I’m Back!

Due to the economic slowdown that began last year, particularly around September, I had to lay myself off from the blog. Now that we’re on firm financial footing again, I will be starting back part-time!

Pray for the Victims of Hurricane Gustav

Please pray for the victims of Hurricane Gustav. While this has not been nearly as bad as Katrina, there is still considerable damage in the Gulf of Mexico coastal areas in other countries and in the U.S. Pray for those who have lost their homes or have suffered other damage, injury, or loss of loved ones.

McCain’s Pick for V.P.

Well, I’m back from summer vacation and just in time to write a quick post about something that actually excites me about the McCain campaign: His choice for Vice-President, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. Sarah Palin has conservative credentials that make the vote for McCain much more exciting for me. Don’t get me wrong, I would never consider voting for Obama and have always planned to vote for McCain (while possibly holding my nose), but his campaign has taken a turn toward the political right that is quite appealing to right-wing extremists like me. Those of us who cling to God and guns are tickled to have Sarah Palin on the ticket. Plus, she’s a good looking gal which is badly needed in this race .

What are her positions? She’s solidly pro-life, pro-family values, pro-traditional marriage, pro-gun, pro-drilling any and everywhere, pro-tax cuts, anti-corruption, and a committed Christian. She’s not so committed to the Republican Party that she won’t take them on when they’re in the wrong and she doesn’t cower to special interest groups. She’s not convinced that global warming is man-made and she doesn’t believe that polar bears should be on the endangered species list (they’re at their largest population in 30 years) to satisfy some environmental alarmists that believe anything Algore says. She’s the governor of our largest state (in land mass) and presides over an economy which includes an energy industry that is the largest producer of oil in the U.S. She has the highest approval rating of any governor in the country and isn’t part of the Washington, D.C. establishment. She’s from an average background and not the heir to someone else’s political fortunes.

There are a lot of naysayers out there on the left and in the mainstream media that say that nearly two years as a governor isn’t enough experience to be a heartbeat away from the presidency. These same people would have you believe that Barack Obama does have enough experience because of his 142 actual working days in the Senate (he’s been running for President the rest of the time) and his brief days as a state senator from Illinois. And he’s #1 on the Democratic ticket, not the V. P. If you really want to get technical, she has more executive experience than John McCain, Joe Biden or Barack Obama. I say make her #1 on the Republican ticket and put McCain at #2. But, I find it quite hypocritical of those making light of her experience when their PRESIDENTIAL candidate is as “green” as they come. True enough, Sarah might not have the years of stirring up trouble on the streets of Chicago like Obama has, but I believe running a state and meeting the constitutional requirements of age and citizenship more than qualify her to be V.P.

Memorial Day Celebration

Today, we would like to honor the memories of those who have paid the ultimate price for our country and celebrate their accomplishments and the freedom that we all hold so dear. God bless the families of those who have lost their lives in service to our great nation. We are in eternal debt to you. I would also like to take this time to remember our soldiers serving at home and abroad to keep our country safe and secure. Continue to fight the good fight ladies and gentlemen and we look forward to your safe return home. Thank you so much for all that you do!

Please watch this special video in honor of our soldiers.

Please Pray for Senator Edward Kennedy

In case you haven’t heard, Senator Edward Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. The Senator and I hardly agree about anything politically, but he has a long, distinguished career in leadership and is deserving of our respect and our prayers. We here at Simply Fab wish him our best and pray that he would receive healing and that his family will be strengthened during this trying time. My prayer is that they would find God nearby during the treatments and that the doctors would be amazed at how quickly the cancer disappears. God bless you, Senator and may the healing virtue of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ touch you powerfully!

Liberalism Seeks to Weaken Our National Sovereignty

2. Liberalism seeks to weaken our national sovereignty. While I am in favor of having allies in like-minded nations that are pursuing liberty, capitalism, and common security goals, I am not in favor of backing away from protecting America if someone in another country doesn’t agree with our position.

Take the Iraqi war, for instance. President George W. Bush (who I don’t always agree with) was acting in the interest of our country and the world when he sent troops into Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein. Many liberals say the war wasn’t a good idea because we couldn’t get France, Germany, and Russia to go along with us. As it turns out, these countries were caught up in the Oil-for-Food scandal. This far reaching scandal involved high officials from all of these governments and the son of the Secretary General of the United Nations (a worthless organization to say the least).

Basically, this is what was happening: The U.N. was allowing Iraq to sell oil to these countries to buy food for Iraqis that were starving under the rule of the ruthless dictator, Saddam Hussein who was even under U.N. sanctions for an illegal weapons program, thus preventing the import of many food goods for the Iraqi people. What actually happened rather than the U.N.’s “good intentions” was that the oil was given at a discount, along with some cash, to the leaders in these nations as insurance of their vote against war in the Security Council of the U.N. Saddam then pocketed the discounted proceeds that was meant for humanitarian relief and further built his weapons program instead.

So where are the weapons of mass destruction? This is the liberal question that blows my mind. Saddam knew months in advance of the invasion that we were planning war with him, so he had plenty of time to rid Iraq of WMD’s by way of Syria and other allies. He would’ve been stupid not to get rid of them. But there is no doubt that he had them. Not only did every bit of available intelligence information in the world indicate that he had such weapons, but he used them against his own people. Tens of thousands of Kurds died at the hand of Saddam and many mass graves were uncovered after Iraq’s liberation.

Oh, and on a side-note, you may not know this because the media doesn’t talk about it, but the Secret Service uncovered a plot by Saddam Hussein to assassinate the first President Bush (41) as revenge for Operation Desert Storm. War (or at least a regime change) was justified for numerous reasons, but liberals think we should have gotten the O.K. from France (who was bribed into opposing the war) first. This is bad for America.

Liberals Do Not Respect the Right to Life

As I said in my previous post, I am explaining my positions concerning liberalism one post at a time so I can be thorough, but not so lengthy that you fall asleep. Now for #1’s explanation.

1. Liberalism lacks respect and in many cases opposes the most basic of human rights: life. Abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia and the like have no better friends in this country than liberals. Not only is this a moral issue (which is an entire post in and of itself), but it is an issue that strikes at the very heart of what it originally meant to be an American. Our very Declaration of Independence states that:

“…they are endowed, by their CREATOR, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness–That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men,….”

The very reason for the existence of government in the U.S., according to this quote, is to secure the right to life rather than destroy it. Liberals want to give people the right to destroy life when it is inconvenient, no matter how innocent. They foster a culture of death rather than life. This is bad for America.

Top 10 Reasons Liberalism Is Bad for America

I’m no David Letterman, but these are my Top 10 Reasons Liberalism Is Bad for America. In the coming days, I will also write articles as separate posts to accompany each of the 10 to explain my positions.

1. Liberalism lacks respect and in many cases opposes the most basic of human rights: life. This one is by far the biggest reason liberalism is bad for America. The rest are in no particular order.

2. Liberalism seeks to weaken our national sovereignty.

3. Liberals originated the movement toward political correctness.

4. Liberals are for a weak military, or at least their actions say that they are.

5. To call themselves “people of tolerance”, liberals are some of the most intolerant people on earth.

6. Along the same lines as the tolerance issue, liberals are tolerant of all religions except for Christianity and Orthodox Judaism.

7. Liberals started the current environmental/animal rights/go-green efforts which are not as much about sensible protective measures for the earth and its creatures, but about punishing humans for imposing themselves on the earth and its creatures.

8. Liberals like high taxes. They think they can spend your money more wisely than you can, especially if you’re “wealthy”.

9. Liberals are largely anti-capitalism. They tax and regulate businesses so much that many are discouraged from trying to go into business for themselves.

10. Liberals meddle in the private affairs of individuals, businesses, states and localities, and others via big-government.

Stay tuned for the articles over the next couple weeks.

Cars That Burn Water?

I, like most Americans, dread filling up my car or truck and paying the ever-increasing fuel prices. Don’t get me wrong, as a card-carrying member of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy, I am all for “Big Oil” making profits. In fact, I’m a part owner (and you may be too) by virtue of mutual funds in my retirement account. I don’t agree with some of the futures trading tactics that have been used to simulate higher-than-reality global demand to drive up the prices of commodities, which includes oil. But that’s not what I want to talk about in this post.

I was Googling around the other day for alternative energy, not because I’m a greenie/ anti-capitalist who fears the sky is falling and is heating up on its way down, but because the scientific and economic ramifications are quite intriguing to me. Anyway, I came across several links to news stories and sites that sell kits that supposedly convert regular water into HHO gas via electrolysis, not the hair-removal kind, but the electrical-separation-of-water into its component elements kind. The hydrogen atoms are then mixed with the oxygen atom in their gaseous form to burn inside everyday internal-combustion engines along with the fuel you already use such as gasoline or diesel, thus making your internal-combustion engine a liquid fuel/ hydrogen gas hybrid. Supposedly, this only requires a very small amount of water, can be retrofitted to nearly any vehicle with an internal-combustion engine and an electrical system (battery and alternator), and decreases gas or diesel use by 20-50%.

Now, it appears that this technology is still in its infancy and I would advise installing one of these kits on your own vehicle AT YOUR OWN RISK! It may work, or it may not, but it certainly does excite the imagination with the possibility of finally being able to fill up from the garden hose instead of the gas pump! If any reader has installed one of these, I would like to hear from you. Please let me know if this performed as advertised and how difficult or easy the installation was.

Here are some links to check out:
A television news story featuring Denny Klein, a pioneer in this technology.
Water Burning Kits for your car
Also, you can Google or search YouTube for “water powered cars” or Denny Klein and get a large number of results.

IT’S YOUR MONEY!

I just received my economic stimulus in my checking account and, as most Americans, it is already spent. There are varying opinions on whether this will help the economy or not, but that is not the reason for this post. Rather, I want to address all those who ask, “How is the government going to pay for this?” This question is at the root of an underlying problem in Washington, D.C. and in the minds of of many Americans.

The problem that I see here is the mentality that accepts the premise that it is Washington’s money to give away. If you’re a taxpayer, you need to understand that IT’S YOUR MONEY they’re giving back to you. Washington’s NOT being generous, they’re just giving you a tax cut. Again, let me stress this: IT’S YOUR MONEY!

So, back to the question of how they are going to pay for this. They should do what we have to do when the price of everything is high and we have less left over for ourselves: cut back and spend less in the areas that are less important. These “discretionary” spending bills are much larger than they need to be anyway.

You may think that I am against paying any taxes. That’s not true. As Americans, I think it is our patriotic duty to work and make money and “pay our dues” (within reason).

So, what are the government’s responsibilities with that money? A few things come to mind: Large, state-of-the-art military, good, solid infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc.), well-equipped and well-paid law enforcement and firefighters/ emergency workers, producing currency, and staying out of our business. Here are a couple of examples where I think government should stop throwing away money and let the private sector handle problems.

1) Things like welfare programs could be administered more effectively by churches if they would step up and do so, but that’s the topic for another post. Since the “War on Poverty” began in the 1960’s, poverty has remained at virtually the same rate it was before the “War” began. Talk about a war that we’re bogged down in! 40+ years and no progress! Government handouts have encouraged a mentality that makes people believe that they are entitled to government taking care of them rather than self-determination and hard work. The clearest picture of this was the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Instead of getting out of there when they were told to do so, thousands stayed, waiting for the government to respond and get them out. By contrast, the coast of Mississippi experienced far less injury and death at the hand of this storm even though the damage was nearly as extensive. They took care of themselves like we all should.

2) Public education has been practically ruined by government, although there are still a lot of good teachers out there. But if education was privatized and competition introduced into the educational market, think of how much better our schools would be. Oh, and the kicker: competition would drive prices down. Then, the government could stop collecting the taxes that pay for schools and let you use that money yourself to choose the best school for your kid. Or if the government kept collecting the money, they could institute a voucher program and allow school choice. Our government needs to get their tentacles out of every aspect of society, handle the constitutionally mandated aspects of American life, and leave the other stuff to the private sector.

So, when you get your economic stimulus money, don’t think of it as the government giving you something that they have to pay for, rather look at your check and tell that money that it’s good to see it home again where it belongs in the first place! IT’S YOUR MONEY that would’ve been wasted by the government instead of you! Now get out there and buy stuff!