The Debt We Owe Laura Bush

By Matt Towery of TownHall.com

With so many newspapers columns about bailouts and debt, I thought I might just change the pace by paying tribute to a woman to whom we as Americans are indebted -- First Lady Laura Bush.

I know President Bush doesn't read columns, but with all due respect, he needs to read this one. So, I'm writing it to him.

Dear Mr. President,

This message has nothing to do with you or your presidency. I'll leave that to others. But, then again, it has everything to do with you and your presidency.

Being an ex-elected official and candidate for statewide office -- now permanently "reformed" by not participating anymore -- I know what the wives of political leaders go through. Not that I can ever know how tough it gets when one reaches the level of the presidency. But I can imagine.

For this and other reasons, I want to thank you personally and on behalf of a great number of Americans for the service your wife, Laura, has given to America.

Like plenty of us political men, you married "over your head," which I'm sure you know. Many of us are lucky to have bright, devoted and strong wives who not only help hold our families together during our years in political office, but who could themselves tackle many of the issues we do, often with superior skill to our own.

In the case of your own Laura, she helped raise two bright and beautiful young women. Sure they had a few teenage incidents. Whose kids don't? But they have brought honor to your family and have been a great reflection on their parents.

Then there is the side of your wife for which we as a nation owe a huge debt.

I know that most Americans know that Mrs. Bush was a librarian when you met her. But I'm not sure everyone knows that she earned not only her bachelor's degree from Southern Methodist University but also a master's degree from the University of Texas. This woman is no wallflower.
And, as you know Mr. President, she has in her always friendly, warm and articulate manner, put her keen mind to work for America.

While she has been best known for her tireless efforts to promote global literacy, Laura Bush has been just as active on a range of issues -- from her "Women's Health and Wellness Initiative," to her fight to end oppression against women in nations such as Afghanistan, where she actually took the place of her husband in presenting the weekly presidential radio address in 2001.
But you know all of that, Mr. President.

But I want others to recognize how active she has been on behalf of people who need help and often can't fight for themselves. And we all recognize that while this is a kind and caring woman, she can be passionate and, in her own way, fight effectively for others. In fact, she is still fighting for the women of Afghanistan.

I can only imagine how proud you were of her performance on "Meet the Press" recently, where she deftly handled a range of issues in a way that seemed to me to be as competent and articulate as say, Sen. Hillary Clinton or Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In fact, I was blown away by her ability to take anything Tom Brokaw asked of her and ace it.

What makes this all the more interesting is to see her just a week or so later, live in the White House showing the Christmas decorations to a national audience. I loved the part when the dog ran right past her, and she cracked a joke and never missed a beat.

So whether it's the Christmas tree or denouncing the disfigurement of young girls in a nation so very far away, Laura Bush is able to handle the task with grace and ease.

I guess it is a bit presumptuous to write a sitting president in a national column. But we all know this will never reach George W. Bush. But it just would not be fair, particularly given the tough years this nation and her husband have endured, not to at least recognize one of the greatest first ladies in American history.

Sources:
http://townhall.com/Common/PrintPage.aspx?g=2f0e41dc-5cf5-430a-8d4f-804ef4b95f7b&t=c

Matt Towery

Caroline Kennedy Goes Public

All American Blogger: Obama’s Energy Sec. Wants Gasoline Price Increase Of 300%

Found this article on the All American Blogger and thought you'd want to be in the know as Obama and his team begin to bring great change to Americans. Should this be accurate, we Americans will have no change in our pockets.

....To the green mafia, the price of gasoline should be so high that people can’t drive to work and have to rely on public transportation. And if the market won’t keep the price high, government will......


Click here to read.

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder: 'UN Anti-Racism Conference Must Not Become Another Platform for Spreading Anti-Semitism'

PP Note: Guess the real question is what stance Barack Obama will take? Will this conference be a repeat of the last one where the U.S. walked out? Or will Hillary be happy to sit there with a smile on her face courtesy of her new boss?

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), Ronald S. Lauder, has praised the minister of foreign affairs of the Netherlands, Maxime Verhagen, for making a clear statement regarding an upcoming United Nations conference on combating racism.

In an interview with Dutch radio, Verhagen had said that his government might boycott a United Nations anti-racism conference in Geneva in April 2009 unless anti-Israel statements are removed from official draft documents. "It seems like the sole intention is to criticize Israel and condemn the West for slavery and its colonial history," Minister Verhagen had said, warning of a repeat of the first UN anti-racism conference in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, which degenerated into an anti-Semitic and anti-Israel debacle.

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said: "We appreciate the Dutch government's principled stance, and we hope that other democratic countries will take this as an example and make their voice heard as well. The United Nations anti-racism conference must not become yet another platform for spreading anti-Semitism and unfairly singling out Israel for criticism. Sixty years after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is high time that the UN live up to its own founding principles!"

Lauder pointed out that any imbalanced conclusion of the UN conference would render the final declaration meaningless and reflect badly on the UN's ability to fulfill the purpose of the Geneva forum. "Avoiding a repeat of Durban I is a crucial litmus test for the UN and its member states," the WJC president said, adding that the World Jewish Congress would continue to lobby governments on this issue.

Jesse Jackson Jr. on Video with Blagojevich in August 2008

Jesse Jackson Jr. “I haven’t Met With Rod Blagojevich in 4 years”… Problem is, this video shows otherwise…
Posted: 11 Dec 2008 02:30 PM CST
The cookie continues to crumble… Barack Obama has chosen to surround himself with crooks and liars.

It was just yesterday that Jesse Jackson Jr. soberly exclaimed that he had not met Rod Blagojevich in 4 years…

I mean, that sounds odd considering the fact that Jesse is a member of the Illiniois delegation to the House of Reps, and Rod is the State governor and both come from the same party…

Anyway, here’s a video taken in Denver (thanks Ace) during the Democratic National Convention in August which shows the two men not only being in the same vicinity, but also embracing each other…

Incidentally, it wasn’t just a random hug, but a hug fest which Jesse orchestrated:
An emotional U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. called on warring Democrats to unite Wednesday at their national convention and said he wouldn’t be satisfied unless Gov. Rod Blagojevich and House Speaker Michael Madigan hugged....

Colin Powell Gives Advice to the Republican Party...

Yep, Colin Powell, who endorsed the Democratic candidate for President (Barack Obama in case you've forgotten his name) is giving us advice. He thinks Sarah Palin polarized the Party, doesn't like Rush Limbaugh either.

Gee. I am SHOCKED. Just SHOCKED.

After we get through twisting the Republican Party around like Powell would have us do, let's go check with the Huffington Post and MoveOn.org to see what else we should do.

The only people listening to Colin Powell these days are his liberal friends. At least Liberman is "technically" an Independent... although I gotta say I can't imagine why he stuck with the Democratic Party after they stabbed him in the back, but hey, what do I know, I'm just a stalwart Republican carrying the conservative banner.



Powell Blasts Palin for Polarizing, Endangering Republican Party (Video)
Sarah Palin helped push the Republican Party farther to the right this election – a polarization which could lead to the downfall of the party, insists Colin Powell.
Oh, and he also says Republicans should stop listening to conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh and we need to rethink the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
http://www.wowowow.com/post/powell-palin-helped-polarize-republican-party-video-155358

It's time for campaiging!

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More on the PUMA Party

Seems there's not just one website, there are blogs, there are websites and there is discontent in Obama-land. I was amazed at the number of sites and blogs for PUMA and other groups. It seems they've been banding together. I wonder how much the media is going to allow us to hear about these groups and their actions at the Dem Convention? I see that some of the major news media outlets have done bits on PUMA and others, so maybe we will hear if they do something interesting at the convention. Whatcha think?

There are way too many sites to list here. I'd suggest you go do a search on PUMA putting in some of the words (Party, Unity, etc.:. Here's a couple of sites and a video to get your started if you don't want to do a search.:

http://www.puma08.com/
http://blog.pumapac.org/about/



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Party Down with the PUMA Party...

The PUMA Party you may ask? What would that be? Sleek animal support group? Are you digging around in the depths of your mind trying to figure out what the initials could stand for? It's the "Party Unity My Ass" Party.

From what I've heard and read, it's comprised of Democrats who are not happy that Hillary Clinton is not getting her due.

They're making national news and it seems there may be some fireworks at the Democratic National Convention. Stay tuned for more info, but in the meantime you may want to check out their website:

http://pumaparty.com/

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Old White Guys

Hey cool, Obama has chosen an old white guy as his running mate (Joe Biden). Now maybe they'll have to stop calling McCain the old white guy. If McCain can pick a younger person from another ethnic group then we'll have mirror image candidates and can just take race and age off the table and start looking at the real issues.

Secretary Handel Reminds Citizens to Register to Vote for July 15 General Primary

Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel today reminded voters that the deadline to register to vote to be eligible to cast a ballot in the July 15, 2008 General Primary is Monday, June 16, 2008.

To register to vote in Georgia, you must be a citizen of the United States, a legal resident of Georgia and of the county in which you plan to vote, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. You may not register to vote if you are currently serving any sentence imposed by the conviction of a felony or judicially determined to be mentally incompetent.

Citizens who are not registered to vote in the county in which they reside must submit a voter registration application by the deadline in order to vote in the General Primary. Citizens that are registered to vote at a former address within the county where they reside are encouraged to submit a change of address card to their county registrar. Voters who are currently registered at the correct address do not need to submit a new voter registration application.

You can download and complete a voter registration application by visiting the 2008 Elections Center on the Secretary of State’s website: http://www.sos.ga.gov/elections/ElectionCenter08.htm.

You can also contact your local county registrars' office, public library, public assistance office, recruitment office, schools and other government offices for a mail-in registration form. Voter registration is offered when renewing or applying for a driver's license at any Georgia Department of Driver Services office. College students can obtain Georgia voter registration forms from their school registrar's office or from the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Secretary Handel also reminds voters that Georgia law requires registered voters to show photo identification when voting in person. This photo identification requirement applies in the July 15 General Primary and all future elections. When voting absentee by mail, photo identification is not required.

Voters casting ballots in person, either through advance voting or on Election Day, will be required to show one of the following forms of acceptable photo ID when they vote:

· A Georgia driver’s license, even if expired;

· Any valid state or federal government issued photo ID, including a free Voter ID Card issued by your county registrar or Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS);

· Valid U.S. passport;

· Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state;

· Valid U.S. military photo ID; or

· Valid tribal photo ID.


Voters who do not have a form of identification listed above are eligible to receive a free Georgia Voter ID from their county elections office. Voters who have questions are encouraged to call the Georgia Secretary of State’s Voter ID Hotline at (877) 725-9797 or visit our website at www.GaPhotoID.com.

Democrat qualifies for GOP primary in HD-73

From the Peach Pundit site:
http://www.peachpundit.com/2008/05/05/democrat-qualifies-for-gop-primary-in-hd-73/#comments
May 5th, 2008 by Jason Pye · 17 Comments
Rick Williams has qualified to run in the Republican primary against State Rep. John Yates in State House District 73. He believes that Yates, who is 86 years young, is too old to keep his seat in the Georgia General Assembly. Fine. If that is his belief, then he is entitled to it.