Conservative Thoughts

икониикониикониАбстракциивикпочистванемебели от чамCNN reports that police authorities in the Bahamas have captured 19-year-old Colton Harris-Moore, known by the media as the “Barefoot Bandit.” This 19-year-old boy has been on the run from the law for more than two years for stealing cars, boats and even airplanes. Even his arrest ended in a dramatic fashion with a high-speed boat chase in the waters of Harbor Island. To some, the Barefoot Bandit is surely the stuff that great stories are made of. The question is whether or not this is a story worth repeating.

It is within the framing of stories such as the Barefoot Bandit that we see the moral condition of the country. Like the genetic makeup of any living being, it is from within that one can see the true nature of what is visible on the outside. Every society has the option to frame its heroes and villains, and what do our societal standards dictate when it comes to teenage felons like Harris-Moore? Juan McCartney and Mike Melia of the Associated Press say that Harris-Moore has built his reputation as a 21st-century folk hero. Of course thieves don’t “build” as they have no time for such labors. They are too busy stealing what others have built. Even with the factual terminology in place, one cannot say that Harris-Moore even managed steal a reputation as a 21st-century folk hero. No, to be factual it must be said that this young man’s celebrity status was a gift from the media, paid for by modern society. Unfortunately, even after the Barefoot Bandit’s arrest, the debauchery over deviant behavior is just beginning.

Even now, legal defense funds are being constructed for high-profile lawyers to drain in what will be no doubt another circus trial, and all the while the dangerous criminal activities of a teenage boy will be lifted up in a Jesse James-like fashion. Do you smell TV and movie rights? If not, then your sniffer has gone bad. The fact that Harris-Moore most likely placed many innocent lives in danger with his crime spree had no effect on his over 60,000 Facebook fans, many of which appear to be cheering on his continued victimization of all who crossed his path.

The romanticizing of deviancy comes with a heavy price. The obvious outward signs of society’s inner moral decay come with the copycat offenders that will emulate this barefoot buffoon to be the next Barefoot Bandit. Long after the media’s exalted villain is forgotten, the aftershocks of rewarding deviant behavior are felt by society. I tell you this as a former police officer who went on countless copycat calls following the sensationalized media framing of the Columbine massacre, the effects of which have arguably not been mitigated by time.

If justice were to be served to humanity, then Colton Harris-Moore and his deviant ilk would be noted by the news only for the simple purposes of capture and containment. This would be as one would note a rabid animal on a city street where the fanfare is nothing more than the sound of the gathering of nets. When the capture had been completed, deviants of this nature would be catapulted into the vacuum of obscurity, a literal world of silent shame. Who would be rushing in line to be the next shunned nothing, the next punk nobody hears of or cares about? Probably not a lot of Facebook pages for that position. Instead of silent rejection of the deviant, the worst among us, or at least the ones that can catch the attention of the media by being bad for a long as possible, get to be barefoot folk heroes. With this societal mentality we guarantee more of the same activity.

Paul A. Ibbetson is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the books “Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society” and “Feeding Lions: Sharing The Conservative Philosophy In A Politically Hostile World.” Paul is also the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting Association’s 2008, 2009 and 2010 Entertainment Program of the Year, Conscience of Kansas airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 FM, www.ibbetsonusa.com. For interviews or questions, please contact him at? ibbetson91.9@gmail.com

No one likes to be opposed. As people, we pick a side of an argument we believe in and try our hardest to win. That’s life, but there are differing ways in which we oppose one another and some are much more inflammatory than others. See if you agree. Is it not more frustrating, more infuriating when someone attempts to trick you to win an argument? Is there not more respect given to those who say, “You’re wrong, I’m right, and I will prove it!” versus someone who attempts trickery and poorly devised schemes to win an argument while congratulating you on your hard-fought victory?
I say it is better to be defeated than to be duped and defeated. When it comes to the issue of border security Barack Obama is attempting poorly crafted chicanery on the citizens of this country. Obama is not the first to fail the American people on this issue, but he is the first to fail them in such an insulting manner. Before we shine the light of accountability on Obama’s bamboozling bag of border tricks, we should look at the failures to secure the border that preceded his presidency.

Through the time and effort of average Americans in the Minuteman Project the nation received video footage of the undeniably massive influx of illegal aliens crossing the border. If ever it was in question, the will of the American people to be safe and secure in their own nation has now been made clear. The U.S. border must be secured.

On Oct. 26, 2006, the Secure Fence Act was passed. It stated that within 18 months the government was to have secured the border through the use of physical barriers, border patrol agents, unmanned aerial vehicles, ground-based sensors, satellites, radar coverage, cameras and additional checkpoints. Just to make sure there was no question about the end goal, the term “operational control,” which is referenced throughout the law, was defined as “the prevention of all unlawful U.S. entries, including entries by terrorists, other unlawful aliens, instruments of terrorism, narcotics and other contraband.” So why is the border still wide open? Here is where the trickery starts. Instead of going full bore to complete the project, funding became a political wedge issue as double fencing became single fencing, and by the time the Obama administration was faced with the border security issue, fencing at all was seen as impractical. As reported by the Associated Press back in 2005, then-Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano was already undermining the fence option with statements such as, “You show me a 50-foot wall and I’ll show you a 51-foot ladder at the border. That’s the way the border works.”

In a very foreseeable progression in the government’s failure to secure the border, Arizona passes SB1070 to protect its state from an onslaught of illegal immigration. The current Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, once again with a majority of American support, forces the government’s hand to take action. Even with the self-proclaimed transparent Obama administration at the helm, like painful déjà vu, government trickery again replaced government action. In response to Brewer’s meeting with Barack Obama and the promise of government aid to secure the Arizona border, the president’s response was to post warning signs in the desert, 80 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border and about 30 miles from the state capital. The signs read, “Smuggling and illegal immigration may be encountered in this area.” No kidding, Sherlock! As reported by CBS news, Governor Brewer now stars in a new video showing the warning signs at her state’s border as she gives the president both barrels for his lackadaisical response to this growing threat.

I can identify with her anger because it is not just opposition to securing the border that Obama is showing, it is opposition presented through an intelligence-insulting ruse. The Obama-border-sign fiasco is the biggest slap in the face to America on this issue so far and it will not be forgotten quickly. The economic and physical security of Americans is not a joke to be placed on signs at the nation’s edge. After what has been years of failed policy on border security, Barack Obama is redefining the concept of “adding insult to injury.” You can put that on a sign.

Paul A. Ibbetson is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the books “Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society” and “Feeding Lions: Sharing The Conservative Philosophy In A Politically Hostile World.” Paul is also the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting Association’s 2008, 2009 and 2010 Entertainment Program of the Year, Conscience of Kansas airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 FM, www.ibbetsonusa.com. For interviews or questions, please contact him at? ibbetson91.9@gmail.com

The forced resignation of David Weigel by the Washington Post will probably be forgotten by tomorrow, nothing more than a little blip on the radar of those submersed in the world of the Washington Post. Weigel’s online communications were nabbed and made public to expose the writer as a liberal who thinks Matt Drudge should set himself on fire and that conservatives are inherently doing evil. If you are a conservative you might shake your head, grit your teeth, or even laugh at some of Weigel’s private meanderings about the opposition. What you would not be is surprised. The Washington Post wants you to think that they are awe-struck and amazed, as if their writer were suddenly part of an E-True Hollywood story in which never-before-seen hidden details are suddenly being illuminated. Please.

Howard Klutz reported in the Washington Post that their Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli said, “We can’t have any tolerance for the perception that people are conflicted or bring a bias to their work. . . . There’s abundant room on our website for a wide range of viewpoints, and we should be transparent about everybody’s viewpoint.” This is a vague statement at best, more than a little silly at worst. The fact of the matter is that all writers, even the freest of thinkers, bring at least some bias to the table and editors know this. In fact, beyond their ability to creatively communicate with the public, writers, bloggers, you name it, are sought for their general political leanings. This is where things may have gone south for Weigel. It appears the Washington Post got caught with a “political lefty” writing as a “political righty.” Who placed David Weigel writing the column titled “Right Now – Inside the conservative movement and Republican Party” That’s right, the Washington Post.

So who is at fault here? If you say it’s the Rush-Limbaugh-hating, Tea-Party-hating, Matt-Drudge-wanna-see-ya-burn liberal Weigel, you’re wrong. The fault lies directly with the Washington Post for failing to screen the people they hire, or worse, for purposely deceiving the public. If you want to critique a liberal for his or her wacky statements, that’s fine, we can make a day of it, but don’t think its transparency of viewpoint that the Washington Post is protecting; it’s their gluteus maximus. Bloggers are not insidious double agents, or at least never effective ones, and Weigel is no exception. To think so gives the Washington Post political cover they have not earned. In fact, I think they have earned the need for some additional scrutiny.

So, in the aftermath of the private e-mails made public, David Weigel’s career at the Washington Post will be burned away, and for what, being a closet liberal? Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post reports that in 2006 Weigel referred to gay marriage opposers as “anti-gay marriage bigots” on his Twitter page. Think we might be dealing with a liberal here? This was obviously not a red flag to the Washington Post. Brauchli blamed it on the budget and said, “We don’t have the resources or ability to do Supreme Court justice-type investigations into people’s backgrounds. We will have to be more careful in the future.” Does that explanation fly with you? I think it is not a far cry to assume that the Washington Post was more than comfortable with their writing arrangement with Weigel until their employee’s point of view became overtly known to the public. Then it was transparency time. A time for purity and as the witch hunters say, nothing purifies like fire, or a good firing. Hopefully when the smoke clears there will be some interest left in finding accountability for the Washington Post.

Paul A. Ibbetson is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the books “Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society” and “Feeding Lions: Sharing The Conservative Philosophy In A Politically Hostile World.” Paul is also the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting Association’s 2008, 2009 and 2010 Entertainment Program of the Year, Conscience of Kansas airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 FM, www.ibbetsonusa.com. For interviews or questions, please contact him at? ibbetson91.9@gmail.com

What does it mean to be a Republican? What does it mean to be a Democrat? Are they both the same? The answer is no they are not, well not completely. I was disheartened to read David Frum’s article, “The Tea Party is a turn-off for US moderates,” not simply because it misrepresents the Tea Party movement which is usually the activity of angry liberals, but it also once again muddies the waters as to why we have a two-party system.

Frum frames the Tea Party activists as radical and angry people, which makes me believe that he most likely has never attended these events and never met the people who come to show their support for America. There is also a major disconnect in Frum’s reality of the liberal media and this movement. Contrary to Frum’s belief, the Tea Party has never been portrayed by the media as an unstoppable force. Actually, if anything, these gatherings that take place all over the country have been downplayed in every possible way. In his assessment of the Tea Parties, Frum sounded more like Keith Olbermann than a former speech writer for George W. Bush. He implies that liberalism within the Republican Party is a needed working part of its existence. Frum calls them the “moderate faction” of the Republican Party, and he indicates that it is they who are offended by these angry activists. He scoffs at the Republicans for rejecting Arlen Specter and thinks it would have been a good strategy to have kept this liberal under the Republican tent.

There is obviously a major disconnect here that needs addressing. I will do so now as someone who has attended many Tea Parties as a speaker, master of ceremonies and often just as a proud American concerned about the future of this country. Tea Party goers are not angry, misguided people. They are not radicals unless limited government, controlled spending, the Constitution and traditional American values are radical ideas. If these ideas are to be placed within the category of “radical” then let my name be placed there as well.

I believe that the Tea Party movement is due partly to the Republican Party’s failure to be a true tent in which conservative values can be found. Too many donkey tails are sticking out from under the Republican tent. In this, Frum is inadvertently correct; the liberals who hide in the vague title of “moderate” do exist in the Republican Party, and they have all but destroyed it. Barack Obama is the direct byproduct of the political breakdown of the two-party system. The Tea Party movement is not a Republican movement, but it has served to pull the party further toward conservative values, and that is a positive thing. Why? Because the Republican Party can and should take back the mantle as the party of conservative values. They are the only viable option.

If we follow Frum’s advice we simply keep stuffing more donkeys under the Republican tent. This is subsequently what liberals call rational thinking. This action might avoid the debate over the need for perfection in Tea-Party-supported candidates but it continues to feed the disease of liberalism that is destroying the country. Attend a Tea Party and you will see regular Americans that understand the effects of liberalism. If Frum is right then core values are negotiable and victories at the cost of the soul of this nation are events worthy of jubilation. If Frum is right then the so-called moderates of the Republican Party will silence the people of the Tea at the polls and they will be forever viewed as angry militants. But if he is wrong, let’s say, as wrong as wrong has ever been, then the Tea Party movement may embody exactly what has to be done, and just in the nick of time. If this is true then the Frum mentality must be told, “Get out of my tent!”

Paul A. Ibbetson is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the books “Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society” and “Feeding Lions: Sharing The Conservative Philosophy In A Politically Hostile World.” Paul is also the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting Association’s 2008, 2009 and 2010 Entertainment Program of the Year, Conscience of Kansas airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 FM, www.ibbetsonusa.com. For interviews or questions, please contact him at? ibbetson91.9@gmail.com

We are currently watching the beginning of an American return to conservative values. What is unique about this return is that it is being led by an increasing number of politically savvy women. Political positions in almost all local, state, and national levels of government have been occupied by women for many years but the overwhelming majority have been filled by liberal Democrats. This is about to change.

Sparked by conservative women like Michele Bachmann, the first woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Minnesota, the challenge for women of breaking the “glass ceiling” has been replaced with the reality of breaking the liberal female glass ceiling. Currently Republican Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona is locked in a stare down with President Barack Obama over SB 1070, which deals with illegal immigrants. It’s no longer a question of separating the men from the boys, but more aptly the conservatives from the liberals, the strong from the weak. Jan Brewer is currently winning her stare down with the president, and Arizona’s SB 1070 may in fact be a fundamental catalyst for securing the border in America’s future.

Much praise must be given to Sarah Palin, who invigorated the nation with her conservative values and positive, enthusiastic vision for the country. The Palin phenomenon is still infectious today. What she also did by stepping onto the national stage was educate the nation about a woman’s ability to govern and fight for core beliefs, and to do so without losing her humanity.

So what will this year’s conservative women bring to the table for the primary races in 2010? Many of the Republican women who are poised to unseat longtime Democrats are tremendously successful business leaders from the private sector. Republican Carly Fiorina running for the Senate seat in California against Barbara Boxer is a former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP). California Republican Meg Whitman won her gubernatorial primary and is the former CEO of eBay Inc. Economically bankrupt California now has the opportunity to elect into high levels of political leadership two dynamic women who have been successful in business and know how to make a profit. Can I hear an “Amen!”

The conservative women of this year’s midterm election will be propelled by the Tea Party movement. You know, that movement that Nancy Pelosi said doesn’t really exist? The Vegas odds are that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will roll “snake eyes” in his attempt at re-election against Republican candidate Sharron Angle. Though we will never know for sure, the GOP’s candidate in the primary race, Sue Lowden, would have most likely sent Reid home a loser, yes, another conservative, yes, another woman.

Additional Republicans challenging influential Senate seats include Jane Norton in Colorado, Linda McMahon in Connecticut and Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire. When we look at these ladies of liberty, these women of worth, we see that their primary victories have been hinged upon their abilities to articulate the conservative message: limited government, controlled spending, adherence to the Constitution and traditional American values. What you do not hear from these conservatives is that they are victims of everything, or that they deserve the American people’s votes because of who they are. Instead, they are taking the conservative route in their platforms, staying issue-driven and appealing to the American people with what they have already accomplished and how it will apply in their future service. As the country moves back to conservative values to survive as a nation, let us not forget that many of our champions will be wearing skirts. Let’s hear it for the girls!

Paul A. Ibbetson is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the books “Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society” and “Feeding Lions: Sharing The Conservative Philosophy In A Politically Hostile World.” Paul is also the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting Association’s 2008, 2009 and 2010 Entertainment Program of the Year, Conscience of Kansas airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 FM, www.ibbetsonusa.com. For interviews or questions, please contact him at? ibbetson91.9@gmail.com

Everybody takes sides. When the chips are down on important issues, everybody can eventually be found on a side of their choosing. Those that claim to be neutral on the important issues of life are either ignorant of the reality of where they truly stand or are attempting to deceive someone. Percentages are higher on the latter, which is unfortunate because it creates a disingenuous world where people carry false banners of affiliation and advertise ideological beliefs that contradict the way they really think and act.

Texas Congressman Ron Paul’s interview with Don Imus over the Israeli embargo of the Gaza Strip raises a number of disturbing questions about where this self-proclaimed Republican stands on a number of important questions. Ron Paul, a longtime isolationist, shocked many when he not only admonished Israel’s lawful blockage of the Gaza Strip, but also said that Israel’s action were nothing short of an act of war. When Imus mentioned that Israel was not attempting to stop humanitarian aid in the region, rather weapons being smuggled to the terrorist organization Hamas, Ron Paul released a tirade of unbelievable statements.

Paul legitimated the terrorist organization Hamas and attacked both Israel’s and America’s attempts to restrain terrorist organizations using boycotts and embargos. Specifically, Paul denounced actions taken against known terrorists and enablers in Palestine, Iran and Iraq under Saddam Hussein. According to Ron Paul’s thinking, the terrorist organizations and the countries that harbor them have been victims of Israel and America’s inability to continue to reach out in friendly dialogue. Ron Paul told Imus, “America should tell Israel they are on their own.” Paul’s assertion that we should abandon our ally Israel is shocking but it is only the tip of the iceberg of the congressman’s misguided thinking. If we are to question Ron Paul’s anti-Israel stance, should we not also question his overt anti-America stance?

Ron Paul’s interview with Don Imus is riddled with “blame America first” rhetoric. Paul starts like a modern day liberal by minimizing radical Islamic terrorism and placing the terrorists as victims and America as an imperialistic aggressor. The congressman also shows how naive he is regarding the differences between past aggressors of the world and the modern terrorist. Highlighting this point, Ron Paul casually says of Hamas, “Yeah, they’re probably not the best people in the world, but you know, didn’t we talk to the Soviets…?” This disconnect from the realities of terrorism combined with a “blame Israel and America first” mentality does not represent the Republican Party and is not in the same universe as conservative values. Ron Paul not only sounded like a Democrat when talking to Don Imus, but his rhetoric embraced the worst of the beliefs and values of the modern liberal. Ron Paul’s own words demand that he be asked, “Whose side are you on?”

The assertion that because America supports elections in the world we must also support and lift up terrorist organizations such as Hamas is more than simply wrong, it’s repulsive. If Ron Paul really believes that, then his long-term view of the world can be measured in inches. Americans have the sense, the ability and the right to reject terrorist organizations no matter how they come to power. America doesn’t abandon its allies for its enemies. Israel is being attacked by Hamas daily and it is here that war has been declared, not in the country’s attempt to safeguard itself through embargos.

We all take sides and we are all accountable to which camp that places us in. Ron Paul does not have to adhere to conservative values or even to the Republican Party. He is not required to be a friend of Israel or even to have positive American sentiment, but he needs to be clear about where he stands, which camp he really calls home. Ron Paul, whose side are you on?

Paul A. Ibbetson is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his Ph.D. in Sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the books “Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society” and “Feeding Lions: Sharing The Conservative Philosophy In A Politically Hostile World.” Paul is also the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting Association’s 2008, 2009 and 2010 Entertainment Program of the Year, Conscience of Kansas airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 FM, www.ibbetsonusa.com. For interviews or questions, please contact him at? ibbetson91.9@gmail.com

Memorial Day

The day to remember those who fought and died for our Freedom!

It is the Soldier
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.  

It is the Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
 
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.
Marine chaplain Father Dennis Edward O’Brien               MEMORIAL DAY HISTORY

As we mark Memorial Day Weekend, let us never forget that Freedom is not free; it is very ‘expensive’.

To pray for and thank all our Heroes for all they have done and those that will!

Thank you for your valiant service and sacrifice for me!

May God Bless!

Remember when you were in grade school, or dare I say high school, and you found yourself in a humiliating situation after having failed to read the day’s assignment and being called to expound upon your of knowledge in front of the class? If this happened to you then you don’t need me to frame how things transpired, since for most, this was a situation of distress, confusion, sadness, and shame. The memory of facing the class and trying to repel each of the teacher’s questions like incoming missiles can create a sheen of perspiration on the brow even today.

Some people find they relive these situations in their dreams from time to time when the sandman decides to deal them a dirty hand at bedtime. For most, the saving grace that allows us to break free from such situations is that we grew up and took on the responsibility to prepare for the tasks that we face today. This truth is eloquently stated in the Bible in Corinthians, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.” How the Obama administration could gain from following these wise words!

Arizona’s new immigration law SB 1070 is being attacked by liberals around the globe as racist, overreaching, barbaric, draconian, and the list of descriptors is almost limitless. From the White House, President Obama called the law “misguided” and now jumps back and forth on the issue of whether or not Arizona’s law promotes racial profiling. Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, both highly critical of Arizona’s law, recently admitted in public forums before television cameras that they had not even read the 10-page bill they had been condemning. I wonder if they felt silly, like children who had failed to do their homework and were then called to the front of the class to give their report. To many it appeared so, but to me they were more frightening than anything. Should the American people require that they stay after class, or even be held back? Way back? When I saw how little the facts really mattered to these government officials when it came to how they dealt with Arizona and the America people, I began to see the childlike mentality that dictatorships often encompass.

This is a scary place where deliberation and decision making is devoid of fact and reason and based merely on party line politics and the whims of the White House. The words in Corinthians come back to me with modern-day applicability: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like the Obama administration. It’s a painfully accurate fit.

I would say that reading the laws would bolster the credibility of the White House’s opposition to laws, with which they disagree, but the problem here is much deeper than understanding that “reading is fundamental;” you also have to care about the people and respect the rule of law. As Fox News reports, John Morton, assistant secretary of homeland security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, stated that illegal aliens from Arizona may be rejected for processing based on his view, which subsequently falls in line with the White House’s stance that Arizona’s law is not the solution to the illegal immigration problem. Has John Morton read the law he now rejects? Well, he certainly has not been briefed on the specifics of Arizona’s SB 1070 by Obama administration officials such as Eric Holder and Janet Napolitano. It is apparent that right now America has an administration quick to turn in their verdicts and slow to do their homework.

Paul A. Ibbetson is a published author, lecturer, and radio host. He can be contacted at ibbetson91.9@gmail.com.

Abstract

A system preprocesses property value estimates based on stored property data. It stores the computed property value estimates in a forecast data repository. The system obtains updates or new property data and computes new estimates according to a predetermined schedule. Users can instantaneously obtain property value estimates that have been preprocessed, thus eliminating a long wait period necessary for on-line processing.

Related U.S. Patent Documents Read the rest

Abstract

A tamper-resistant outlet cover uses a spreadable grounding socket engageable post to secure the cover in place to thereby block access to an electrical receptacle, typically a wall outlet. The post is spread by insertion of a spreader, typically a threaded screw. The head of the screw is configured to only be engaged by a cooperatively shaped tool. Installation and removal of the cover is thus afforded only to one in possession of the tool.

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method of residential emissions trading and a residential emissions trading commodity. In particular, an embodiment of the present invention is a method for identifying, quantifying, and aggregating reductions in residential emissions into a tradable commodity. The step of quantifying the emissions reduction may further comprise the steps of measuring an energy savings resulting from the energy savings opportunity and calculating the emissions reduction resulting from the energy savings. The method may further comprise the steps of verifying the quantification of the emissions reduction and monitoring the residential energy savings opportunities and the quantification of the emissions reduction.

Read the rest

Democrats History of Lying

About Their Service Record

Can you trust someone who can stand in front of God and everyone and lie or embellish their military record?

Is it lying?        YES

Is it politics?   NO

There is no excuse or reason to lie.   The truth always comes out.

From the frills of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, liberal elites from around the world stand in defense of convicted sex offender Roman Polanski. Polanski was charged and convicted in the late 1970s of having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl and then fled the U.S. before his sentencing. Living as a fugitive from justice in the non-extraditing country of France, Polanski has continued with his filmmaking career until recently traveling to receive movie awards in Switzerland, where he was held on house arrest pending a potential transfer back to the U.S. for sentencing on his 1970s sex crime. As additional allegations of sexual misconduct are being leveled at the filmmaker, just what should be the emphasis of the Polanski story?

Unfortunately, this story is not about criminals that take the innocence from children and the triumphs and failures of the criminal justice system in penalizing such activities. In reality, the Polanski story is about the continual battle for supremacy between the liberal and conservative ideologies in the modern world. The United States, being framed with conservative values, has a criminal justice system, even with all its imperfections, that is constructed on the concept of personal accountability. Within our ideological system, Roman Polanski had not paid his debt to society when he fled to felon-friendly France. It is as simple as that.

However, to the liberal mind, personal accountability is much more negotiable, and some find more than enough “wiggle room” when it comes to what truly is punishment for Polanski’s crimes. The Associated Press reports that actor Woody Allen told a French radio station, “It’s something that happened many years ago… He has suffered…. He has paid his due.” Allen further stated, “He’s an artist, he’s a nice person, he did something wrong and he paid for it. They (his critics) are not happy unless he pays the rest of his life.” Woody Allen’s words are painful to hear for more reasons than the obvious fact that this actor’s life has had more immoral outgrowths than a soiled Petri dish left out in the summer sun. Allen’s defense of Polanski marks the total disconnect that modern liberals have from accountability.

It should be stated that Hollywood and European liberals alike follow the same mindset as Woody Allen that Polanski is more victim than criminal. To these disconnected liberals, prima-facie evidence of Polanski’s suffering is apparent to them because in hiding from his sentence in the U.S., he has been denied total freedom to travel. I guess it is true that the filmmaker has been denied the penthouses and fancy cars of America and has been reduced to merely basking in the penthouses and fancy cars of other countries. Allen highlights the liberal mentality that Polanski’s time-evading justice mitigates the crime itself as well as the fact that this felon is a nice guy who has a talent for making movies. When it comes to the court’s sentencing for sex crimes with a 13-year-old girl versus the filmmaker’s continued freedom, liberals judge the debt to society as being paid in full. This is shameful.

If you share this moral relativistic view you are not alone, but make no mistake, you would be a liberal. Personal accountability dictates that Polanski must pay his debt to society as would any other non-award winner. You can pity the downfall of a talented soul. I do, as Polanski’s film “Rosemary’s Baby” is still one of my classic favorites. I recommend this fine film to as many eager eyes as possible. Who knows, maybe they still have a movie night in prison and the filmmaker can share a few special insights with fellow inmates as he squares his debt with society.

Paul A. Ibbetson is a published author, lecturer, and radio host. He can be contacted at ibbetson91.9@gmail.com.

North Korea has created a nuclear fusion reaction with its own technology, the official Rodong Shinmun daily claimed Wednesday. Nuclear fusion is related to the production of hydrogen bombs.

The U.S. tested its first H-bomb in 1952, seven years after it developed atomic bombs. The North conducted its first nuclear test in October 2006.

In a front-page story, the paper said scientists

 ”have achieved brilliant success in nuclear fusion reaction.” “It brought a solid breakthrough toward the development of new energy.”

 No country has yet managed to put nuclear fusion-based power generation to commercial use.

Read more

N.Korea’s Nuclear Fusion Claims ‘an Empty Boast’

матрациIn you live in America, Europe, or many other places on the planet, then you probably have heard the tales of bad fortune that befalls unprepared souls who allow a black cat to cross their paths. In this realm of superstition the most capable and blessed black cat path-crossers find themselves with bad fortune, and heaps of it. In an ironic twist of fate, it is said that even the unluckiest people who test this taboo find out that their low lot in life can and will get lower. That’s sad.

Some would question the strolling power of the black cat even in the face of undoubtedly real catastrophes that take place among people who believe they have triggered this unstoppable bad luck. Could it be that when Mr. Whiskers crosses a person’s path people act in ways that increase their risk of misfortune? Possibly they may believe, at least subconsciously, that with bad fortune on the horizon, who needs to worry about well-thought out decisions? The skeptic in me sees the black cat as the perfect scapegoat. A matter of fact a person doesn’t have to face the real cause of their misfortune when it can be laid at the furry dark paws of the bad luck giver.

When it comes to tangible misfortune, Greece has the current spotlight with the country’s bankruptcy and the $146 billion IMF bailout, which most likely will be only the beginning of the loans that the country will require for survival. Despite the limited impact of Greece on the European markets, they have a powerful story regarding what awaits America if we continue to follow the socialistic blueprint of limiting the free market and expanding governmental control.

For Greece, the conversion from the drachma to the euro was the only excuse needed to engage in unlimited spending that went to the unions, social programs, and government double-dealing, which are always part of the quest for the socialistic utopia. Sound like America? More than you know. America has followed Greece’s fast track to ruin by electing a socialist president who barely screamed above the fanfare his intentions to fundamentally transform the nation and begin redistributing wealth. It is easy to see what America is allowing to cross its path.

America is poised to assist with the Greek bailout through donations to the IMF. I would say that we are paying for the right to compare America’s and Greece’s fates, and we should not waste the opportunity. First socialism failed in Greece, and other countries will soon fail in Europe from the same system. Second, and comparable to America, Greece will soon learn that without the capitalistic free market, no amount of borrowing will fix their financial problems. Lastly, the deaths in Greece at the hands of union protesters and others should be a wake-up call to all Americans of the consequences of the mentality that goes with government entitlement, as well as the dangers that come with attempting to remove those entitlements.

There will be more violence and turmoil in Greece as they are pushed by the IMF to face their poor decisions as a country and what has brought them to the brink of economic destruction. Will they embrace the truth that it was socialism that brought their bad fortune, or will they blame it on the winds of fate? Possibly a black cat passing their country’s path?

In the end, countries must break free from the excuses found in convenient myths and superstitions like the kinds that make certain colored kitties so unpopular. All of us must stand on the truth that our fate is the product of the decisions we make, and the decisions we allow our governments to make on our behalf.

Paul A. Ibbetson is a published author, lecturer, and radio host. He can be contacted at ibbetson91.9@gmail.com.