Pardon My Politics

The well-known slogan “Don’t Mess with Texas” has taken on a new meaning: A small Texas school district will let its teachers and staff bring their guns to school this fall with relatively few strings attached. Why? To actually defend the students and employees in the event an armed intruder starts shooting. Imagine police arresting a wounded school intruder, or bagging a dead one, instead of once again cleaning up a carnage of dead and wounded students and staff.

From the stinging replies of Americas "culture warrior," Bill O'Reilly, to the sardonic humor of Glenn Beck and all in between there is a lot to be desired. It may be naiveté as in President Bush's remark about Islam being a "peaceful religion" or it may just be that after all they are only political commentators and not avowed conservative theologians. In either case, some who are only slightly above novice theologians have to cringe from time to time at what they have to say. In O'Reilly's Culture Warrior he notes that he must leave all judgment about sin to the deity. (pg. 179) No problem with that but then he indicates that he sees no problem with gay couples raising children. As with all others he offers a chance for the Catholic Church to explain their reasons for the negative positions they hold about children in such unions. It still might be easier to get the Pope to come on the "Factor" than Barack Obama but I doubt he is going to accept the offer if one is made.

In reaction to 9/11, our modern Pearl Harbor, the Federal Government has gone far beyond taking measures to prevent terrorism. They've taken measures to prevent the freedom of US citizens. In the hurricane of post 9/11 legislation sweeping through Congress, a suspicious little addendum to a military appropriations and tsunami relief bill (HR1268), the Real ID Act of 2005(HR418), handed to the Federal Government all control over our state-issued driver's license.

Proving the old axiom that Congress "is the best that money can buy," congressional Democrats are preparing to gut the Constitution by granting giant telecom companies retroactive immunity and liability protection on warrantless wiretapping by the Bush regime.

George W. Bush acknowledged that he knew his top national security advisers discussed and approved specific details of the CIA’s use of torture. “I’m aware that our national security team met on this issue and I approved,” he said. He also defended the use of waterboarding - simulated drowning where ...