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RCGOP Says... Archives Dole, Burr fighting for Lumbees Lee P Butler “Today we have cleared another major hurdle in achieving long-deserved federal recognition for the Lumbee
Tribe.” Those were the words of North Carolina Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole who had secured approval for the Lumbee
Recognition Act in committee to finally give the Native American tribe the acceptance they have sought for decades. Our junior Republican Senator, Richard Burr, concurred, “This is an issue of fairness.” Senator Burr is right and sometimes it is the simplest of things that are the hardest to achieve. As the largest
Native American tribe east of the Mississippi has asked for fairness from the federal government and been repeatedly denied,
they discovered that it wasn’t just political motivations that were a roadblock barring them from their goal. Although they had attained federal recognition and the benefits that accompany that status, many other Native
American tribes across the country not only refused to accept the Lumbee, but helped to fortify that roadblock on Capitol
Hill. Now the Lumbee has two powerful Republican allies in Washington who may finally be able to help them win their
battle and biased editorial boards can’t use the issue to generate attack Republican election year editorials against
them for their quest since neither Senator is up for re-election this year. What’s being accomplished is steeped in fairness, because they could have stood in the way or done nothing
like so many others and the Lumbee vote majority Democrat, so there was little to gain politically for Senators Dole and Burr.
In the big picture it means federal benefits for the Lumbee, yet it means so much more to the individual, which
is why I’m proud that the Republican Senators from North Carolina are tirelessly fighting for the one thing the 52,000
plus member Lumbee nation have really ever wanted. Recognition.
Democrat Tax Increases Will Make Us All Have To Stay Home
And Forget Driving A Car! Teressa Beavers Am I the only person in Richmond County that is outraged at the increase in license plate fees
this year? I think that is outrageous especially if you have more than one car. I have to buy three. Where’s outrage over tax cut? Lee P. Butler Obviously, Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas anymore and it’s time for the Wizard to swath
the state in kaleidoscopic colors while handing out 3D glasses to the news media to make the vivid array that much more awe
inspiring. Democrat's positions actually proved Barbara Jackson’s point! Let’s be clear. Barbara Jackson didn’t write that ‘President Bush has enabled Americans to
determine their own lives’, Ms. Parks. Just so you know, we can already do that. It was the millions of Iraqis she was
referring to having been freed from the tyrannical dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Although it was irresponsibly intoned that she was ‘smoking’ something, it’s plainly obvious
who is coherent and educated about the facts and those who find themselves blathering mendacious assaults against those they
cannot debate rationally. As for the Patriot Act, it has been approved several times where even some Democrats voted for its passage.
Here’s a little secret that liberal media elitists won’t report while they’re ‘misinforming’
the public about how your freedom’s are being taken away... The ordinances in the Patriot Act ALREADY EXISTED in
the laws governing our country. Even the Journal editorial staff decided to misconstrue what Barbara; whose husband by the way is currently
in Iraq doing what he can to help that country become a democracy, had written earlier. She did not say ‘good Christians
can’t be Democrats’, she said that ‘good Christians would not vote for a party’ that supports so many
things that go against what practicing Christians believe are morally wrong. People can make up whatever excuses they want to somehow justify the fact that while they think killing innocent
unborn babies is morally wrong, they still vote for a political party that openly supports and defends that procedure in it’s
every facet and usage. In the end you can and will be challenged on that position. The Catholic community turned against John Kerry
in the last election on that very issue. Catholic Democrats openly condemned Kerry because of his support for the PARTY’S
position on abortion. Kristina Parks’ own positions in her letter actually proved Barbara Jackson’s point!
Indeed! A recent Associated Press news report came down the wire concerning a speech Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
gave in Atlanta. Here’s a question for all the ‘there is no liberal media’ types, what was the gist of the
speech? Remember, this was an important news item that was carried by most news outlets across the country, including
this paper. You don’t know? Don’t feel bad, nobody who read the report knows either. What did the liberal writer of the article think was news worthy about the event? No, not what Rumsfeld said,
but the fact that there were a handful of protesters who disrupted the event and some of whom were escorted to the door. One man called Rumsfeld a liar and the Defense Secretary answered the man’s charge while stopping security
who were going to escort the man out of the assembly. The media could care less what Rumsfeld had to say... to these liberals the only important factor for the news
report and their focus was on the insignificant incidents at the event. Here, I’ll make the jobs of these liberal reporters who dominate the mainstream media easier for them
in the future. All they have to do is simply use this template for every future news report they create about the Bush administration. “(Enter name of Bush administration official) gave a speech in (enter name of place speech was given)
and was heckled by anti-war protesters who yelled (administration official) lied about (enter topic of speech) and (list talking
points justifying liberals’ position on issue).” There you go. Slap a big headline on it and Katie Couric will read it to you on the CBS Evening News. Think I could get royalties off that? Lee P Butler Somebody Needs To Apologize, But It's Not The President "He jeopardized the life of a CIA operative and the contacts she made while working for this country to collect
material for national security." That’s not stretching the truth... that's taking a leap of faith! The editorial board of the Journal also fallaciously claims the President declassified, "documents to further
his own political agenda." What political agenda, exactly, would that be? Although, the abhorrent editorial produced by the Journal was definitely intended to further the liberal Democrat
mantra that ‘Bush Lied’. Facts? They don’t need no stinking facts! Libby wasn’t 'authorized' to ‘leak’ anything ‘classified’. He was given permission to release to the press details of a National Intelligence Estimate report that
was verified to not contain information detrimental to national security and was declassified by the President. I challenge the Journal editorial board to produce in their paper proof that a) Valerie Plame was a ‘covert
CIA operative’ at the time of the ‘leak’ or b) that ‘the now-famous leak was providing reporters with
information about a covert CIA operative’ or c) that it was ‘an effort to discredit her husband’s public criticisms about the war in Iraq.’ Those assertions are false. Libby was told to reveal information contained in the declassified NIE report and prosecutor Fitzgerald has
even altered his report. Libby is not indicted for 'leaking' a name, but for conflicting testimony. And the people who wrote the law concerning 'covert' agents said Plame hadn't held that status in over
five years. When the liberal media gets all ‘high and mighty’, they should at least be accurate.
Can you say 'karmic retribution'? Democrat Tim Dunn from Fayetteville, used the announcement that Richmond Yarns was going to shut its doors after
decades of operation, ending the jobs of over two hundred employees, to kick off his now defunct political campaign. It was plainly obvious that the Dunn campaign had seized on what was a painful and disappointing moment for
the families of that company in an attempt to capitalize politically in Mr. Dunn's election campaign against incumbent Representative
Robin Hayes for the Eighth District. The Dunn campaign seemed intent on following the local media mantra of denigrating Congressman Hayes specifically
concerning his vote in favor of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. That legislation in all essence was supported by
many, if not most, of the existing textile companies in the Eighth District, including Burlington Industries in Richmond County. Those businesses stated that the doors opened by CAFTA offered an essential opportunity for these American textile
companies who had prepared themselves to operate in a global market, to function in their most optimum capacity, allowing
for the best situation to remain a viable entity in the manufacturing sector. In what some would call 'karmic retribution', following close on the heels of Mr. Dunn's announcement that for
various reasons he was dropping out of the election and left the fight for his other two Democrat opponents to wage against
Congressman Hayes, came some surprising, yet positive economic news. The very textile plant that had been used for political expediency announced that it would continue to operate.
Ken Goodman Sr. said that their customers, "had to have us." He added that after restructuring their operating workforce they
planned to continue operations for, "a long time." How is this possible? Liberal editorial writers across the district had pooh-poohed that they were sure CAFTA was going to destroy
the textile industry as they totally ignored the support for CAFTA coming from the very same textile companies these liberals
were bemoaning would see their demise. The reality is that textile companies in America that are willing to operate in this country can continue to
do so and remain a viable economic entity as long as they are willing to do what's necessary for them to compete in a global
market. American economic growth is and will absorb a displaced workforce, which in turn helps the expansion of our
economy that leads to more businesses needing more goods to operate. As that growth spreads, other businesses, such as Richmond
Yarns are needed to provide the goods and services that expansion requires. Stifling economic growth through an ideology of protectionism causes more losses of jobs because expansion cannot
take place and the displacement of workers cannot be accommodated. The big question now is does Congressman Hayes' two challengers who still remain think denigrating CAFTA is
a winning strategy? Maybe Mr. Dunn saw the writing on the wall! Liberal Democrats Fail Religious Acumen Lately, it has become a routine endeavor for Liberal Democrat leaders to use religious belief or philosophy
in attacks on Republicans as they try to erode public opinion about the strong ties to religious belief Republicans have and
when that fails, they simply use it as an attempt to somehow prove their own religious acumen, which also, more often than
not, falls flat. In a recent column, Cal Thomas addresses two instances of this by major Democrat leaders and clearly defines
the failure of both Howard Dean and Hillary Clinton as they enter a realm that is definitely foreign to them: Immigration is developing into a major political issue. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., made a bid for
the votes of illegals and their enablers last week. Clinton promised to fight a bill passed by the House in December and debated
this week in the Senate. It would subject illegals, and those who knowingly employ them, to criminal penalties. Invoking biblical
justification for her opposition to the House measure, Clinton said it "is certainly not in keeping with my understanding
of the Scriptures, because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably Jesus himself." Democrats have been trying to make inroads on religious language and religious symbolism from the near-monopoly
held by Republicans. But like Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean, who once spoke of the Old Testament book of
Job as his favorite New Testament book, Clinton misfired. In the parable told by Jesus, robbers set upon a man, beat him, and left him "half dead." A priest and a Levite
passed by, refusing to help the victim. A Samaritan, despised by the Jews, stopped to help the man and also paid an innkeeper
from his own pocket to care for him. Notice that Jesus didn't call on a government program for help. As for how this relates to illegal immigration,
Jesus never counseled breaking laws. As you can see, these two are fish out of water when it comes to referencing the bible. This issue isn’t
exclusive to them, there are others who, while trying to prove their religious acumen, also fall short of their desired goal. Many liberals constantly try and make the totally absurd notion that somehow Jesus was a ‘socialist’,
which even a basic knowledge of the teachings of Jesus, demonstrates a contrary view to that assertion. Besides the focus on liberty that is pervasive throughout his teachings, Jesus regularly taught that individual
responsibility was paramount... which just happens to be the foundation for the modern day Conservative movement... to establish
liberty. He taught that you teach a person how to fish, instead of just giving them fish to eat, these are two perfect examples
of the dichotomy that exists between Conservative and Liberal values. Since Socialism is a form of government where the government takes earnings from individuals at a high rate
of taxation and dictates how the people will receive the distribution of the services that government entity believes necessary,
that in no way mirrors anything Jesus ever taught humanity. Helping your neighbor does not in any way mean give your earnings to Hillary Clinton so she can spend it on
those she deems needful! And the Republican legislation passed by Congress did not in any way put forth provisions that would prevent
or punish individuals or religious institutions from giving illegal aliens the basic assistance to sustain life. It did, however,
present legislation to prevent harboring or illegally protecting illegal aliens from authorities. If liberal Democrats really want to jump on the ‘moral compass’ of religious belief, maybe they
should choose a more appropriate topic such as, oh say, the undiluted acceptance of the slaughter of innocent unborn babies
and let’s see where they truly stand on morality!
The lottery has never been about education Vice Chairman Butler Maybe the Journal's editorial board is finally feeling the sharp edge of the blade Smilin’ Mike stuck
in their backs with the shady back-room dealings and imperialistic machinations the liberal Democrat-controlled state legislature
have lorded in the faces of working North Carolina families. Hiding behind Smilin' Mike's Multi-Million Dollar North Carolina Education Lottery Sham-O-Rama Extravaganza,
they raised our taxes, threatened the loss of teacher assistants, possibly violated our state constitution, and used our children
as ransom to get their lottery. Not to mention the fact that right here in our own back yard, a multi-million dollar bond referendum had to
be passed to cover building expenditures needed in the county. Why? Because the $400 million in expected lottery revenue just won’t cover those costs and that's even before
Smilin’ Mike and his band of ramblin’, gamlin’ banditos removed the construction fund from the state budget
before they even had a lottery! Then Smilin' Mike started talking about shifting money that doesn't yet exist, even though he said he wouldn't
move it. Now the high priced lottery director, who was appointed after the first two had to step aside because of ‘questionable
ethics’, says slating 35% of the lottery revenue towards education will undercut the state’s ability to ‘tax
the poor even more’! Then it becomes apparent the Journal board is still blinded when they tell those lottery officials to ‘get
to work for education’. Don’t you get it? The lottery has never been about education. It’s about Smilin’ Mike and his liberal bedfellows finding
more ways to get money from North Carolinians so they'll have more revenue to fund their bloated budget and pet projects. If anybody here ever gets rich scratching a ticket, maybe they'll loan the county enough money so we can afford
a place to take our trash!
Liberals Stomp on the Memories of the Dead Vice Chairman Butler On the one hand, hate-mongers such as former President Jimmy Carter and Southern Christian Leadership Conference
co-founder Reverend Joseph Lowery stomped rhetorically on the grave of Coretta Scott King by openly attacking President Bush
at her funeral instead of simply memorializing the life of the renowned fallen civil rights leader. Only a few short weeks later, on the other hand, New Orleans sponsored a parade of floats that rode across the
metaphorical graves of the residents who lost their lives in a tragedy that could have been less severe or even prevented
the loss of those lives if the leaders of the city and state riding in those floats had followed their own state plan of evacuation
or even basic protocol before the storm ever hit. How truly disrespectful to those who lost their lives to have unfeeling, insensitive leaders who are more concerned
about promoting their own agendas or pandering in the face of tragedy when their focus should be own helping to continue a
legacy or working as hard as is possible by man to repair and rebuild the damaged lives of those who remain and hope for a
brighter future. In the wake of painful tragedy, it is always best to try and return to some semblance of normalcy in people’s
everyday lives as it helps to ease the burden of traumatic loss. But having political rallies at funerals and parties on the
scale of Mardi Gras in lieu of the grieving process flies in the face of everything most Americans hold dear and respect in
the highest. Some may disagree with that, but just stop and think for a moment. Doesn’t that type of behavior demean
the memory of the deceased? Doesn’t it on some level devalue the very existence and purpose of those people whose lives
should be celebrated? Instead of the living having parties to say ‘look at me, listen to me, it’s now all about
me’? Does Governor Kathleen Blanco really think it makes more sense to waste millions on a parade for beads instead
of directing the money towards strengthening the levee so the people of New Orleans can return to the place they called home? Does Mayor Ray Nagin really think beads are a recompense for his incompetent failure to utilize the drowned
school buses to save the lives of those whose memories his parade leaves behind?
Liberal Media Attacks First Lady Laura Bush You know the liberal media is in full bore Republican attack mode when they start going after the First Lady
Laura Bush, one of the most popular First Lady’s in American history. Tim Funk of the Charlotte Observer has decided that it’s time to go after the First Lady’s veracity
by asking the question, “Is First Lady Laura Bush a smoker?” Mr. Funk writes: “It's a relevant question: Last week, during a visit to Carolinas Medical Center, she marked American
Heart Month by encouraging women to protect themselves against the disease by doing five things: Eat healthy, exercise, keep the weight down, see a doctor about risk factors, and, she said, stay away from
cigarettes. What Bush didn't tell the Charlotte doctors and patients who greeted her: She's battled nicotine addiction herself. In fact, media reports persist that she's still a social smoker, bumming cigarettes during times of stress. A year ago, the first lady told People Magazine that she had kicked the habit in the 1990s -- after at least
one relapse. "I smoked," she told the magazine. "A lot of my friends smoked. George smoked. At times in my life, when I was
younger, probably (a pack a day). I quit when I started trying to get pregnant, and then, of course, I started smoking again
-- cheating a little bit after I had Barbara and Jenna. It's hard to quit."“ So the truth finally comes out. How will Laura Bush ever be able to face the public again after exposing that
deplorable skeleton in her closet? Why the news-worthiness of that dirty little revelation has to fall right between shooting
your hunting partner with birdshot during a quail hunt and the Panther cheerleader bathroom incident! But that’s not all. No, it never is with these sneaky domestic wiretapping imperialists in the White House. “"I think because my husband got elected (governor of Texas in 1994)," she told People. "I was ashamed
-- total shame and guilt. I just quit. (But) I have a lot of friends my age who smoke secretly. A lot. Mainly women." Some newspaper reports and a 2004 biography have cast Bush herself as a secret smoker since coming to the White
House. In 2002, The Washington Post said she's been known to reach for a cigarette in times of stress -- as long as
no photographers are nearby. And the White House Weekly said she was still struggling with the habit in 2004.” Then it gets worse! Why they are once again hiding secrets from the media. “On Friday, I called Mrs. Bush's press office, and asked: Is she a smoker? "That's a question for her press secretary," I was told. I was also told my question would be delivered to the press secretary and someone would get back to me. No one did, even after I called back twice.” How dare they not respond to a powerful media elitist! The real question here Mr. Funk is, what bloody difference does it make? Just asking the question in context
with her speaking engagement exposes more about your obvious agenda than whether or not she smokes... occasionally or otherwise. Her own personal experiences does not in any way diminish the facts about women’s health she promoted
or her encouraging women to follow a more healthy lifestyle. An consumer of junk food can talk to others about eating properly
and the health benefits of the practice, after all. From the Charlotte Observer: Military vets unite in runs for Congress About 40 Democratic military veterans running for Congress -- including two from the Carolinas -- trekked to
Washington last week for a campaign event that featured the U.S. Capitol as a backdrop. One by one, they introduced themselves,
detailed their military résumés, then offered rousing words for the national audience watching on C-SPAN2. "We're fighting for change, all of us," said Tim Dunn, an Iraq war veteran from Fayetteville who's gunning
for Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C.. of Concord. "It's time to take the Hill." Capitol Hill, that is. The RCGOP Says... What change exactly is Mr. Dunn fighting for? Does he honestly believe that
the national Democrat party is going to support anybody in their party who wants to promote the military and the missions
they undertake? Where has he been? The Republican party and especially current District 8 Representative Robin Hayes have steadily
been fighting to bolster the military. Congressman Hayes has most recently fought for and gotten a Veteran's medical
treatment center in Richmond County. What more could Mr. Dunn do? Help his Democrat brethren raise our taxes... increase wasteful government spending...
hand the security of our nation over to the French? There are Democrats who want to eliminate all our weapons systems
and nuclear warheads! Even if he sided with Republicans and protected the military, why would we want a Democrat when we already
have an excellent Republican who stands for what we believe in and fights for what we need? Mr. Dunn even decided to 'officially' launch his campaign in Richmond County by visiting a local yarn mill that
had recently announced it's pending closure. "We decided to start here today when we found out several weeks ago that Richmond
Yarns was closing," Dunn stated. Dunn has made a point of focusing the attention of his campaign towards CAFTA and Rep. Hayes vote in favor of
the legislation. The RCGOP Says... We have another question for Mr. Dunn. Does he also have plans to visit
the Burlington Industries plant in Cordova while he's making Richmond County a part of his partisan political attack
on Rep. Hayes? Or does that company's support for CAFTA not fit in his campaign issue template? What about other textile companies
in the district that also support CAFTA and say that without it they would have to close their doors? Campaign 2006 is underway... are you ready?
While I’m labeled as a ‘false prophet’ who is always ‘negative’ and produces ‘little
more than rhetoric’, the half-truths of liberal media elitists is being promoted on editorial pages and is passed off
as news reports in newspapers almost everyday. Recently, an Associated Press reporter produced an opinion piece under the guise of a news report. She, along
with most of her fellow liberal media elitist brethren, didn’t like the fact that President Bush had called them out
on their use of the term ‘domestic spy program’ when referring to what he more aptly called a ‘terrorist
surveillance program’. Liberal editorial writers took the lead of her editorial ‘news report’ and ranted that the President
should ‘call it what it is’. Even if one 'end of the call' is in America, it doesn't justify media elitists calling
the interception of an international phone call of a suspected terrorist, 'domestic spying', unless they're perpetuating a
half-truth for ideological reasons. Another half-truth ‘news report’ was produced recently attacking our military and as usual, liberal
editors jumped on that propaganda piece, too. As they reported, Iraqi women were being abducted by coalition forces and locked in prison as a way to force
members of their families to come forward and admit to their terrorist activities. So what’s missing? Well, the military believed the women who were held to be possible threats. Remember,
a female homicide bomber was captured when her bomb supposedly didn’t work during the Jordanian wedding slaughter. One woman the ‘news’ story focused on said she was offered tea and juice while being questioned
and was, "treated in a good way, no torture." After five women were released from the 14,000 detainees in custody there were an astounding four, possibly
six, Iraqi women still being held. And the liberal media establishment wonders why more Americans are turning to other sources for their news? Lee P Butler
The RCGOP Says... The following letter is Vice Chairman Butler's
response to this oped: McCain to rescue once again that was finally accepted for publication
in the local paper. Okay, since the Journal's ‘editorial staff’ fired the opening salvo, maybe they could elaborate
further for their readers just exactly what ‘Gestapo-like tactics’ our government has used on detainees that justifies
equating America with Nazis? The liberal Democrat spin spouted by their media lapdogs is that President Bush somehow ‘changed his position
on torture’, when if fact nothing could be farther from the truth. The President has NEVER condoned the use of torture
by America... Gestapo-like or otherwise. Harsh methods of interrogation do not constitute torture, including 'water-boarding', the use of which led directly
to preventing the bombing of the Brooklyn bridge. Preventing something like that won't happen anymore. When people were caught forming naked pyramids and putting dog collars around detainees’ necks, they were
prosecuted... criminally and in the media. But that’s just not good enough, is it. No, people like ‘Maverick McCain' and the Journal editorial board have to beg the French and Germans to love
us again by ending the ‘cruel and inhumane torture' of sleep deprivation and forcing detainees to eat orange-glazed
chicken for dinner the way they did at Camp Gitmo. Oh, for the love of humanity! Deep in the desolate, cavernous region of the Middle East, bin Laden is smiling, because his terrorist network
knows that America has gone back to the Clinton days where preventing terrorist attacks was frowned upon for fear of offending
someone. Plus, ‘Maverick McCain’ has given the Journal editorial board the ability to finally differentiate
between the United States and terrorists! But liberal Democrats will continue calling President Bush a terrorist, so not much
changed, now did it. The McCain amendment does allow the use of "torture", harsh interrogation, in the ‘ticking bomb scenario'.
If it doesn't work and offends people, why include it? ‘Maverick McCain' didn’t win, the terrorists did. Lee P Butler Oh, good heavens. In this season of joy, in the most Christian nation on Earth, some Christians are fighting grimly to repel what
they consider a secular threat to Christmas. Has there ever been a sillier undertaking? The RCGOP says... Here is an editorial that mentions a few past incidents that were direct
attacks on Christmas: The war on Christmas. And let us not forget how the term 'Christmas' has tried to be removed from usage
including plays, parades, stores and the infamous Lowes 'holiday trees'. John Gibson of FoxNews recently reported: Catholic Priest Drops 'J Bomb' An interesting exercise in the hidden power of Christmas last week in suburban New York —
in a town called Manhasset.
A Catholic priest was giving the invocation before the lighting of the town Christmas tree and he dropped
the "J bomb." That's right, the priest had the audacity to mention — cover your ears, kiddies — Jesus Christ. That caused an immediate ruckus. A city councilman took over the microphone and insisted the tree lighting
was not a Christmas tree but a holiday tree and there was to be no religion in the observance of the lighting of the holiday
tree. Within hours the councilman ate his words with a knife and fork. After the event with the kindly, old priest mumbling apologies for bringing up Jesus — whatever
would make him think he could do that? — the councilman consulted legal experts and determined that the courts in the
United States have never banned either Christmas trees, which are actually named Christmas trees, nor has the mention of the
name Jesus Christ been banned. I'm not naming the councilman here because he reconsidered his outburst, realized he made a mistake
and immediately righted the wrong. [Observer excerpt] Here's the story. The U.S. Constitution declares our nation neutral on matters of religion. That means governments can't establish
an official religion or favor one faith over others. No nation has ever offered better protection for freedom of conscience. This official neutrality has been violated quite often over the years, which isn't surprising, since 90 or so
percent of Americans are Christians and many see nothing wrong with celebrations of the faith that involve public facilities
and events. The RCGOP Says... This is the same tired leftist liberal drivel they promote on a daily
basis. The Constitution does not make the U.S. government 'neutral on matters of religion'. It does, however, prevent the
U.S. government from establishing a national religion. Many of our laws are in fact based on religious belief, so how would
that make our government 'neutral'? Then they assert their supposed claim of 'neutrality' has been violated often... I may
have missed something during my tenure as an American, but I can't remember the U.S. ever establishing a national religion.
They must know something the rest of us don't. Here's a good column covering this subject: CHRISTMAS, THE ACLU & CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE [Observer excerpt] Done properly, that's all right. Done improperly, it isn't. Usually disagreements about it
can be settled amicably by people of good will, unless one side or the other is out to make a point, not make a neighborly
compromise. But some Christians resent any suggestion that Christian celebrations can be done improperly, because they believe
this is a Christian nation. They're egged on by TV preachers interested in fund-raising and TV talking heads interested in
ratings. The RCGOP Says... They admit that 90% of the country is Christian, yet they attack Christians
for believing this is a Christian nation. What percentage of the country, in their minds, would have to be Christian to make
this a Christian nation? And most Christians don't need TV preachers to tell them that liberals such as those who control
the opinion in the Charlotte Observer are attempting to remove Christian belief from the Christmas holiday. This editorial
is a perfect example. [Observer excerpt] So they're upset. They think secularists are threatening Christmas by reminding businesses
and government agencies that not everyone is Christian and that our nation's charter does, after all, require official neutrality
on matters of faith. To these militants, something is sinfully wrong when this season is referred to as "the holidays," or
when people say "season's greetings" and not "merry Christmas." How sad. Surely they don't really think a holy celebration is diminished because some businesses and government
agencies don't promote it. Those are secular, not religious, institutions. Anyone who needs such support to feel secure must
have a pretty wobbly faith -- unless what they're after is the satisfaction of displaying their dominance by requiring everyone
to observe their holy days. That would be a matter of pride, not faith, and the Bible, you'll recall, does not speak well
of pride. Most Christians are unruffled by this controversy because their celebration of Christmas is not affected by
government action or commercial practices. The day's sanctity is ensured by its place in the hearts of the faithful. As we
hear the multitude of voices singing "Silent Night, Holy Night," we detect no threat to Christmas here. The RCGOP Says... Secularists are threatening Christmas when they 'remind businesses and
government agencies that not everyone is Christian'. That is exactly the purpose of those actions. Again, the government is
not 'neutral' on religion... if it was, maybe they could explain why government offices, schools, etc., are allowed to shut
down to celebrate RELIGIOUS holidays? And they call anybody who thinks Christmas is under attack from people lioke the Observer,
are 'militants'. Why would they openly shun 90% of the population while they're telling us 'militants' to not be so 'devisive'
and they can't seem to figure out why they're steadily losing readers? Plus, Christians aren't trying to force everyone to observe our religious celebration,
all us 'militants' simply want secularists and other 'offended' religions to leave Christams alone and that includes omitting
the use of 'Merry Christmas', 'Christmas trees', and 'displays of the Christmas observance', and 'Christmas being banned from school'. And they write: 'As we hear the multitude of voices singing "Silent Night, Holy Night,"
we detect no threat to Christmas here.' The problem is they are trying to make it so no one ever publicly sings a Christmas
song again! Christmas Under Siege From Secular Forces
Leadership failure costs lives The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting
to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move
would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind
the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything
on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly. A senior administration official said that Bush has clear legal authority to federalize National Guard units
to quell civil disturbances under the Insurrection Act and will continue to try to unify the chains of command that are
split among the president, the Louisiana governor and the New Orleans mayor. Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state
and federal officials said. The RCGOP Says: This is nothing but pukka leftist drivel that has consistently emanated from such far-left
groups as Moveon.org and Michael Moore. At some point it would be nice if these people would point out what part of President
and Mrs. Bush time at their home in Crawford is a 'vacation'. Despite the fact that they are AT HOME, he is still conducting
government business there and abroad and only 'bears witness' to the fact that the media is consistently perpetuating
the rhetorical asininity of liberals. The RCGOP Says: Funny, both states of Mississippi and Alabama, which were hit just as hard as Louisiana,
had no trouble getting federal assistance for rescue and clean-up; even though the President himself was disappointed
and 'embarrassed' by those efforts, too. Belittling the President for asking for prayer is simply childish. Here are the facts about the troop levels here and abroad from James S. Robbins of National Review: So far 100,000 refugees have received some form of humanitarian aid and 9,500 have been rescued
by the Coast Guard. More info from Robbins: National Guard units were mobilized immediately;
7,500 troops from four states were on the ground within 24 hours of Katrina- a commendable response given the disruptions
to the transportation infrastructure. The DOD response is well ahead of the 1992 Hurricane Andrew timetable. Back then,
the support request took nine days to crawl through the bureaucracy. The reaction this time was less than three days officially,
and DOD had been pre-staging assets in anticipation of the aid request from the moment Katrina hit. DOD cannot act independently
of course; the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the lead agency. Requests for assistance have to be routed from
local officials through FEMA to U.S. Northern Command and then to the necessary components. In practice, this means state
officials have to assess damage and determine relief requirements; FEMA has to come up with a plan for integrating the military
into the overall effort; DOD has to begin to pack and move the appropriate materiel, and deploy sufficient forces. This has
all largely been or is being accomplished. Seven thousand mostly Navy and other specialized assets are currently in the
area directly supporting hurricane relief, and a much larger number of other forces are en route. The RCGOP Says: More of the same irresponsible misinformation. The media has been promoting their own agenda
of attacking the President and his administration while blatantly ignoring the fact that the Mayor of New Orleans and the
Governor of Louisiana failed the people of their state miserably. The mayor has to request assistance from the Governor,
who then requests assistance from the federal government... this didn't happen until late in the week, besides the fact that
the Governor denied several attempts by the President to get her to request federal help. The President and the Director
of the Hurricane Center both had to call the Governor to plead with her to issue a mandatory evacuation. That's right... THE
PRESIDENT was the person who got the Mayor and Governor to issue the mandatory evacuation... while he was 'vacationing at
home'!!! She also waited before calling in the National Guard and FEMA, both of which were at the ready and waiting for
her authorization for action! And the Mayor didn't utilize the state's own evacuation plan by using school and municipal
buses to evacuate those who couldn't. Hundreds of unused buses are now flooded in New Orleans while his own city residents
suffered! But that's the President's fault. Besides the fact that the Governor WOULDN'T ALLOW HIM TO TAKE CONTROL
IN HER STATE SO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COULD EVACUATE THE CITY and as the Journal pointed out, the Mayor
had plenty of notice to start loading buses to move people out according to the evacuation plan, but they
didn't issue the mandatory evacuation until 24 HOURS BEFORE THE STORM HIT! The paper also mischaracterized Gingrich's statement by trying to assert that he was chastising
ONLY the federal response, when he was referring to an across-the-board failure of bureaucracy that led to delays in response,
not the President actions. The RCGOP Says The True Enemies Of The State
The RCGOP Says... ‘Quixotic efforts to convince President Bush
to bring our troops home’? That’s laughably absurd and beyond the pale! The paper has once
again glaringly exposed their liberal rationale by asserting they think it’s romantically chivalrous to cut-and-run
by surrendering like the French in Iraq!
Cindy Sheehan is a loon. There is nothing romantically chivalrous or idealistic about her moronic extreme leftist rhetoric! Cindy says, "You know Iraq was no threat to the United States of America until we invaded. I mean they're not even
a threat to the United States of America. Iraq was not involved in 9-11, Iraq was not a terrorist state. But now that
we have decimated the country, the borders are open, freedom fighters from other countries are going in,
and they [American troops] have created more terrorism by going to an Islamic country, devastating the country and
killing innocent people in that country. The terrorism is growing and people who never thought of being car
bombers or suicide bombers are now doing it because they want the United States of America out of their country."
For Cindy and the paper that obviously supports her, terrorists are 'freedom fighters' and our troops
are killing innocent people! The RCGOP Says... So? These same liberal extremists kill themselves while protecting trees and
stand outside prisons while vicious serial killers are put to death all the while taking part in ‘peace’ vigils.
Are we going to stop building houses with wood or are we going to disband our police forces across the country because
they held vigils? Yes, the protesters oppose the war in Iraq. But they opposed war in Afghanistan, too. The RCGOP Says... Why does having Conservative voices make this a ‘polarized nation’?
Isn’t that supposed to be a sign of a strong democracy... having opposing voices? And why exactly are the Conservative
voices ‘disturbing’? Joan Baez is in the ditch in Crawford and is a known communist sympathizer as are many on
the extreme Left... the group that Sheehan has become a part of. And their activities do ‘aid-and-abet’
the enemy, because Sheehan and her gang are voicing the same hope the terrorists have... that America will leave them to commit
their terrorists acts where ever and when ever they want. As far as this notion that Sheehan and her gang are ‘questioning the status quo’... obviously
the paper agrees with her assessment that the President is a killer and imperialistically invaded Iraq for oil,
because that is in fact what she is saying. She is also saying that defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan was also wrong. Sheehan
on Hardball: Well, but there were a lot of innocent people killed in that invasion too. I'm not a military strategist,
but I'm saying that we're sending our ground troops in to invade countries where the entire country wasn't the problem,
and especially Iraq. You know, Iraq was no problem, and why do we send in invading armies to march
into Afghanistan when we're looking for a select group of people in that country? So, um, I believe that our troops,
um, should be brought home out of both places. We're obviously not having any success in Afghanistan. No success in Afghanistan? Does the paper believe that, too? The RCGOP Says... Sheehan and her gang weren’t called communists because they were speaking out,
they were called that BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY WERE SAYING!! Our military wasn’t designed to hand out meals-on-wheels,
it was designed to kick the asses of those who threaten our freedom and/or safety. If you label our troops as people
who run gulags, or call them baby killers, or accuse them of war crimes so your picture can hang in a communist museum, or
openly profess your love of Fidel Castro... you might be called a communist! The RCGOP Says... We totally concur! The problem here is the paper’s
analogy doesn’t fit reality. What they assert was happening... didn’t happen. They did what liberals
always do, they charge Conservatives with something that has been totally fabricated, then attack them for it.
Nobody has attacked Sheehan for ‘speaking out’... she has been chastised for what she has said. And we Conservatives are still waiting for ONE story about a grieving parent who lost a loved one but still supports
the War on Terror. Someone like Gary Qualls who set up a pro-Bush camp they are calling ‘Fort Qualls’
in honor of his late son Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Wayne Qualls. He has signs that proclaim, ‘God Bless Our President’
and ‘God Bless Our Troops’. The RCGOP Says... Has anybody seen even one ‘God Bless Our Troops’ sign in the ditch from Sheehan and
her gang? That must be her freedom of speech they claim is being muted!
Gathering at the trough continues The RCGOP Says: There's one major aspect of this issue that the paper neglects
to point out... The problem is DEMOCRATS can't get together on just how much of a tax increase they want to pass for North Carolinians. Though the paper is finally worried about how much this is costing state taxpayers, they
are still whitewashing the fact that it is Democrats who are causing the problem. From the Carolina Journal: "Under the agreement, the tax would increase
to 30 cents a pack on Sept. 1, then to 35 cents a pack on July 1. Taxes on other tobacco products would also increase
from 2percent to 3 percent. "We're getting there, man," said Rep. Jim Crawford, D-Granville. To generate
money for the $17 billion budget, legislators have also agreed to extend a half-cent sales tax and an upper-income
tax bracket for two years that were first adopted as "temporary" taxes in 2001." The RCGOP Says: Of course, the local paper agrees with all those
tax increases by Democrats... that is until they were talking about taxing newspapers, then they had a fit. In the Senate, Republicans passed a resolution to eliminate lawmakers' per diems if a budget isn't in place by
the time the next continuing resolution expires, which is Aug. 11. The provision was cut in the House. Rep. David Lewis, a Harnett County Republican, said Thursday that he is frustrated with the delay. "Along with my fellow elected Republicans, I've been totally shut out of the budget process," Lewis said. "The
arguments seem to be once again over what taxes and fees should be and how much to raise them." The discussions are in the hands of just a few key Democrats.
Once again our wonderfully ‘open-minded’ local newspaper demonstrated just why so many throughout
the Richmond County community consider the local paper to be a leftist Democrat shill,
instead of the ‘bias free’ paper the editorial staff asserts it is. It continues to amaze how they can continue to say on the one hand that they are even handed in their production
of political opinion, based solely on the fact that they print the few letters they choose produced by conservatives and Michael
Reagan, yet almost daily regurgitate the bile hurled by liberals in editorial cartoons, columns, slanted news stories,
and their own drivel written by the Journal editorial board. Such is the case with this latest mindless political attack on President Bush and his recess appointment
of Ambassador John Bolton. The paper rants, “Bolton’s appointment was not approved by the Senate,
which holds that constitutional check over the executive branch.” They are right, it also says that nominees should get an up-or-down vote. Even the left of the Left Charlotte Observer admitted, “Nominees deserve an up-or-down vote, not delay followed by postponement followed by hold-up.” The Journal
also claimed the president ‘waited for Congress to take a break’. Hello? So now the local paper is more Left-wing than the Observer? The paper also added that, “many people in both major political parties oppose having
the abrasive Bolton represent America at the highest level of international diplomacy.” Many Republicans? Who
are all these many Republicans? They site Republican Sen. John Voinovich and you can include Sen. Chuck Hegel...
but that’s about it. Two Senators in the Senate constitute ‘many people’ in the minds of the Journal
editorial staff? And those two vote with Democrats more than Hillary Clinton. Okay, maybe the paper meant ‘many people’ referring to average, everyday Americans.
Well, then, ‘Houston we have a problem’, because we don’t make the decisions when it comes to the
passage of legislation or the appointments of political nominees... we elect Senators to represent us, but the paper
knows that as you’ll see a few paragraphs from now. Besides, MOST people in the state of North Carolina don’t want to pay higher taxes, but Democrats
along with the full support of the local paper agrees that we need to pay more taxes and they are about
to pass more tax increases on to the backs of working families. Does that make ‘tax hike’ Mike Easley
the ‘king’ of North Carolina? Can you say... hy..poc..ri..sy? “In bypassing the Senate, Bush invoked a seldom used presidential privilege known
as a recess appointment.” ‘Seldom used’? Bill Clinton used the procedure during
his administration 140 times... does the Journal consider him to have been the ‘king’ during his reign?
More nonsensical rhetoric from the paper, “Bolton is the first U.S. ambassador to the U.N. to be named
by a recess appointment. There’s a reason for that. America’s U.N. ambassador is supposed to represent
the will of the people - not just one man. John Bolton’s strong-armed appointment as America’s ambassador
clearly doesn’t represent the will of the American people, who elected 100 Senators to approve who represents
them at the United Nations.” Once again, from the liberal Charlotte Observer, “Still, it’s hard to fault
the president for being exasperated by the Senate’s dawdling on his nominee. Senator’s who thought Mr. Bolton
was wrong for the job managed to put off a vote, but there’s little doubt that if the full Senate had voted, he would
have been confirmed.” Holy, elected representatives, Batman! Okay, everyone... inhale... relax... exhale. Now, let’s paint
some happy little trees on our canvas of life, while we take the time to thank the good Lord for blood pressure medicine. What’s even more astonishing is the fact that the paper now thinks Secretary of State
Condoleeza Rice has done ‘impressive diplomatic work’ since she was... according to media elitists such
as the local paper... imperialistically appointed by ‘King George’ to be his ‘parrot’
who would negatively represent this country in the same manner as her close-minded, strong-armed, war-mongering, cowboy boss!
Sound familiar? Notice how they just gloss over that massive helping of crow they’ve been eating ever since
they unjustifiably attacked Dr. Rice the same way they are now attacking ambassador Bolton? Now some of us have our spoons ready to serve them dessert... it seems
to have been a good season for crow cobbler!
All eyes on state budget process now Rep. Goodwin wrote: "The crux of the funding will come from an extension of a half-cent sales tax and
higher individual income tax rate on individuals making more than $120,000 or couples making more than $200,000,
both of which were initially passed in 2001 during the height of the recession with the intent of the state's economy improving
prior to the sunset. The RCGOP says... Just so you were keeping track, North Carolinian working families will be paying more
for telephones, t.v., liquor, internet sales, a death tax, candy, satellite radio, warranties, voice mail, and anything
you buy with a half cent sales tax... oh yeah that already existed, they just extended it! Cigarettes, movies and car registrations would all cost more in the $17.1 billion budget that the N.C. House passed.
The House's proposed budget for 2005-06 won approval by a vote of 62-58 and Goodwin voted for the extra burden
of taxation on working families! Goodwin wrote: "Critics of the spending plan have argued lawmakers should cut programs and reduce taxes,
and argue spending is increasing too much. However, a recent report released by the N.C. Justice Center found that though
the state budget has increased by $1.2 billion between fiscal year 2000 and 2005, state expenditures have
been declining over the last several years. The RCGOP says... How ignorant does Mrs. Goodwin really think her constituents are? First,
cutting excessive waste from the state budget that has increased by her own admission $1.2 billion dollars in five
years would defintely allow for lower taxes since North Carolina is one of the highest taxed states in the country. Second, overall expenses have increased! Plus, a decrease in comparison to personal income took place
because people make more money and the population of the state has increased! This is basic economics and
the only way she would present this misleading information is if she thinks the people of her district don't have
enough sense to figure it out. Look at Hamlet, higher sales taxes on alcohol has lead to less consumption and purchasing of liquor, which in turn
has caused a reduction in collected revenue for the town. This happens any time you raise taxes... it's the
very same argument liberals are using to justify raising the sales tax on cigarettes, it will lead to less smoking by adults
lessening healthcare costs and smoking by teens causing them not to smoke. Higher taxes means less collected revenue and the Democrats know it, they only use the argument when it benfits
their agenda!
Good for McCain, centrists The RCGOP says... Senator John McCain, (R-Ari) ‘independent’, ‘a real maverick’, ‘a statesman’. So how
did this man earn such high praise throughout the establishment media that’s so bent on assailing Republicans? Why this maverick, savior of all that is good and moderate, stabbed the Majority Leader in the Senate, Bill Frist, in the
back, figuratively speaking, and turned the blade. Frist and the rest of us ‘extremists’ just can’t
comprehend McCain’s humble sacrifice because of our ‘blind, ignorant allegiance to the fringe’ of our party. ‘Extremist fringe’? Seven nominated, highly qualified judges who had cleared their investigative committees
were not being given a vote on the Senate floor because Democrats believed them to be extremist, right-wing, hate mongering,
racist, activist, purveyors of the absolute destruction of life on Earth as we know it. The Grateful Dead would have to tour again before Democrats would let any of these radical judges sit on a federal bench,
especially Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown, or William Pryor. Well, those three extremists are okay. It’s those other four who shouldn’t be confirmed by following
the statue set forth by Article II of the Constitution and simply giving them a vote. Anybody remember that document?
You know, the one written by our fore fathers that is the basis for our American system of government and our way of life. Why do we need 100 Senators comprised of 86 ‘radicals’ with ‘irrational, over-inflated egos’
when we have those fourteen mavericks? Hey, they’ll just take the ball and go home! The first of three judges, Priscilla Owen, passed confirmation by a 56-43 vote after years of waiting because of her
extreme opinion that it should be harder for children to get abortions without parental consent. Whew, good thing maverick McCain saved us from those other extremists! Maverick McCain strikes ill chord
The Pot Calling The Kettle Black “Undoubtedly, NewsWeek’s erroneous story did stir things up in the Muslim world and gave American journalists
yet another black eye. And, yes, it did hurt U.S.- Arab relations,” wrote the editorial staff of the local paper. The RCGOP says... that is the understatement of the year. Burning the American flag, rioting in the streets,
and 17 dead. That was not created by the NewsWeek story, but the ‘erroneous’ story was the catalyst for it. Once
again, dodging reality, the media defends NewsWeek’s actions because of their common ‘liberal bias’ that
is displayed in their incessant attacks against Republicans and the Bush Administration and their need to protect each other.
It gets worse. The paper wrote: “However, McCellan’s voicing of the Bush administration’s stance on the moral high ground
here is akin to the pot calling the kettle black. After all, these are the folks who sold the nation and the world perhaps
the biggest lie ever told just so they could invade Iraq and make billions for their private-section buddies.” The RCGOP is definitely outraged at this blatant liberal attack. The editorial staff of the Journal
continues to portray themselves as ‘objective’, yet they regularly spew these vitriolic invectives. ‘Perhaps
the biggest lie ever told’ is a basic liberal talking point against ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom’ and is itself
a lie. For something to be a lie, the person telling it has to know that what’s being said is false, otherwise you’re
just making an inaccurate statement... not a lie. Every media representative worth their weight should already know that mistakes
made by the intelligence community set the precedent for the belief that Saddam had ‘stockpiles’ of WMD. Even
Clinton, Kerry, and Gore made the same assessment of Saddam’s threat that President Bush made... again, NOT A LIE, unless
these media liberals start charging their Democrat ‘buddies’ with lying, this nonsense needs to end... or they
will end up like NewsWeek and Dan Rather. This is nothing more than a political attack! Ditto, ‘so they could invade Iraq and make billions for their private-section buddies’.
Responding to this media pap is mentally exhaustive and utterly ridiculous. The paper wrote: “The unjustified war in Iraq has done more irreparable damage to the United Stats’ image abroad
than any article could ever do.” The RCGOP says... This statement is totally innane. The US image
abroad may have sustained ‘damage’ outside the Muslim world, but if these liberal media pundits would stop their
incessant skewing of news reports long enough to actually pay attention to what has been going on, they would know that FREEDOM
AND THE YEARNING FOR FREEDOM has blossomed in the Muslim world. Can you say Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, or Lybia? The US image in the Muslim world had turned to one of spreading Democracy, hope, and freedom. But NewsWeek
had to take advantage of a misguided opportunity to attack the military and the Bush Administration by running a false story
about soldiers flushing the Koran down the toilet, thereby setting off violence in Muslim nations. Many in the Muslim world, including terrorists, hate America and the free world and they hated us before
the invasion of Iraq. Maybe the liberals at the Journal don’t know this, but on September 11, 2001 Muslim terrorists
flew American planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and killed thousands of innocent Americans. That hatred
wasn’t bred because of Operation Iraqi Freedom, it already existed. The paper wrote: “The magazine also should implement measures to ensure such mistakes don’t happen again. The
question is, will the Bush administration do the same for its unjustified war in Iraq?” The RCGOP
wonders whether or not the editorial staff of the Journal remembers the ink stained fingers of Iraqi women who had voted for
the first time in their lives and write an editorial explaining to them how ‘unjustified’ that vote was when it
never would have happened without the war? Don’t hold your breath.
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