WHO IS THE MAINSTREAM?

Earlier this evening, while I was checking out Trey Jackson's blog for fresh video - that JACKSON'S JUNCTION (and it's something everyone should do everyday) - I found that he also has a collection of audio-clips of recent raving & rantings from the LOONY LEFT. He's got Teddy Jo Kopechne, and Sheets Byrd, and Barbarella Boxer - AND HE HAS A DOOZY FROM HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON.

It's SO LOONY that I had to GOOGLE it - and sure enough, AT HILLARY'S OWN SITE, I found it. Here's one of the LOONIEST sections; (Trey has this part at his blog):

Now how are they [the GOP] doing this? Well, they control the levers of power. They flaunt that power. And they adhere to a rigid ideology that is well outside the mainstream of American politics. It is an ideology that ignores some of the basic principles laid down by our founding fathers like the accountability of the checks and balances in government. Now their determination to do this, I think, has taken a lot of Americans by surprise. It seems so much out of sync with where we believe our country should be. So no wonder so many Americans believe that we are on the wrong track.

WOW! Hillary is arguing that the GOP isn't the mainstream, but the Democrats are! And we're supposed to BELIEVE THAT CRAP?!

HERE'RE THE FACTS: The GOP has the White House, the Senate and the House, and most of the Governorships and statehouses, and yet the Democrats believe that THEY are the mainstream!? This degree of denial is BREATH-TAKING. But it's really worse than that. The fact is, that under George W. Bush's leadership, the GOP has GAINED in representative power at every level of government (federal and state) - FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEVERAL DECADES - and yet Hillary REALLY wants us to believe that the GOP AND GEORGE W. BUSH ARE NOT THE MAINSTREAM!?

Either she's a loony Lefty or a cynical pandering liar. Either way: SHE'S PROVEN SHE IS UNFIT FOR COMMAND.

Now I will admit that some polls sometimes show that a majority on any given issue think President Bush isn't doing a great job (that the country is on "the wrong track"), BUT THAT'S BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE THINK W'S TOO LIBERAL (like on immigration, and domestic spending - and even that he's too soft on the neojihadists in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia)! It's LAUGHABLE that Hillary and her cohorts on the Left think that they might EVER get the votes of these dissatisfied righties!

If MY Democrat Party wants to get back into the MAINSTREAM, they should rally around Zell Miller, NOT Hillary!

BOLTON ACCUSERS ARE LYING LEFT-WING PARTISAN SHILLS

ITEM #1 - NYSUN:

The latest accusations of abuse aimed at the president's nominee to be America's ambassador to the United Nations come from a self-described "liberal Democrat" who in 2004 helped organize the Dallas chapter of "Mothers Opposing Bush."

ITEM #2 -

"Loyal Republican to the Core" Carl Ford Donated to Democrats - Self-professed “loyal, conservative Republican to the core” Carl Ford has not always put his money where his mouth is. Over the past five years, Ford donated more than $3,000 to a number of prominent Democrats including John Kerry and Charles Rangel, according to OpenSecrets.org.Ford has also donated to a number of Republicans, including President Bush. The Democrat donations include:

$1,000 Charles Rangel 8/12/04; $500, Daniel Inouye, 2/18/04; $1,000 Jane Harman, 12/8/03; $250 Jane Harman, 3/7/2004; $500 John Kerry, 11/9/99.

Why would a REAL conservative Republican give money to Rangel and Kerry - (and GOP moderate Arlen Spector, too)? It's NOT plausible. When Ford CLAIMED UNDER OATH to be a conservative Republican, he perjured himself and proved he's a phony and a liar.

The Left-wingers - and the Democrat Party they now control - are lying now about Bolton just as Joe Wilson and Dick Clarke and Sandy Berger and Dan Rather did in the past about Bush and other Bush aides.

HAVE THEY NO SHAME!?

UPDATE - ITEM #3:

International Business and Technical Consultants President [and Townsel's boss] Jayant Kalotra wrote a letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee defending Bolton’s actions in Moscow concerning “Mothers Opposing Bush” volunteer Melody Townsel.

Now, before anyone tries to imply Kalotra is just another conservative Bolton supporter, consider these facts:

In the past five years, Kalotra has donated over $16,000 to political candidates, all Democrats, according to FEC records. That includes more than $3,000 to New Jersey Democratic congressman Frank Pallone, $3,000 to Dick Gephardt, $500 to Al Gore, $5,000 to the DNC, $1,000 to Maryland congressman Albert Wynn and $1,000 to New York’s Gary Ackerman.

ITEM #4: BELTWAY BUZZ -

When asked to explain why she did not bring allegations against Bolton during any of his previous confirmation hearings, [Bolton accuser]Townsel claims she was “too busy” raising her children and had stepped out of politics.

However, during the time Townsel claims she devoted to raising her children, she was in fact working for the very large public relations firm Ogilvy. She was so committed to her work that she became a senior VP and collected more than $1.5 billion in revenues for the company.

In addition, Townsel worked on “whistleblower” issues for the Androvett Legal Media and Marketing firm and ran her own firm, Townsel Communications. Hat tip to the Classical Values blog.

BUSH HANGS TOUGH ON BOLTON NOMINATION

YAHOO/AP:

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Thursday urged the Senate to confirm John Bolton as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations despite questions about his temperament that have stalled the nomination. [...] Bush's impromptu remarks, which came at the top of a planned speech in Washington before a meeting of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, were clearly designed to show that the White House is not giving up on Bolton. [ ...] The White House also offered to arrange private meetings between Bolton and any wavering Republicans. There was no indication that Bolton might withdraw. [Yesterday McClellan said,] "Senate Democrats on the committee continue to bring up these allegations that are unsubstantiated, that are unfounded, that John Bolton has addressed in his testimony" before the committee, said White House press secretary Scott McClellan. "I think what you're seeing is the ugly side of Washington, D.C., that people are playing politics with his nomination," McClellan said.

I hope that Bush goes to the mats for Bolton. We mustn't let the Lefties derail Bolton because the status quo at the UN is unacceptable, and Bolton is the perfect man to shake up the status quo and fix the long abused and useless body, and transform it into what it was long ago INTENDED to be: a place where free nations cooperate to protect freedom and human rights of all people everywhere.

LIBERAL CHAFEE WAIVERING ON BOLTON

Bloomberg:

Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee is ``less likely'' to support John Bolton's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations because of the allegations he mistreated subordinates, a spokesman for Chafee said. Chafee's vote against Bolton on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, combined with the united opposition of Democrats, would leave Republicans at least one vote short of recommending his nomination to the full Senate.

Chafee is up for re-election, SO... we must ALL phone and email him to let him know we don't want him to cave into the trumped up Left-wing/Democrat SMEAR-campaign against Bolton.

Here's how to let Chafee know how you feel:

- phone his DC office: (202) 224-2921

- email him: http://chafee.senate.gov/webform.htm

- phone him in RI: (401) 845-0700 -or- (401) 453-5294

BENEDICT NEWS ROUNDUP

CSM: Benedict XVI will test religion's 'red-blue' divide
UKTIMES: Analysis: what the Pope's first homily tells us
AU-TELEGRAPH: Benedict to meet reporters
NEWSDAY: Europe Religious Apathy May Challenge Pope
UK-GUARDIAN: Pope's Name Reveals Aspirations for Peace
"REUTERS": New Pope suffered brain haemorrhage in '91 - report

SOROS FORMS "THE PHOENIX GROUP"

Left-wing elitist and billionaire financier/speculator George Soros - who spent $27 million to defeat Bush in 2004 - has formed a new group of millionaires to finance more Left-wing activities. FROM FRONTPAGE:

George Soros told a carefully vetted gathering of 70 likeminded millionaires and billionaires last weekend that they must be patient if they want to realize long-term political and ideological yields from an expected massive investment in “startup” progressive think tanks.

The Scottsdale, Ariz., meeting, called to start the process of building an ideas production line for liberal politicians, began what organizers hope will be a long dialogue with the “partners,” many from the high-tech industry. Participants have begun to refer to themselves as the Phoenix Group. [...] One source at the DNC with direct knowledge of the agenda said that the Phoenix Group had three specific goals at the outset. It wants to create liberal think tanks, training camps for young progressives and media centers.

The Democrats and the Left have truly become the party and the "movement" of BIG MONEY AND THE ELITES, and they are no longer the blue-collar party of the people.

MORE HERE. AND HERE.

UPDATE: Well, well, well: This post - and the one on BOLTON (below) - have sure struck a nerve in the heart of the Left! Here're my responses to some of the Leftie commenters -

(1) NOBODY repeat N-O-B-O-D-Y spent more money in the last presidential race than Soros and Peter Lewis - TWO UNABSHED LEFTIES. That's just a simple a fact; go to OPENSECRETS.ORG to verify. Soros alome spent $25 MILLION. Lewis around $15 MILLION. That's more than any Righty or any GOP millionaire. (2) Bush got more small donations from more people than Kerry. VERIFY THAT AT OPENSECRETS.ORG, too. (3) Blogosota (a commenter to this post) reveals the basically ANTI-FREE SPEECH/dialogue/debate attitude of the Left; it's why they are so anti-Fox: they just don't think that the Right has any right to public discourse. How PERFECTLY Stalinist.

The Left - and the MSM they Dominate - are alienating Catholics

AND I THINK THAT THIS WILL COST THE DEMOCRATS MORE VOTES IN 2006. WHY?! Becuase there are 70,000,000 Catholics in the USA and they won't be won-over by Leftists who disparage the basic tenets of their faith or the learned and illustrious leaders of their Church.

Hugh Hewitt:

Catholics in America are getting quite an introduction in agenda journalism today, as report after report sells the liberal line about the new pope. I devoted all three hours of my radio broadcast to Catholic callers' reaction to the new pope today, and only one of scores of calls was negative. This doesn't prove anything about the reaction within the entire American Church, but the downgrading or total absence of the perspective of joy at the succession of Benedict XVI among American Catholics is an indictment of the MSM's professional abilities. They cannot believe that the vast majority of American Catholics will approve of this new pope, so that possibility is left uninvestigated.

[...]

The refusal of even a single day's honeymoon for the new pope from the scribblers of the left tells us a lot about the folks who work on editorial boards, and also a lot about diversity in America's newsrooms. Are there even five traditional, Mass-attending and confession-going writers among the five editorial boards sampled above? Is there even one who would step forward to defend the Church's teaching on human dignity and sexuality? There are tens of millions of American Catholics full of joy at yesterday's news, but do they have any voice within elite MSM at all?

In a larger sense, though, this new papacy may FINALLY mean the demise of more than just America's Democrat Party; it may mean the end, in the entire West, of the "20th Century Left": Benedict XVI will take aim at and attempt to defeat relativism, and without moral relativism the contemporary Left is disarmed.

PREDICTION: POPE BENEDICT WILL REINVIGORATE AND REPOPULATE EUROPE'S CHURCHES

Over at OUTSIDE THE BELTWAY, Robert Tagorda linked and excerpted to a review of a book by the new pope ( Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Century. By Joseph Ratzinger. An Interview with Peter Seewald. Ignatius Press. 301 pp. $12.95 paper.); here's an excerpt which seems to be the Leftist line on Benedict; (it's by Thomas D. Williams; WIlliams wrote:

“Cardinal Ratzinger presents a scenario of a shrinking Church of minority status, more concerned with creating small pockets of authentic Christian living than influencing the course of society.”

THIS STATEMENT IS AS WRONG ABOUT BENEDICT AS OTHERS WERE ABOUT JPII.

When JPII was selected many thought that the RC Church was signaling detente with the USSR (because as Cardinal Wojtyla JPII had coexisted with Soviet tyranny in Poland.)

As Michael Ledeen wrote:

We were in Rome when John Paul II was elected Pope, and, like most people, I didn't know much about him. Most of the commentary at that time described the Conclave's decision in political terms, and Karol Wojtyla was said to be a "detente pope," a gesture of peace toward the Soviets. I went over to Communist-party headquarters in Via delle Botteghe Oscure to ask them what they thought of it, and one of the real hardline Stalinists put it nicely: "Well," he said, "at least our Polish comrades won't have him around to (and here he used a colorful Roman phrase that roughly means 'give them a hard time.'). The Communist knew what he was talking about, and the scribblers and kibbitzers didn't.

Instead, the world got a GREAT COLD WARRIOR who inspired Poles and gave them the courage to challenge Soviet tyranny.

I expect Pope Benedict to wage a SUCCESSFUL battle against relativism and THEREBY ENLARGE THE CHURCH ONCE AGAIN IN EUROPE.

You NEVER win by appeasing your enemy; relativism is the enemy; Benedict knows this and he knows that he must defeat relativism to win back Europe.

I pray he does. I expect him to.

UPDATE: more HERE - (a fascinating and wide-ranging audio interview IN ENGLISH with Benedict when he was Cardinal; he discusses relativism and the liturgy and many other things; hat tip KJ at THE CORNER).

BOLTON IS PERFECT; VOINOVICH IS A COWARD

"REUTERS" -

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee delayed a vote on the nomination of John Bolton as U.N. ambassador after a Republican senator said he was not prepared to vote for him on Tuesday and cast the nomination in doubt. "I've heard enough today that I don't feel comfortable about voting for Mr. Bolton," Ohio Sen. George Voinovich said, stunning fellow Republicans who were set to push the contentious nomination through the committee on a party-line vote. Without Voinovich's support, Bolton's nomination faced being bottled up in the committee on a 9-9 tie vote that would not advance it to the full Senate.

This is a PROFILE IN COWARDICE by Voinovich.

By ANY LOGICAL, DISPPASIONATE MEASURE, Bolton is ABSOLUTELY the right man for the job. And Bolton's nomination PROVES that Bush is serious about fixing the UN. Here's proof:

If you were mayor of NYC and had a real lousy school system for the last decade, and if REALLY wanted to fix it, would you want to appoint someone who'd been a SUPPORTER of that lousy school system for that decade? Or would you appoint somebody who'd been a sharp critic of it for the last decade!?

IF YOU REALLY WANTED TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO, AND IMPROVE THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, THEN YOU'D APPOINT SOMEONE WHO'D BEEN A SHARP CRITIC OF THE SCHOOLS WHEN THEY WERE BAD (and NOT someone who been an enabler of the decline of the school system)!

Bolton has been a sharp critic of the UN; therefore he's the PERFECT MAN to help fix it! (Update:) AND THIS PROVES THAT BUSH IS SERIOUS ABOUT REFORMING THE UN! Bush could have appointed someone who was unqualified and of no-standing in the administration; by apppinting a key advisor who is an outspoken critic of the FAILURES OF THE UN, Bush HAS PROVEN he is SERIOUS about FIXING THE UN. (I HAVE UPDATED THIS IN RED & ITALICS SO THE LEFTIES WHO ARE VISITING HERE FROM "CROOKS AND LIARS" WILL UNDERSTAND IT. THIS APPOINTMENT PROVES BUSH IS SERIOUS ABOUT REFORMING THE UN. Get it!?)

Opposition to Bolton is ONLY driven by 2 things: (1) irrational Bush hatred, and (2) Leftists who OPPOSE REFORM OF THE UN!

Voinovich is CAVING IN to the irrational Bush hatred and to the Leftists who make excuses for the UN and who DO NOT want the STATUS QUO at the UN fixed. We MUST ALL get on our PHONES AND FAXES AND EMAIL and BLAST Voinovich for this act of COWARDICE. Here's how:

(a) email: http://voinovich.senate.gov/contact/
or (b) email here: voinovich@voinovich.senate.gov
or (c) fax: 513 - 684 - 3269
or (d) phone: 513 - 684-3265

[ALSO: you must all keep in mind that the anti-Bolton movement (run out of MOVEON.ORG and ACT) is financed by the same Leftist who is financing their support for they're continued filibuster of Bush's judicial appointments: LEFTIST BILLIONAIRE GEORGE SOROS; (more on him HERE).]

MORE HERE, at MICHELE MALKIN. More HERE at POWERLINE.

POPE BENEDICT!

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger is now Pope Benedict. He has a difficult mission; I wish him success and Peace.

I favored other younger Cardinals because I thought him too old - at 78 - for the mission, but the CofC did not. I pray they are right. I had ALWAYS thought him to be philosphically fine.

Just before his election, he gave an absolutely RIGHT ON and wonderful speech about the evils of moral relativism and its centrality to the moral crises of our time. (More HERE.)The evils of moral relativism is a favorite topic of mine (if you GOOGLE the word "relativism" at this blog you will find MANY MANY links), and I think that Pope Benedict was 100% correct in what he said about it. This bodes VERY well. If his papacy can defeat relativism and inspire a resurgence of the Church and the Priesthood in Europe and the USA then he will have been the right choice.

[For what it's worth:

(A) I had Ratzinger as #8 on my list (only so low because of his relatively advanced age). The number 8 is - by many numerologists - regarded as the number most associated with Jesus. (B) Amazingly: The 16th Century predictions of Malachy foretold that the Pope succeeding JPII the great would be named Benedict. And - ominously - that he would be the LAST POPE. (For more on this prophecy-angle read HERE and HERE or just GOOGLE "Malachy Benedict "last pope.") (C) Pope Benedict is European and the single issue which I MOST STRONGLY expressed, in all my "predictions" about the successor to JPII the Great, was that he SHOULD be someone who could tackle the Church's problems in Europe. I think that by choosing a non-Italian European, the CofC recognized this - and it's another reason why he was a good pick.]

I wish Pope Benedict all the best.

SOROS: DANGEROUS, ILLOGICAL, LEFT-WING RELIGIOPHOBIC OLIGARCH

George Soros - a native Hungarian who was educated in in the United Kingdom and who is a billionaire speculator - spent $27 million in 2004 trying to unseat George W. Bush.

One of the primary reasons Soros wanted Bush out was that he feared that Bush was too religious - DANGEROUSLY so.

Here's a telling excerpt from an interview/profile with The New Yorker magazine in October 18, 2004 - before the election:

"Soros, who describes himself as an agnostic, contended that Bush's religious beliefs are in conflict with with America's democratic traditions. "The separation of church and state, the bedrock of our democracy, is clearly undermined by having a born-again president," he said. "Our concern about Islamic fundamentalism is that there's no separation between chuch and state, yet we are about to erode that here."

This opinion is ridiculous on it's face. First, Carter was a born-again and nobody on the Left - no one, NOT EVEN SOROS was the slightest bit concerned that the USA was about establish a state religion. Carter even TAUGHT Sunday School, and yet NO ONE thought he was TOO RELIGIOUS to be president. Of course this is because of TWO THINGS:

(a) Carter is an anti-American Leftist, and since the MSM is dominated by anti-American Leftists and becuase they don't criticize their own Carter got a "PASS." And (b), Carter president BEFORE 9/11, and before 9/11 the Left in the USA was a little more tolerant of religious people than afyter 9/11. After 9/11 the Left in the USA became MORE RELIOGIOPHOBIC because they blame 9/11 on RELIGION and they bunch all religious people together; this is called CONFLATION and it's a LOGICAL FALLACY. The "Leftist Illogic" goes something like this:

(1) "Binladen is religious; George Bush is religious; therefore Binladen and Bush are equivalent."

(2) "Binladen is dangerous and religious; George Bush is religious; therefore George Bush is dangerous."

(3) Binladen is a religious fanatic; religious fanatics are fundamentalists; fundamentalists are part of the religious right; George Bush is part of the religious right; therefore George Bush is a religious fanatic."

The conclusions of each of these three arguments are ILLOGICAL and FALSE. Yet the Left - and GEORGE SOROS apparently believe and promulgate them all.

(ASIDE: The Left has a diathesis for religiophobia for three reasons: (I) a basic tenet of Leftism is the that religion is bad - "the opiate of the people;" Leftists think only simpletons believe in God; Christianity is a silly myth no more real than Santa Claus or the tooth fairy. And Leftists think religion is a superstitous value system which is responsible for perpetuating ignorance and countless wars.

BUT, THE FACT IS... that Leftism - (socialists and their cousins: Nazism, Fascism, Maoism; Pol-Potism, Milosevicism, Baathism, etc.) - killed more people in the 20th century than religion did in the preceding 30 centuries! YUP: 3000 years of religious wars killed 1% of the people which socialism killed IN THE 20th CENTURY ALONE! YES: socialism is responsible for more genocide than any other creed in all of human history.

And, contrary to what Leftists would have you belive, anti-Leftist/anti-Communist authoritarians - like Pinochet, Marcos, Franco, et al - killed a fraction of the number of people killed in the name of religion!

SO... in REAL TERMS, religion is at worst benign when compared to Leftist creeds. (II) Leftism IS a religion of sorts, and traditional faiths are COMPETITORS. (III) Leftists are moral relativists and post-modernists who hate Western Civilization and support the "counter-culture." Traditional religion is the chief adversary for socialists because it is NOT relativistic, and contemporary traditional religions are deeply - YEA INEXTRICABLY tied to Western Civilization - the Judeo-Christian civilization.

By attacking major Western religions and sects (while being "intrigued" and attracted to "exotic"/non-Western religions like Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism), Leftists seek to DESTROY the West. This is also why they have been so apologetic on behalf of neojihadist terror, arguing that somehow we - the West, the USA - DESERVED 9/11; as Ward Churchill said, "the chickens have come home to roost." The neojihadists seek to destroy us; Leftists mistakenly think they can sit on the sidelines an applaud.)

The second major ridiculous charge that Soros makes is that our democracy is based on the separation of church and state, and he extends this erroneous assertion to imply that any expression of religion by our government or by our elected officials violates the Constitution.

In fact, the words "separation of church and state" do NOT appear anywhere in any of our founding documents; on the contrary, our founding documents were filled with religious expressions, and our Founding Fathers were almost all God-fearing men of deep faith. The Constitution ONLY states that the government shall not ESTABLISH and official state religion - (which means support any sect with taxes -- as is done in MOST of the world's countries, including in most in Europe including the UK, and Denmark, and Spain, and all of the Moslem states).

Nevertheless, religiophobes like Soros are HYPERPHOBIC about the spearation of church and state - in spite of the fact that MNOST of the world's democracies HAVE NO SUCH WALL (and they say not a sinlge word condemning THEM!), and in spite of the fact that NOT ONE PRESIDENT - NOT EVEN "BORN-AGAINER" GEORGE BUSH OR "BORN-AGAINER" JIMMY CARTER HAS EVER SUGGESTED THAT WE DO ESTABLISH a STAE RELIGION!

SO: when Soros expresses fear that this may happen, he reveals more about his own demented phobias - and his illogical mind - than he does about reality. (As far a tax-dollars going to faith-based social welfare groups, I'll just remind you that in 2000 candiate Al Gore was also IN FAVOR OF IT. And, if you're a results oriented person, you should WANT your tax dollars going to the most effective social welfare organizations - WHICH ARE OFTEN faith-based groups.)

ANYHOW... WHY DO I BRING UP A SOROS PROFILE FROM OCTOBER 2004 NOW?!?!?

Because Soros is still very much a big time Democrat/Left-wing player: he is actively financing efforts to get Tom Delay tossed from the GOP leadership (by ACT and Moveon.org and others); and he was very involved in the Left's attempts to exploit the Schiavo Murder -- as if Congress had passed the Schiavo Bill along partisan lines, (as if the Senate had NOT passed it UNANIMOUSLY, and the House by 75%!).

Soros and Dean are already trying to depict the bipartisan and Constitutional attempt by Congress to give Terry Schaivo a DE NOVO hearing in federal court as if it had been a power grab by "RIGHT-WING THEOCRATIC FANATICS."

And Soros's dollars are still freely flowing to a multitude of other Leftist causes - directly to ACT and Moveon.org - and also flowing through his many foundations - which like that other billionaire Ter-AY-sa Heinz (Kerry) - gives money EXCLUSIVELY to Left-wing causes. AND SOROS DOES IT TO THE TUNE OF $400 MILLION PER YEAR!

Soros must be watched, and he must be stopped. Left-wing oligarchs should not be allowed to buy the government of their choice.

******** UPDATE - 4/20/05: Read this - from FRONTPAGE - about a group of Left-wing billionaires that Soros has formed, called The Phoenix Group.