November 23, 2005

The Liberty Papers

I urge you all to take a peek at The Liberty Papers. This blog will feature rich content focusing on liberty in the U.S. from a classic liberal perspective. Trust me it will be a great read.

NZ Bear Killing Trackback Parties

Don Surber has the scoop. Apparently links gained by open trackback parties will be filtered out of TTLB ecosystem ranking which means that any upstart blog will truly have to climb up the hard way. Frankly, I'm disappointed in this as many good blogs would go otherwise unnoticed were it not for the generosity of middle-weight heavy hitting blogs like Stop the ACLU and Don Surber who routinely open their sites for these trackback parties. I'm still puzzled as to why Bear would do this but basically without an Instalanche on a pretty consistent basis, bloggers won't be able to move up with any amount of significance in the ecosystem. In my opinion it will diminish the quality of many blogs as we will have to rely on submitting to carnivals, joining linking communities, etc. which means less and less time actually blogging. Kind of takes the fun out of the experience. We'll see what happens.

November 21, 2005

Carnival of the Magnolias IV

Welcome to the fourth Carnival of the Magnolias, the official blog carnival of the Southern Blog Federation, where we highlight the best and brightest from around the southern portion of the blogosphere. Now onto the carnival!

Our first stop is INSIGHT on Freedom where Longstreet discusses the constitutional right to bear arms and the lunacy of gun control. "From my cold, dead hands!"

Doug Payton points out a change in voting patterns among African-Americans. Perhaps the minorities in this country are starting to understand that they shouldn't compromise their moral values to elect Democrats who won't do anything for them anyway.

Karen Baker has some before and after pics from Biloxi Beach in the wake of Katrina. We all know how devastating the hurricane was but seeing before and after pics really puts it all into perspective.

Back on INSIGHT on Freedom Longstreet points out how the dogmatic atheists seek to ensure that Christians won't be able to exercise their constitutional right to worship Christ. That's really what these people want despite what they say. They want a nation which does not allow worship of any kind especially Christ.

Reb Chaim HaQoton gives us some history on the use of wine in Judaism and how it should be used in the spiritual sense rather than to appease physical desires.

Norm Leahy discusses pragmatism, kamikazes, and principles in politics. Should politicians compromise the principles of their constituents?

Finally we return to INSIGHT on Freedom where Longstreet offers his thoughts on the out of control Supreme Court and the rise of big government. Where does it end?

That does it for this week's edition. Thanks to everyone who submitted! If you're from the southern United States and would like to submit an article for the carnival you can simply use the all-purpose carnival submit form or you can email your entry to southern dot league at gmail dot com. Entries are due by Sunday nights at 7 PM EST. You do not have to be a member of the SBF to enter a post into the carnival although it is encouraged.

If you're interested in hosting the Carnival of the Magnolias take a look at the upcoming available dates and drop me a line at everyman dot blog at gmail dot com to let me know what date you'd like to host.

The Carnival of the Magnolias is featured on TTLB's Ubercarnival.

Cross posted at Southern Blog Federation.

November 19, 2005

Carnival of the Magnolias: Hosting Calendar

I'm looking for hosts for the Carnival of the Magnolias. Members of the SBF will have priority for hosting. Although membership in the SBF is not required to host or submit to the carnival, it is encouraged. I'll be updating this list on a first come first serve basis. Let me know either in the comments here or via an email to everyman dot blog at gmail dot com what date you'd like to host the carnival.

11/21- Everyman Chronicles
11/28- Open
12/5- Open
12/12- Open
12/19- Below the Beltway
12/26- No Carnival
01/02- Open
01/09- The Unrepentant Individual
01/16- Open
01/23- Open
01/30- Inside Larry's Head

November 18, 2005

New Blog Showcase at Gina's

Well, after a slight delay, Gina, of Gina's Rantings, brings us this week's New Blog Showcase Carnival. Head on over and check it out!

November 17, 2005

Thursday Open Trackbacks

Time for open trackbacks again. If you have an interesting article you'd like to link to in your blog leave me a trackback to this post. Your link will be displayed on the main page as I have inline trackbacks here. Just make sure you leave a link in your post back to this post. So go ahead and send those trackbacks!

The trackback url for this entry is http://blog.mu.nu/cgi/mt-tb.cgi/128842

Linked with Basil's Blog, TMH's Bacon Bits, Euphoric Reality, The Political Teen, Big Dog's Weblog, Don Surber, and bRight and Early

November 16, 2005

Blogs from Soldiers

I happened to receive an email the other day from SPC Phil Van Treuren asking me for a link exchange for his blog Camp Katrina. I gladly exchanged links with him and I highly recommend checking out his blog. It focuses on the Katrina recovery mission. Phil is from the Ohio National Guard and has been deployed to help in the recovery effort. It was through Phil that I learned of two other military blogs both written by soldiers deployed to Iraq. I highly recommend checking them out. Sgt. Will Whitley's blog as well as Spc. David MacDonell's blog. They are both well written accounts of life in Iraq. Very good reads.

Dean and the Dems Have No Plan

The three of you who read this blog when it's updated may recall in a previous post where I mentioned that the Dems were a party without values and without an agenda. A party of finger pointing and blamegaming but with no direction. Well, the moron, Dr. Howard Dean, made it clear what the Democratic agenda involves--nothing. Take a look at this transcript from Meet the Press:

MR. RUSSERT: But those are words that will appeal to people. But when you go behind them, for example, what is the Democratic position on Iraq? Should we withdraw troops now? What do the Democrats stand for?

DR. DEAN: Tim, first of all, we don't control the House, the Senate or the White House. We have plenty of time to show Americans what our agenda is and we will long before the '06 elections.

MR. RUSSERT: But there's no Democratic plan on Social Security. There's no Democratic plan on the deficit problem. There's no specifics. They say, "Well, we want a strong Social Security. We want to reduce the deficit. We want health care for everyone," but there's no plan how to pay for it.

DR. DEAN: Right now it's not our job to give out specifics. We have no control in the House. We have no control in the Senate. It's our job is to stop this administration, this corrupt and incompetent administration, from doing more damage to America. And that's what we're going to do. We're doing our best. Look at the trouble they're having putting together a budget. Why is that? Because there's still a few moderate Republicans left who don't think it's OK to cut school lunch programs, who don't think it's OK to do some of the appalling things that they're doing in their budget. I saw a show last night which showed a young African-American man in California at the UC of Davis who hoped to go to law school. The Republicans want to cut $14 billion out of higher education so this kid can't go to law school. We're going to do better than that, and together, America can do better than that.

He continues on dodging Russert's questions. Take a look at the whole thing. What really annoys me is how this guy will make a statement like the one about the prospective black student. It's really just disgusting to me that he not only dodges questions about the direction of the Democrats, of which there is none, but has the audacity to make such a claim that the "Republicans" want to stop this "kid" from going to school.

It has become quite obvious that the Democrats have no answers for the American people. The head of their own party can't answer simple questions such as the party's stance on what exactly the answer is to the Iraq situation. Instead they focus on constantly pointing the finger and offering no solutions. The job of the Democrats is to "stop the corrupt administration." What a joke. But then again, that has become the slogan of the Democratic party. Indeed, what a joke.

November 15, 2005

Back on the Scene

Well, as it has turned out my hiatus won't be extended after all. I'm proud to announce that I'm back on the blogging scene. Just had to take a few days off to get caught up on some school work. Thanks to Alabama Improper for posting this week's Carnival of the Magnolias.

November 10, 2005

Extended Hiatus

Due to some personal circumstances beyond my control I'm afraid I'm going to have to take a break from blogging for awhile. Thanks to all who have come to check out the blog daily. It is much appreciated. Also I'd like to thank the folks over at mu.nu for hosting this blog. It has been a pleasure. Hopefully I'll be able to return to it someday.

November 09, 2005

GOP in Crisis?

Many of you may remember my post last week regarding the Democrats in crisis. Now, I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't the right that is in a state of crisis.

In an amazing turn of events this week, New Jersey and Virginia elected Democratic governors. Now, this shouldn't be a huge surprise since those are both states which politically lean to the left. I was more shocked with the fact that Governor Schwarzenegger didn't get one of his proposals passed. Not even one! Also, in a move that seemed to pass under the radar, the members of the Dover school district, who are fighting to keep Intelligent Design in their classrooms, were ousted and replaced by Democrats!

Could this be a precursor to the elections for 2006? It would seem so. Bush's popularity is very low at this point, although I personally think that will change soon, and it seems that the American people have become convinced that the administration is corrupt and leading our nation down the wrong path. This should sound an alarm in the White House and among the GOP leadership. Our citizens aren't willing to vote because of the "lesser of two evils" anymore; we need "good."

France's Muslim Problem

The left wing media in this country would have the American people believe that the rioting in France is due to "poverty." The truth of the matter is that the problem in France is due to, as the Washington Times puts it, "failure to integrate the heavily immigrant suburbs where rioting began among black and Arab youths, many of who are Muslims." The problem in this logic is the fact that the "religion of peace" does not "integrate." They do not "mix" with other cultures and cannot co-exist with other religious ideals. If you are not a Muslim, in their eyes you are an infidel and infidels will not be tolerated.

The rioting began after two teenage boys, while being chased by authorities, fled inside a building and were electrocuted. The rioting has nothing to do with "poverty," rather it is entirely about religion and twisted ideology. These French "suburbs" as they've been termed by the media, which are actually ghettos, are predominantly Muslim. When these teens were tragically killed it was merely adding gasoline to an already growing fire. Islam is not a religion of compromise. It is not a "religion of peace." It is a religion of conquest and power and this should be a wake up call to all of europe and the United States. The longer we ignore the problem the larger it will become.

One need look no further than the Gaza strip where Israeli families were driven from their homes in an effort to quell Palestinian violence. It didn't work. Why? Because the "religion of peace" is not happy with compromise. It is only happy with conquest. It is not possible to "integrate" these people into society because their religious principles strictly oppose such modern ideas as "tolerance." Western society can no longer turn a blind eye to this problem and attempt to sweep it under the rug. It is a real problem that we must face head on.

Carnival of the Vanities 164 is Up

Carnival of the Vanities #164 is up over at Part-Time Pundit. Great reading to keep you busy for hours. Check it out.

November 08, 2005

Tuesday Articles and Open Trackbacks

To all of those who have tried to utilize trackbacks over the past few days here I apologize. Sometimes the system doesn't work but it should be fine now so go ahead and leave those trackbacks. You can link to any post on your blog just be sure to leave a link back to this post. If your blogging software doesn't support trackbacks (Blogger) just use the Wizbang standalone trackback pinger to send them.

GOP senators vow to investigate the "secret prisons" leak to the WaPo.

Got kids in college or attend college yourself? College professor by day, PIJ terrorist by night.

In his newest article, Thomas Sowell points out how this idea of "tolerance" has invited and welcomed those who are "intolerant"-Muslims. As evidenced in the riots in France.

The Birmingham News has a great article on the affect illegal immigration is having on Alabama. Where do we draw the line?

Alito tells Lieberman that Roe deseveres great respect as precedent. I'm sure the Dems will be pleased to hear that.

Alabama Governor, Bob Riley, calls for nationwide boycott on Aruba.

Saudi Arabia wants more cooperation from U.S. even though they've been funneling money to Palestinian terrorist organizations.

Don't forget to leave those trackbacks as well. I use inline trackbacks here so your link will appear on the main page rather than on the permalink or pop-up window.

Linked to Basil's Blog, Mudville Gazette, Don Surber

November 07, 2005

Carnival of the Magnolias II

Welcome to the second edition of the Carnival of the Magnolias, where we highlight the best posts from southern bloggers over the past week. The carnival has turned out to be a tremendous success and I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed articles to help get this thing rolling. Now, let's get on with the show.

First we stop in Seabrook, Texas where Jack Cluth comments on the recent news of Sheryl Swoopes coming out of the closet. Jack hopes for the day that a star or celebrity can come out of the closet and people will say "so what?" Uhh...Jack in case you hadn't noticed we've already gotten to that point...but I digress.

Next stop is south Florida where Yoshi recounts his tale of working at Starbucks during Hurricane Wilma. Yes, believe it or not, there are people that will go out in the middle of a hurricane for things like Starbucks...and then have the nerve to complain about something...sheesh.

Our road leads us on to Virginia where Doug comments on the "secret prisons" holding Al-Qaeda members. Let's treat it like a war. Right on brother!

Next it's on to Longstreet's blog where he sums up the battle that is sure to come with the Alito nomination. Bring it on!! As the years go on people will probably forget how Bush almost blew it with the Miers nomination. Instead he'll be revered for giving us Samuel Alito and could go down as one of the greatest conservative presidents ever. Of course, that's not something I'd particularly agree with but I'm glad he nominated Alito nonetheless.

Our next stop is West Virginia where Don Surber comments about military recruiting efforts. He points out how the intellectual elitists are quick to point out the fact that they have the right to speak freely but leave defending that right to us southern hicks.

We head further south to Georgia where Brad Warbiany comments on correspondence with Senators regarding the "Fiscal Watch Team." Much of the recent decrease in spending has resulted from pressure from the blogosphere particularly with the ongoing Porkbusters campaign.

We head back to Virginia where Norm Leahy urges conservative voters to get out and vote in the upcoming governor's election. The primary Rebulican candidate, Jerry Kilgore, doesn't have the backing of most conservatives in the state so Norm suggests voting for principles rather than staying home on election day. I agree 100%.

It's back to Longstreet's blog as he points out the potential ramifications of a "national health insurance" program. While free health care sounds nice it simply won't work and will give the government too much power over its citizens.

We end this week's trip back in Old Dominion as I'm Not Emeril points out the fact that the Democrats have done nothing for Virginia over the past 150 years. Plants and factories have closed and the region has suffered yet Kaine insists that the Dems have created "15,000 new jobs."

Thanks to all who contributed. If you're from the south and would like to enter a post in the Carnival of the Manolias, then take a look here. Entries are due by Sunday night at 7 PM EST. It's best to use the carnival submission form to send in your entries.

Carnival of the Magnolias III will be hosted next Monday by Alabama Improper. If you're interested in hosting a future carnival email me at everyman dot blog at gmail dot com.

Cross posted at the Southern Blog Federation. Linked to TTLB's ubercarnival and Basil's Blog.

New Blog Showcase Carnival

Well, well...it's that time again! So what exactly is the New Blog Showcase Carnival? Well, I'm glad you asked! This carnival is dedicated to showing off those up-and-coming blogs that are new to the blogosphere. The criteria for entering the carnival is simple. Your blog must be less than three months old...that's it! So if you're intersted in submitting take a look at the main Showcase blog for info on entering a future carnival. Now...on with the show.

Well, we only had three entries this week which is actually a lot better than my first go round hosting this carnival where there were no submissions at all.

First we go to Barak of the IRIS Blog where he details how the New York Times twists the truth in reference to Israel and refuse to correct the error....par for the course.

Next we head over to the Pacesetter Mortgage Blog where David Porter offers up some good tips for dealing with those pesky mortgage companies during the homebuying process.

Finally we visit Jack Yoest's blog where he comments on the decline of civilization in Europe, particularly France, and the dangerous spread of Islam throughout the west.

Well, that's it for this week's edition. The next New Blog Showcase Carnival will be hosted next week over at Gina's Rantings. As always it has been a pleasure!

November 05, 2005

TGIF-Weekend Open Trackbacks

Well, the past few days have been rough on me as I've been adjusting to a new job so my blogging hasn't been up to speed and I apologize to the three people that may check this blog everyday. Just some reminders for this weekend. I'll be hosting two blog carnivals: the New Blog Showcase Carnival and the Carnival of the Magnolias, so be sure to check them out Monday. Also, if your blog meets the criteria for either carnival, don't forget to submit your blog for consideration.

As I do every weekend, I'm opening up open trackbacks which means you can link to any article of interest on your blog. Trackbacks are displayed "inline" here so your links will appear on the main page. If your blogging software doesn't support trackbacks (blogger) you can utilize the Wizbang standalone trackback pinger to submit your posts. Just be sure to link back to this post as well. Enjoy and happy blogging!

Linked to Jo's Cafe, Basil's Blog, Stop the ACLU, Adam's Blog, The Political Teen, Blue State Conservatives, Euphoric Reality, 10 ft2ft, One Big Dog, and Publius Rendezvous

November 02, 2005

Democrats in Crisis

To put it plainly, the Democrats are in a state of crisis and any hopes of regaining congress in 2006 are slowly dwindling away. First we have the Libby indictment. As Max Boot points out in his Op-ed piece in the L.A. Times:

'SCOOTER" LIBBY'S indictment was not exactly good news for the White House, but it could have been a lot worse. Feverish speculation had been building that Karl Rove would soon be "frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs," as Valerie Plame's bombastic hubby, Joe Wilson, had hoped. Or even that Dick Cheney would have to resign.

But with his investigation all but over, prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has found no criminal conspiracy and no violations of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, which makes it a crime in some circumstances to disclose the names of undercover CIA operatives. Among other problems, Plame doesn't seem to fit the act's definition of a "covert agent" — someone who "has within the last five years served outside the United States." By 2003, Plame had apparently been working in Langley, Va., for at least six years, which means that, mystery of mysteries, the vice president's chief of staff was indicted for covering up something that wasn't a crime.

The Dems were seething with delight at the prospect of Karl Rove being frog marched out of the White House in handcuffs but the simple fact is Rove didn't commit a crime. Had their been evidence to the contrary the prosecutor would have indicted him. So their effort of using this leak as a means of tying the White House to this "false intelligence for war" claim has been debunked. It's a true shame that a great man like Libby has to be indicted for something that isn't a crime. If the Dems are thinking that it's a victory then they're shortsighted. Libby will likely be exonerated.

Next, we move on to the nomination of Alito. The left sat back with their popcorn and peanuts to enjoy the spectacle as it appeared that the right was falling apart over the Miers nomination. What they didn't realize is that the Miers nomination, and subsequent confirmation, would have been the best scenario for them. That is why the loons like Reid were behind her nomination because they knew she wasn't the ideal conservative candidate. But the apparent collapse of the right wasn't a collapse at all. Although there was some disagreement about the Miers nomination on the right, the left shouldn't have been urging a withdrawal because it would simply roll out the red carpet for a conservative nomination which is something the left feverishly sought to avoid. While we on the right may have been divided on Miers there was an overwhelming consensus that Miers wasn't the best candidate for the vacancy. Now that Alito has been nominated, the right couldn't be more united. He's a proven conservative intellectual with a strong judicial background (and a couple of Ivy League degrees for those who sought an "elite" nomination like Coulter.) He is the total package and is a justice capable of taking the lead in a court that has leaned in the wrong direction for many years.

Finally, we have the "closed senate session" on Tuesday which was put on by Democrats as a desperate and feeble attempt to rally their constituents with the anti-war rhetoric. Since the "Plamegate" incident, or the "blamegate" incident as I like to refer to it, the Dems couldn't be more frightened about their prospects for the future. The American people know that this Libby indictment is a farce. They know that we were justified in going to war with Iraq. They support a constructionist judicial nominee. All of these factors combined drive the Dems mad.

There can be no doubt that the Democrats are in a state of crisis. Their party is melting down right in front of them as they try one ludicrous maneuver after another to gain the upper hand. Rather than taking a stand on what they believe is right, they've decided to focus on bringing down the Bush administration and the GOP to no avail. They are a party without principles and will never be able to adequately represent an American people driven by principles.

November 01, 2005

Tuesday Articles and Open Trackbacks

In a move certain to infuriate Democrats, DeLay gets a new judge.

Michelle Malkin posts some outtakes of liberal whackos that didn't make the cut in her new book. Features a link to a video clip of a 24 year old, mohawked loon dousing Pat Buchanan with salad dressing.

Stop the ACLU points out how Jesse Jackson is yet again exploiting race to further his twisted agenda. Amazing how blacks in this country will continue to follow a man who's made himself a millionaire off of the very people he claims to protect.

Rick Moran has a great post about the left's response to Alito and why using the nuclear option is important in confirming this respectable judge.

Sydney Carton points out how France is falling apart due to outrageous violence.

Vilmar posts a very disturbing series of images from the "religion of peace."

If you have an interesting article you'd like to share, feel free to trackback to this entry. The trackback link will be shown here on the main page with the inline trackbacks. If your blogging software doesn't support trackbacks (blogger) you can send your pings manually using the Wizbang Standalone Trackback Pinger. Feel free to link any article of interest here just make sure you link back to this post.

Linked to Stop the ACLU