Monday -- October 24, 2005
 TONIGHT IT'S LYNCHBURG -- TOMORROW ROANOKE!
The FairTax Book Tour moves to Lynchburg, Virginia this evening! I'll be at the Barnes & Noble at 4024-C Wards Road in Lynchburg to talk about the latest news with the FairTax and to sign books. Tomorrow We'll be in Roanoke for a talk and book signing at the Wyndham Roanoke Hotel on Hershberger Road. Both events begin at 7:00 p.m. Belinda and I are looking forward to meeting our Lynchburg and Roanoke listeners ... and Belinda will be cooing at all the babies. LOOTERS HEADING FOR NAPLES? As many of you know, I own a second home in Naples, Florida. Hurricane Wilma decided that it was time for the Naples area to share in Florida's hurricane woes, and made nearly a direct hit on the area this morning. Richard Sangster, one of the intrepid news ferrets from our flagship station, New Talk 750 WSB in Atlanta, is staying in my Naples home to report on the hurricane ... so at least I'll know what the damage is rather quickly.Now ... let me make this clear --- I did NOT get this information from Richard Sangster. The source for this information comes from other friends of mine, some in the media, who live and work in the Naples area. This information is not substantiated by law enforcement authorities, though I would not expect it to be if it was proven to be true. What information? My sources are telling me that it is believed that some gang members have traveled across the state from Miami to Naples and are waiting there with friends for the passage of Hurricane Wilma. Why are they so interested in Hurricane Wilma? Because with many of the residents and business owners gone, and with the chaos that would surely follow a major hit from Wilma, the opportunities for looting will be very tempting. Two years ago Collier County (Naples) Florida was listed as the highest per-capital net wealth county in the nation. There are beachfront homes there that range from 10 million up. The median price for a home in the Naples area is over $500,000. Homes like these will hold many treasures for looters. It's a whole different game when compared to the Ninth Ward in New Orleans. I can see the plan now. Break in while chaos reigns. Stash your loot in your friend's crib in Naples. Recover the stolen goods later when the heat is off. There are few things lower in life than the scum that would rip off others during an emergency such as a major hurricane. There is a cure, though. It's a new procedure called STB. For those of you who are just a wee-bit slow, that would stand for "Shoot the Bastards" ... and no, I'm not kidding. If the police, business owners or homeowners shoot just a few of these worthless footstools we'll see a huge drop in looting, and the police will be free to spend their time actually saving lives and helping people instead of warding off gangs of thieving thugs. Would an open, announced policy of STB really help? Years ago the city of Macon, Georgia was having a huge problem with armed robberies. The mayor of Macon, one Ronnie Thompson, issued orders to his police officers to shoot to kill anyone they saw engaged in a crime using a handgun. He then erected billboards throughout Macon warning armed robbers that they "will be shot." I'm guessing you know what happened. Right. Armed robberies in Macon dropped to almost none. Here's what I would propose for a new law in Florida. When the governor of Florida declares a state of emergency in any area, or when a mandatory curfew is instituted in any geographic area, the standards to which a property owner must adhere in order to use deadly force to protect their property in the area affected by the state of emergency or the curfew will be weakened. No longer will property owners have to have a reasonable fear that their life or personal safety is in jeopardy. It will simply suffice for them to have a reasonable fear that an individual is threatening either their life, their safety, their property or the property of another. Once the individual believes that such a threat exists the individual is free to use whatever force he deems necessary to abate the threat. The same standard would, of course, be applied to the police. More specifically, the very act of trespassing on private property would be sufficient cause to use deadly force. These people are predators, and they're preying on people who have already been victimized by a disaster of some natural disaster. This is not the time to try to figure out what motivates the looters, or what societal forces caused them to loot. It is no time for political correctness or to indulge in hyper-sensitivity. Job one in times of a disaster is to save innocent lives. Job two is to protect private property. Every minute law enforcement spends doing job two is a minute not spent at job one. The solution? STB. Just one, and the message is out there. 
THE POOR, POOR PITIFUL EVACUEES! Yesterday's edition of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution featured a story entitled "Fear of Eviction: Evacuees worry aid will run out." The story featured one Rolanda Cain, her one-year-old baby and her "boyfriend." Rolanda has been living in a motel on Fulton Industrial Blvd. in Atlanta since she left New Orleans. The article says that the federal government has been paying the hotel bill. Not so. It's the taxpayers who have been footing the bill for Rolanda and her boyfriend. The federal government merely seizes the money and passes it on. Rolanda is worried about being evicted from the motel. She says "We have a place to stay. We have food. The only worry is how long it will last." Say what? Rolanda's "only worry" is how long the handouts are going to last? Maybe it's just me, but if I were in her place I might be worried about, say, getting a job! Rolanda says that this is all very frustrating. "With no answers, you don't know which way to go." Well, Rolanda is quite the little self-starter, isn't she? Apparently she's sitting around waiting for "answers," instead of spending time on the phone or hitting the streets looking for some work. I wonder if she's even gone so far as to ask the manager of the hotel where she's living at taxpayer expense if he might hire her as a housekeeper? And her boyfriend? Is he out there looking for a job while Rolanda stays at home with the kid? The article says nothing. For all we know he may also be just sitting around waiting for "answers." Well .. the answers don't seem to be coming, and Rolanda says that she's fed up with the FEMA program. Oh my! Rolanda's fed up! Someone alert the media! Oh, wait. Someone did ... and the AJC is really pouring it on thick here. The article does point out that Rolanda has spent hours in the motel's computer room searching for other housing. Other housing paid for by taxpayers. Question: If Rolanda is so hot with the computer, why isn't she spending some time looking for jobs! Don't tell me there isn't a Waffle House or fast-food restaurant somewhere on Fulton Industrial Blvd. that Rolanda could walk to to earn a few bucks. Her hard-working boyfriend could look after the child. Oh ... and about the child. The article doesn't seem to mention where Rolanda's baby-daddy is. He's probably out there searching for Rolanda so he can catch his child support payments up. At the end of the article the Atlanta Journal-Constitution had a list of "What's available for evacuees." The list contained the federal disaster assistance programs that were available to evacuees. Among them were cash grants, free hotel stays, expedited housing assistance, low-interest loans, grants for medical care and other goodies. Nowhere in the list did you see any mention of jobs programs or training. 
Like this? Make your own church sign.
AS MORE CRITICS OF THE FAIRTAX START TO SURFACE .... We ask that you be aware of one common element that seems to be present in virtually all negative critiques of the FairTax. And just what might that common element be? It seems that every time someone wants to critique the FairTax they must first change the terms of H.R. 25, the FairTax Bill. One prime example would be those who rewrite the bill to create a huge list of exemptions from the tax. For instance, they will step in and exempt clothing, food, medicines and shelter ... and then say that the tax would have to be, say, 50% or more. Why do they find it necessary to create all of these exemptions when every household is protected from paying the sales tax on the basic necessities of life anyway? Well .. the answer seems to be that these people are just concerned about this massive transfer of power from government to the people .. and will do anything to stop it. A GOOD REVIEW Now here's somebody who took the FairTax, didn't make any changes to suit his own prejudices, and wrote an opinion piece on the bill as it is written. Christopher Crain of CrainsDetroit.com writes that the FairTax would level the playing field and significantly reduce the cost of manufacturing in the U.S. Here's your link HOPING FOR U.S. CASUALTIES
The anti-war left has finally let it slip...they've shown their true colors about what their agenda is, and if you didn't read between the lines, you might miss it. Here goes. The Crawford Crackpot Cindy Sheehan, along with other Bush-bashing protest groups are gearing up for the 2,000th American Military casualty in Iraq. The only problem?
They're a little short. As of yesterday, the death toll stands at 1,996. Cindy Sheehan says she plans to tie herself to the White House fence and refuse to leave until the troops are brought home. But for Crazy Cindy to activate her plans, she needs 4 more troops to die. And thus the entire agenda of the anti-war movement is exposed: their political agenda is only served by U.S. Military casualties and setbacks. Good news in Iraq is bad news for them. They are an extension of the Blame-America-First crowd.
Nowhere in the media statements of Cindy Sheehan does she say that she hopes there won't be a 2000th casualty. If that doesn't happen, she's out of a job. And of course, it's all about her. So what happens if no more troops die? That wouldn't be good for Cindy. She needs 4 more lives to be lost to achieve her next big round of media attention.
These groups claim to be worried about the welfare of troops serving in Iraq. But yet they just can't wait for that 2000th soldier to die...they'd probably speed the process up if they could.
HOWARD DEAN LOSING IT AGAIN
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is at it again. With his accomplices in the mainstream media willing to give him a pass to say just about anything he wants, Dr. Dean has decided to ratchet up his criticism of Republicans. Speaking in Maine on Saturday, Dean said the Bush administration was the most corrupt administration since Warren Harding. Not quite....the Clinton administration was the most corrupt in American history, period.
Said Dean of the Democrats' plans after they get back into power: "The first thing we're going to do is we're going to have ethics come back to Washington again." Oh my...and we all know Howard Dean is just as pure as the wind-driven snow when it comes to ethics. Care to unseal your records while you were governor of Vermont, Mr. Dean? I didn't think so.
But then Dean really went off the deep end....and he's getting away with it. "I'm tired of the ayatollahs of the right wing," exclaimed the good doctor. That's nice...comparing those on the right to the Ayatollah. Just the kind of thing we've come to expect from Howard Dean.
Now ask yourself....if some Republican of prominence had compared Democrats to the Ayatollah, how long would it have taken the media to jump all over it? It would be front page news right now. As it is, not really a peep. Media bias 101.
We'll see if Dean is made to apologize....like a Republican would have to.
NOMINATION ON LIFE SUPPORT
Harriet Miers is a bit like the Houston Astros right now....down, but not entirely out. The odds of her getting confirmed are starting to look pretty slim, but I suppose it could still happen. There are 100 senators, 55 of them Republicans. Quite a few of those Republicans are pretty steamed at George Bush for squandering this nomination on the former head of the Texas lottery and his personal lawyer.
So with Democrats starting to line up in opposition and with a handful of Republicans probably going to vote no, Miers is short the majority to get confirmed. Arlen Specter, Republican chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee says the votes aren't there. So what's next for Harriet Miers?
Unless she just walks into those hearings and blows the committee away, her nomination is dead in the water. But the administration is no doubt holding mock hearings already. If she's not doing well in those, she'll be asked to step aside. Then perhaps Bush could nominate somebody with a heavier resume....along the lines of Clarence Thomas or Antonin Scalia.
Because Harriet Miers just isn't it.
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REDNECK SCRAP BOOK If you think you need a lake or the ocean to jet ski, you'd be wrong. More in the Redneck Scrap Book.
READING ASSIGNMENTS
All indications are this week that the prosecutor in the Valerie Plame case is probably going to indict Karl Rove and Scooter Libby. Then it's going to really hit the fan. Perhaps they'll just resign early. Democrats smell blood.
Michael Barone says any indictment of Rove or Libby would be a grave injustice and would be politically motivated. We shall see. Seems like wishful thinking at this point.
The price of gas is down more than 25 cents a gallon nationwide as refining capacity comes back online and demand slows. Average price is about $2.65. Where's the $4 and $5 a gallon gas the doomsayers predicted?
According to a new government report, women account for nearly 1 in 4 arrests and the female prison population is growing faster than the men. The reason? The war on drugs. Now there's a quagmire.
Dick Morris points out something the fawning, leftist media never will: Hillary Clinton's record as a U.S. Senator is pretty thin. Yet for some strange reason, voters in New York will probably re-elect her.
Liberals feel like they've been had by Judy Miller, and they're not taking it lying down. Columnist Maureen Dowd called her a danger to the New York Times, and the newspaper is also hitting back at Miller.
The ACLU continues to waste time and money pursuing religious symbols embedded in the official seals of cities. Imagine how much the world will be improved by their effort-wasting actions. John Leo reports.
George Will continues to come out swinging against George Bush's choice of Harriet Miers to be on the Supreme Court. This time he says the nomination discredits and degrades those who support it.
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is causing people to want to turn to the government to fix everything. Star Parker says that is exactly the wrong thing to do. We should be minimizing government involvement. Good idea!
Every time Professor Mike Adams calls out an institution of higher learning for violating the First Amendment, they respond by calling him a liar. Today's example is the Georgia Institute of Technology.
We have a new hero in Washington. He's a Senator from Oklahoma and his name is Tom Coburn. The man has the guts to call it like it is, and he's paying for it. | 
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