertinent example.

Where There's (God's) Will, There's a Way

In the fourth quarter of this football season, Tim Tebow's QB career, with the Denver Broncos, is taking off, despite the naysaying. He has also found a new way keep the Word close to his heart, now that he can't mark his eye black.

Keep silencing the critics, with your actions, TT.

And the top selling jersey belongs to ___________.

Esteban's Christmas 'Candy Cane'

Heard the one about the Miami guy, arriving from Colombia, who hid the cocaine in the multi-colored Easter eggs?

It's like a cliche, or a scene from a Coen brothers film. Except that that scenario really happened at LAX.

Esteban Galtes had the nerve to claim the "candy" was for his two children. Some dad.

Here's the short story with a photo of the stash (excerpt shown).

Fourteen lbs of coke translates into $100,000 translates into life in prison.

Good catch, ICE.

"Hold my feet to the fire"

On Congressman-elect Benishek's docket: Earmarks, natural resources, and being held accountable. I like it!

Here's more about Bart Stupak's replacement as he begins to ease his way into Washington, D.C. Dr. Dan's freshman orientation snapshots are here. He's a long way from the UP. Now he has to watch out for the two-legged predators instead of the four-legged critters.

In the photo: The Doc, with Herman Cain, former CEO of Domino's Pizza and motivational speaker, at Petoskey High School (MI) this past Halloween. Mr. Cain came to campaign for (then) Candidate Benishek.

(But Mr. Cain didn't bring any pizzas. Humph.)

The Gospel, According to Luke

A touching article about the doctor who had one of the world's most enviable tasks - writing, in some detail, about the birth of Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!

P.S. Blogging will resume after the holiday weekend.

He is coming! Tonight!

Home for the Holidays

I've had a fun week traveling on-the-road enjoying middle American pleasures. Discovered a nifty cross-stitch shop in Alpena, Michigan (Stitches N' Blooms) which sells Mill Hill patterns; swam laps twice at a delightful LA Fitness pool in York, PA.; found a cheap chick novel at a Borders (Lisa Scottoline thriller); stayed at a state-of-the-art Motel 6 in Youngstown, Ohio; ate a plate of crab stuffed mushrooms at Red Lobster; and drank a few ice coffees at Dunkin' Donuts. All that was missing was catching Jeff Bridges in the remake of Tron or True Grit.

I know I sound like a commercial for crass consumerism and indulgence-of-self, but all these visits are extra-special treats when you live off-the-beaten path vs. mainstream-mall-America.

Now I'm heading back home to enjoy a quiet Christmas in the north country where the pine trees, frozen lakes, fierce hawks, and graceful deer are abundant. (God's treats for the eyes and soul.) Fish ... not as much as you might think ... but that's fodder for another blog entry.

His Big Fat Northeastern Commencement

This jock-turned-communicator-turned-campus-minister, who is a close relative and who was homeschooled from K-12, graduated from York College yesterday. Six years of classes (almost every course under the sun except for engineering and feminist studies); five varsity sports (basketball, track, soccer, volleyball, and cross-country); four different colleges; three silly mascots; two years off to work (a Chili's, a furniture warehouse, basketball camps); and a partridge in a pear tree (volunteer gig at a children's pediatric center).

Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations, if anyone is in need of a winsome young mouthpiece with some interesting life experiences.

Way to go, Junior! Beautiful cake, Whitney!

Mammon Above All

Guest blog from Howling Hurricane: "America's ... reduction of life to economics and appetite gratification has increasingly disturbed me for years ..." When I read that line in the introduction to the book Economism and the National Prospect by John Attarian, I knew I was going to enjoy reading further. And I did. In addition, I learned how to put that disturbing thought into words - Attarian's words.

First word - economism: the world view that insists that only economies matter, and, in the process of being fleshed out in policy and practice, dehumanize people into economic units. This view, Attarian argues, can and will destroy America, unless we turn from it soon.

Second word - economites: adherents to this world view, who, unfortunately, dominate today's political, cultural, educational, civic, and even religious landscapes.

The over-arching and recurring themes of the book are right-on, and highlight economism's shortcomings and dangers. Two themes which got my attention were 1)Men and women are multidimensional and should be treated that way, with attention given to their hearts, souls, minds, and spirits; and 2) Because economism requires a constant supply of cheaper and cheaper labor, illegal immigration will remain a sad reality, and the number of its victims will continue to grow.

If the current economic picture of our nation makes you uncomfortable, please read this book and begin to explain to economites, you encounter, the error of their ways.

TCC note: More about this compact tome, which is almost as lifechanging as Bastiat's The Law, here. Sadly, author Attarian passed away at the young age of 48.

The 5'7" Dynamo in the NFL

Danny be nimble. Danny be quick. Danny's tenacity helps the Patriots click.



Mr. Woodhead was homeschooled until the 9th grade. He went on to play at Chadron State, a college in Nebraska. He was also the two-time winner of the Harlon Hill trophy, the Heisman of the NCAA D-II division. These days, he's getting plenty of love from fans in New England. Watch the video. It's funny.

Speaking of hyper-competitive homeschoolers: Tebow's maiden voyage went well, although his Broncos didn't win. Update: He even set a record!

The Magic of Animation

Now is the time for all good men and women to click their way through an interactive Christmas card.

Try Ashland College's holiday greeting. Charming! Cheery!

H/T Teri Beri

Sunday Inspiration: Shane Niemeyer

Who ever goes from being a down-and-out inmate to becoming an elite Hawaii Ironman? One guy, at least. That'd be Shane Niemeyer, a personal trainer who lives in Colorado. In 2005, he was homeless, suicidal, and a county jail prisoner. But during that dark period, Shane came across an article about the internationally-known endurance competition and was inspired enough to change his thinking and lifestyle. (He says he was also "fat" and a drug abuser.) According to the Idaho Statesman, he had no background as a triathlete. But an inexpensive bike, a Gold's gym membership, and ganas* were his training tools.

Shane appears in the promo below for the Ironman, held in Kailua-Kona, (which aired on NBC yesterday) at the 40, 41 mark. What he accomplished on a hot, hot day this past October: A swim of 2.4 miles, a bike ride of 112 miles, a 26.2 marathon run, and a personal triumph over his past.



*desire, grit, oomph

Bo & the Gingerbread House of the Casa Blanca

Thoroughly over-the-top and unnecessary, but visually spectacular. Click on the photo.

Friday Fun: Wikileaks Humor

John P. passed along this pensée: "If our government really wants to keep our classified secrets ... secret, they should have them kept in the same place that Obama's college transcripts and birth certificate are kept."

Wisenheimer author unknown. Photo: The world's most famous Julian who has an overly-active - shall we say - social life. Ick. TMI.

Torts From Your Living Room

An attaboy! for Phil Maymin the prolific libertarian writer and finance professor and Harvard grad and jack-of-all-intellectual-trades. He recently passed the California bar exam which has been dubbed the "ironman" of law school tests. (It lasts 3 days.)

Phil received his J.D. from the Northwestern California University School of Law, an online program. That's right. Phil never set foot in a bricks-and-mortar school to study torts, contracts, property, etc., yet he still managed to become a lawyer. How cool is that?

Despite its overegulatory bent, California is the only state in the nation where one can study the law via distance learning (a 4-5 year commitment) and sit for the bar. Look at the difference in pricing, with this option, as explained by Anita Paulsson, a graduate of Oak Brook College of Law.

Concord is another online law school. Here's how they make the pitch to prospective legal beagles.

Brian Terry: Another Casualty of a Porous Border

A U.S. Border Patrol agent named Brian Terry (pictured) was killed in a firefight near the southern border (Arizona) earlier this week. The perps are being described as bandits who prey on illegal aliens.

Terry was 40 years old and a Marine who grew up in Wayne County, Michigan. He is survived by his parents and three siblings who were expecting him home for the holidays. Condolences to the family. It's going to be a very, very tough Christmas for these poor people.

Update: One of the individuals/illegal aliens apprehended - Manuel Arianes - has a record of arrest and prosecution in the United States.

For Real?

A reasonable person of a certain age would not pen this flaky screed.

But Jonathan Klate (pictured), a melodramatic acupuncturist from western Massachusetts, thrives on dispensing quacky, out-there opinions. In fact, he might have invented out-there.

And when it comes to playing the race card, he makes the Rev. Al Sharpton look like a rank amateur.

Here's what the Mr. Klate had to say about Bristol, and why she did so well on Dancing with the Stars: "Palin tried her best but her predominant advantage was majority skin color. That and a legion of zealous fans of her mother, a divisive politician from a state with a tiny African-American population where it is so easy to feel shocked - shocked - at the suggestion that white privilege might just possibly not have ended with the Civil War, and who loves to trumpet her anger at the mostly mythological chimera of reverse institutional racism."

Mythological chimera of reverse institutional racism? Whew!

Sunday Inspiration: St. Nate

Missionary Nate Saint (yes, that was his real name) was among those murdered in a remote rainforest in Ecuador by Auca Indians, on January 8, 1956, wielding wooden lances and machetes.

Nate (pictured) was also a pilot and a graduate of Wheaton College. The details of his martydom are here and here.

Some are familiar with his story via the movie or the book by Elisabeth Elliot, whose first husband, Jim Elliot, was also speared to death in the South American jungle. Also killed were Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian.

Nate was only 32 when he died, but this American Christian was wise for his age. In his words: "People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives ... and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted."

His sacrifice and memory lives on via the Nate Saint House in Shell Mera, Ecuador which recently opened after undergoing a renovation. Attending the dedication ceremony was Gilberto Nequimo.

Pastor Nequimo's grandfather was one of the men who killed the missionaries.

Leah Miller: Killed by Drunk Illegal

The Denver Post reports that Cesar Acosta-Castillo (no connection to this blog), an illegal and a repeat offender, was sentenced to a dozen years in prison for causing the death of Leah Miller, a 45-year-old legal secretary who volunteered in a Meals on Wheels program.

Edward Miller, Leah's father, said his daughter "was just two minutes away from home when she was hit." The fatality occurred in 2009.

Ms. Miller, a single mom, had one teenaged son.

Belated condolences to the Millers.

To make matters worse, Colorado has just elected an illegal immigration apologist extraordinaire in extreme-growth advocate John Hickenlooper.

RIP Leah Rochelle Miller

The Best of Schools, The Worst of Schools

Culling the student evaluations found at "Rate My Professors," the Center for College Affordability and Productivity has come up with a pair of unique lists - colleges with the best professors and colleges with the worst professors.

HuffPo created a Big 12 list for both categories. Go here to see who has been naughty, go here to see who has been nice.

Note: Michigan and Minnesota have their work cut out for them.

Note: Three little-known Christians schools are doing a fine job hiring and retaining productive, caring employees.

Oh, Those Opinionated Valedictorians

My Belgrade News column.

It's about the Montana Supreme Court's recent 5-1 ruling that involved a Butte (MT) high school student named Renee Griffith. The Big Sky supremes decided (correctly, IMO) that her First Amendment rights were violated when she was not allowed to say "Christ and His joy" and "God" at a commencement speech.

I also mention, in the piece, the Family Research Council's Peter Sprigg whose 1975 valedictory address, in Fitchburg, MA., caused a stir. Coincidentally, Mr. Sprigg went to high school with my hubby. Here is a well-written editorial about his speech.

Update: Another version of Renee's case who I learned is an undergrad at Evangel College in Missouri.

Ms. Herrera Goes to Washington From Washington

In case you missed this story, a former homeschooler was elected to Congress in November. Jaime Herrera (pictured) is a 32-year-old conservative, Hispanic woman who has worked as a legislative aide. Congresswoman-elect Herrera will be representing the great state of Washington (3rd district).

Her views on immigration won over this blogger.

Sunday Inspiration: The Diaper Drive

Whitney Kendall (pictured) is a junior, majoring in nursing, at York College in York, PA.

The student-athlete (lacrosse player) went on a missions trip to Uganda, this past summer, and volunteered at the Sanyu Babies' Home, an orphanage which houses up to 50 children.

She is planning to return to Sanyu in the near future, but, in the meantime, she is organizing a 5K Diaper Run in March 2011 in Olney, Maryland. Whitney wants to use the proceeds to purchase and send diapers for the little ones, she has grown so fond of, at the babies' home. In this article, she explains why the need for 'nappies' is so pressing.

(Here's her Facebook page.) Good on you, Whitney!

Silencing of the Canucks

In Canada, freedom of speech withers.

Give it Up for ... Statistics!

Dr. Jason Richwine is a senior policy analyst for the Heritage Foundation who has a public policy doctorate from Harvard. In the presentation below, Jason offers a (friendly) rebuttal to Ron Unz. Mr. Unz, you may recall, authored "His-Panic," an American Conservative article, about the myth of Latino crime.



BTW: This past summer, Jason convincingly argued, in the Wall Street Journal, that federal employees are overpaid.

In a New York State of Mind

Dinesh D'Souza (pictured), who is now the president of King's College (a Hillsdale College-type school in New York City), debated Christopher Hitchens, the prolific writer and mouthy atheist, on the topic of Western Civilization and Christianity. Go here.

King's is located in one of my favorite skyscrapers - the Empire State building, a marvel of American ingenuity. King's mission statement, put out by President D'Souza, also has its charm:

"At King’s, we pursue academic excellence for the sake of building God’s kingdom as an unapologetically Christian college. That doesn’t mean we try to win arguments solely by citing passages from the Bible. Rather, we are Christians who recognize that we live in secular society and who understand that reason is not opposed to revelation—that reason is a valuable tool to discover and affirm the truths of God and creation. Moreover, we believe that the Bible isn’t merely about the next world, but that it has important things to say about economics, about war and peace, about ethics, and about human nature.

King’s is a new kind of Christian school. We don’t want to be of the world, but we do want to be in the world, influencing through the institutions that shape the world. While other Christian institutions shelter their students from the power centers of society, we prepare them to take their rightful place. While other colleges seek to protect and shelter faith, we go beyond that and teach students how to live from a Christian foundation in the ‘language’ of society’s strategic institutions. Not only can we defend our faith, but our faith informs every aspect of life and society."

It takes more than faith, though, to attend the pricey school - 100% of the student body is receiving financial aid. Yikes.

Narnia: Imagined in a Gadget-Free Age

Oh, when children weren't discouraged from long stretches of purposeful peace and quiet ... memorable works of fiction were produced.

Once upon a time, Clive Staples Lewis, 'Chronicles of Narnia' author, wrote: "I am a product of long corridors, empty sunlit rooms, upstair indoor silences, attics explored in solitude, distant noises of gurgling cisterns and pipes and the noise of wind under the tiles. Also of endless books."

In the photos: That's "The Searcher" sculpture, located in Belfast, which pays homage to Mr. Lewis (who was born in Northern Ireland) and his magic wardrobe.

Every fall, the small northern city of Petoskey, MI. holds an annual C.S. Lewis festival.

Next month, the major-motion picture - "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" - is coming to a theater near you.



Mr. Lewis' Narnia lives on, but would have such an old soul, as he was, approved of the Hollywoodization and mass-media marketization of his enchanting stories featuring Aslan the lion?

Sun. Inspiration: Turkey v. Eagle Sermonette

A 'word in season' from Peter Lord (pictured) who pastored the Park Avenue Baptist Church, of Titusville, Florida, for thirty years.

Pastor Lord is the creator of the 29:59 plan which provides a practical assist to spiritual pilgrims in organizing their prayer lives.

This is a nifty interview, conducted by a blogger in 2008, with the Jamaican-born preacher who is the antithesis of a glib, materialistic televangelist, as well as the antithesis of a wooden fundamentalist.

Using One's 'Talent' for the Cause of Evil

This is gasp-worthy: "A sophisticated cross-border tunnel equipped with a rail system, ventilation and fluorescent lighting has been shut down by U.S. and Mexican officials - the second discovery of a major underground drug passage in San Diego this month, authorities said Friday.

The tunnel found Thursday is 2,200 feet long - more than seven football fields - and runs from the kitchen of a home in Tijuana, Mexico, to two warehouses in San Diego's Otay Mesa industrial district, said Mike Unzueta, head of investigations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego."

"The Gales of November Came Early"

I called my Miami mum, yesterday, and we both recalled - fondly - celebrating a past Thanksgiving at the St. Joseph, Michigan home of Harold and Florence Bentsen (along with their two sons, Tommy and Bruce). At the time, Mr. Bentsen was my dad's boss at Whirlpool Corp. located in Benton Harbor. Very hospitable folks!

Sadly, Thomas Bentsen, whom we also remembered as a polite teenager, died, in 1975, at the young age of 23. He was an oiler on the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.

Here's a well-written article about that terrible shipwreck. Twenty-nine lives were lost, in Lake Superior, on the tanker that was carrying iron ore.

Listen to Gordon Lightfoot's moving rendition about the men of the Fitz.

Don Alejo Garza Tamez v. "Law of the Jungle"

Subtitle: No country for old men.

Mr. R., passed along this story about a hard-working, old-school Mexican rancher - Don Alejo (pictured) - who, singlehandedly, fought several narcoterrorists to the death for his property. He, at the least, deserves a ballad (a la Gordon Lightfoot-Edmund Fitzgerald).

Re-enactment of what transpired on his ranch here along with an interview (in Spanish) with Mr. Garza's well-spoken daughter, Sandra.

Amazingly, this freedom fighter was 77 years old!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Consider reading George Washington's proclamation on this "day of publick thanksgiving." It's brief. He reminds we, the people, about the purpose of the day. (Hint: It's not about the football, the turkey, or even the gatherings of family and friends. And it's most definitely not a day of mourning, Miz Jolie-Pitts.)

Bitterroot Land: No Shortage of Pork

My latest Belgrade News column is up. Go here.

It's about the waste in the Montana state budget (based on a very comprehensive report published by the Montana Policy Institute) and includes a peek at what Big Sky residents spend on illegal imigration. Sadly, government is now the number one employer in the Treasure State. A terrible fate for a state brimming with ununusually resourceful Americans and full of wonderful natural resources.

P.S. The number three employer is Walmart.

About the pink flower: That's a bitterroot plant; native to Montana.

Ohioan Advocates for American Worker

Steve Salvi (pictured) is the intrepid founder of Ohio Jobs and Justice PAC. He agreed to an interview with TCC.

Tell us about OJJPAC.

OJJPAC is a non-partisan educational civil rights and advocacy organization focusing primarily on the effects of illegal immigration on the rights of American citizens, the economy, U.S. sovereignty, and post 9-11 national security.

Excellent! Now tell us a little about yourself.

I was raised in a small Cleveland suburb and got involved in community activities and politics while a teenager. Highlights of my political experience include over 20 years of grassroots campaigning, including campaign management. I’ve done everything from distributing literature door-to-door to managing a statewide political campaign.

After managing a successful state legislative campaign, I moved to Columbus and worked for the Ohio Legislature, including a brief stint as Secretary to the Ohio House Ethics Committee. I was later appointed by the late Speaker Vern Riffe to serve as an aide to the House Democratic Caucus.

My other political party experience includes serving numerous terms as an appointed or elected member of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Central and Executive Committees and as elected Ward Leader in Columbus, Ohio, prior to returning to northern Ohio.

My formal education includes degrees are in political science, and I also have a post-degree certificate in paralegal studies.

Does Ohio need an Arizona-style law?

Yes, as long as the federal government fails to do its constitutional duty and fully enforce U.S. immigration laws. I believe that when the federal government fails to perform one of its most essential duties, the states have the right and obligation to perform those duties, especially when it involves public safety. Although the U.S. Constitution does not allow the states themselves to deport illegal aliens, Ohio and other states have the existing authority to detain and arrest illegal aliens, certainly if they have violated a local or state law.

As long as Ohio passes a bill that mirrors existing federal law, my expectation is that it would (should) be found constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Most critics of Arizona’s law have used hysterics and misinformation to build public opposition to the law. Opponents paint a picture of images of Nazi Germany — where law enforcement indiscriminately asks people for their “papers.” That is not true. Critics also fail to point out that all aliens visiting the U.S. are already required by federal law to carry a valid passport for the purpose of identification.

In the world of politics, who is getting the job done in Ohio (either by protecting jobs or reforming immigration)?

I don’t think any public official is getting the job done — at least effectively. A lot of public attention has been going to a couple public officials in Ohio but their success seems to be primarily making news headlines. Anyone can introduce a bill — or grab a headline — actually getting bills passed is another issue. Now that Republicans control the governor’s office TCC note: Former GOP congressman and Fox News personality, John Kasich, was just elected governor of the Buckeye State. and the Ohio House and Senate, we’ll see which public officials are really interested in immigration enforcement. There will be no acceptable excuses.

What media outlets do you trust (or get your news from)?

I don’t completely trust any media outlet. I think anyone who blindly believes what they hear or read on television, the radio, or the internet is foolish. The truth is that we really don’t know how accurate much of the information we’re being fed is true. We must do our best to verify what we can and question news sources on the most critical issues. I believe there has always been some level of journalistic activism but it seems that activism has become a primary mission of many media organizations — including writers, editors, and publishers.

Most of my research is performed via the internet — which relies heavily on online content from traditional media stories. However, there is a growing number of what I call “push back” non-profit organizations that conduct and publish their own research, serving as a check to journalistic activism or so-called media bias. As traditional media continues to lose market share, the fight for public opinion will gravitate even more to the web — where non-traditional media and issue oriented profits and non-profits will have growing influence.

Thank you, Steve, for your hard work as a volunteer for a just cause!

When Phil Met Jessica

Conservative author Phil Kent was invited by the College Republicans of Kennesaw State University (GA) to gave a talk on immigration. Guess who was in the audience? Jessica Colotl the illegal alien and college student who became a liberal media darling earlier this year. Here's the (lengthy, balanced) story about the event. Everyone gets their say, and Phil even had a civil conversation with young Jessica.

L to R, Phil, Jessica, Scrappy (KSU mascot)

Poster Boy for the DREAM Act

No doubt, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi will use this articulate illegal - the student body president of Fresno State - to make a case for their lame bill and unconstitutional cause.

But they better watch out. Pedro Ramirez (pictured) is a poli. sci. major. At this rate, he (and his ilk) is poised to take a plum job away from a Democratic state employee or legislator.

BTW: FAIR says the vote, on the DREAM Act, is coming very soon. Complain (politely) to your congresscritter.

Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881

Disraeli's observation, about the upper and lower classes, also relates to our modern problems with unassimilated immigrants : “ ... two nations ... as ignorant of each other’s habits, thoughts, and feelings, as if they were of different planets; who are ... fed by different food, are ordered by different manners, and are not governed by the same laws.”

More of the prime minister's wise thoughts.

One is the Loneliest Number

See and hear Commissioner Jim Runestad's opening remarks about unemployment, food stamp usage, welfare benefits (in Oakland County, Michigan), and how illegal immigration affects such negative variables. Jim was speaking at an immigration debate sponsored by Oakland University. He says it was 'seven against one.' The commissioner, apparently, was the lone voice on behalf of rule of law.

Go Figure

Spotted at Gorilla Rants.

Educational Epcot (W/Out the Cool Rides)

Our ongoing national experiment in mindless, expensive multicultural education continues to go awry.

Take your pick in recent news items that make us old-school types go "Whaaa?" (Or, waaa.)

- The finding that Latino students are now the majority in California schools. How will 'American' history now fare? Meanwhile, the Cali Supremes say in-state tuition for illegals is ok.

- That using a story, written by Julius Lester (a respected black educator), as a 'teachable moment' in a lesson about slavery, can result in a lawsuit.

-That a visually-impaired Muslim gal gets to bring her guide horse to the University of Michigan (as well as ride on a public bus with the mini-horsey and bring it into a public restroom).

- That Reid Buckley, William F.'s brother, describes the spiritual X-factor that is missing in the education of today's young people.

In the photo: Epcot's Spaceship Earth

Update: Steve Byas reveals his 'bias' toward that silly Flocabulary curriculum.

Media Darlings

My latest Belgrade News column is here.

La Entrevista

AOL Noticias has published an interview with New Mexico's Susana Martinez, the nation's first Hispanic latina head of a state. Governor-elect Martinez wants to repeal the Land of Enchantment's laws that allow illegals to drive and have access to the state's lottery scholarship. She explains why in the article.

Friday FUN: Birds of Prey Sanctuary

Photos from a field trip I took to SEE-North which is located in Harbor Springs, MI., and which is a cozy sanctuary for injured raptors.

This is Koda, a golden eagle. She can't fly but still looks fierce.



Chilli, the one-eyed eastern screech owl. My favorite birdie of the bunch. Her real name is "Chillido" which is the Spanish word for shriek.



Raptor specialist Jeremy Stoppa, of SEE-North, with Lucy the red-shouldered hawk who is also blind in one eye.

Gone Badgering

I'm spending the next few days in Wisconsin where I'll be speaking to and with Tea Party Patriots (and other fun adventures).

Blogging should resume at the end of the week.

Fri. Fun: Opposing the "Powerful Funeral Lobby"

Who knew that the casket-selling business was so cutthroat?

The Institute for Justice, a fiscally-responsible libertarian public interest law firm, fights for school choice, private property rights, and free speech. One of the IJ's current clients are the monks of St. Joseph Abbey (based in Covington, Louisiana) who are involved in a dispute with the State Board of Embalers. The latter is opposed to the monks selling their tasteful, simple wooden coffins and competing with them for 'business.'

Watch:

Get Your Copy Today!

Praise from The National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers for this new booklet: "The victims and their families' stories are so debilitating to read, but read we must! We can no longer over look the serious criminal atrocities perpetrated by deportable aliens against our mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons and daughters of Americans."

Ordering information here.

Update: Mentioned in the Amherst Bulletin by Phyllis Lehrer.

Mama Grizz Endorses The Tanc

Just received the news (Thank you, Dr. Wane.) that Sarah Palin has endorsed Tom Tancredo for Colorado guv. She's been making "last-minute" robocalls on his behalf. The message: "Tom is the right man for the job, and he'll fight for lower taxes. He'll stop growing government and start growing the economy. And we know he'll continue working to end illegal immigration.”

Very nice, Mrs. Alaska Governor. Just for that I may have to cast a vote for Bristol on DWTS.

Say it Ain't So Update:

John Hickenlooper (Democrat)
50.5% (835,792)

Tom Tancredo (Constitution)
36.8% (610,548)

Dan Maes (Republican)
11.2% (185,561)