Policies

Many of you have written to me and have some questions, so I thought I would do a quick rundown of how I run things.

I read every email and reply as soon as possible. Sometimes that means I won't reply for a day or two, but I do get to them all.

Your privacy is of the utmost concern. I don't give out email addresses to anyone, and I don't keep your email address. Once I have emailed you a reply, I delete the old email. I have gotten a lot of hate mail as well, I reply to those as well and they fall under the same email policies. No one besides you and I will know your address unless permission is given by both of us.

I don't delete posts under 99% of the circumstances. If you want to debate my personal beliefs and call names and act like a 12 year old, I'm ok with that. However, threats, or any illegal activities will be deleted and if severe enough, reported to the authorities. For example: If you call me a prick and say I'm full of shit, that's fair game. If you threaten that you're going to harm another person or elected official, regardless of political party, I have the moral and legal obligation to report you to the authorities. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Debate is healthy. Your beliefs may not jive with my beliefs, and that's ok. That's what makes America the greatest nation on earth. We have the right to say what we want to who we want about and subject we want. My family has been in this country since almost the beginning. This country is my home and I will defend it and support it until the day I die. I don't expect everyone to understand my position, but know that I'm always looking out for the best interests of this country and ALL of it citizens.

This is my blog. I try to be as absolutely fair about things, but the bottom line is that I'm the one responsible for this blog, so if you don't agree with what I say or do, use your First Amendment rights and go somewhere else. I can't stand whiners and won't change who I am, what I say, or what I do to appease them.

I call it like I see it. I will call a coward a coward, so if it hurts your feelings that I say something, speak up. I won't care, or change my statements, but I will debate you on the reasons why I reach my position. I will also call out people on "my" side of things. If I see a Republican doing wrong, I will point it out. Corruption, stances on issues, etc, will be spoken about. I will talk about issues that might offend you or you consider taboo: Sex, Religion, Politics, and more are all fair game.

Privacy is out the window when you're an elected official...to a degree. As an elected official, you are a public citizen and thus, don't have as much privacy as your ordinary citizen. Therefore, I will talk about things that can influence your decision making process. The fact that you may be gay, wear women's clothing, or cheat on your wife, means squat to me. The fact that you snort cocaine means much much more.

Well I hope that clears up a lot of the questions that you all have about me and this blog. Of course, I'm probably missing some things that you may want to know about, so you may freely email me anytime you'd like and I'll gladly answer any questions or concerns that you may have.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Slow News Day

Man, it's been really slow today. Most of the attention is on the Iran nuclear issue and what the UN plans on doing about it. Will they toughen up and sanction Iran further? I'd love that, but the UN's track record says otherwise.

So I've been kicking around a few ideas to expand the site, but some of the things I come up with are out of my technical expertise. If any of you out there have some ideas of what you would like to see on this site, feel free to contact me.


Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Blair Doesn't Want Iranian Strikes

While it is always advisable to go through diplomatic channels, it's very difficult to ignore evidence that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, supporting terrorism, and supporting the insurgency in Iraq. What Prime Minister Blair fails to realize is that Britain and even the US don't have to do anything, just let Israel take care of it. They have one of the most advance weapons and intelligence gathering abilities in the world, so don't think they can't do it if need be.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

CNN Plays Catchup

I wonder if they read my earlier posts about the elect ability of either Obama or Clinton and how their swipes at one another is going to be fodder for Republicans. Nah, I'm probably just delusional again. :) But at least I'm not the only one that has noticed a trend of Democrats infighting about issues. So that begs the question: Do you really think Democrats are right for the Presidency when they have such a horrible track record on various issues?

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Sometimes You Have To Call Out Your Own

I find it very troubling and a bit shady that Texas Governor Perry and 8 other politicians each received $5,000 campaign donations from drug giant Merck just a few days before they all pushed for mandatory vaccinations with a drug that Merck makes. It might be completely legal, but it surely doesn't sound ethical. That's not to say that the drug doesn't work and that it shouldn't be on the list of things that girls might want to have, but something like this puts a dark cloud over the issue.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Finally

Finally a politician who doesn't back down when people get upset by comments he makes. Vice President Cheney has said that the Democrat's policy of pulling troops out of Iraq, it would "validate the strategy of Al-Qaeda". Democrats naturally became a bit whiny and got their feelings all hurt because they didn't like the truth. But Cheney came back with: "My statement was that if we adopt the Pelosi policy, is that we will validate the strategy of al Qaeda," Cheney said. "I said it, and I meant it."

No backpedaling, no "I was misquoted", none of the regular bullshit that you hear from politicians when someone gets their fragile feelings all hurt. It's quite refreshing to hear, especially when he fires back at people who compare him and Bush to Hitler.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Dirty Bomb Suspect - Incompetent?

Well of course he's going to claim that, there's a ton of evidence against him and he knows he's going to jail for a very long time. Plus, the doctor who examined him has one problem: During cross-examination, prosecutor John Shipley pointed to a test administered by Hegarty in which Padilla scored “zero” on the portions indicating post-traumatic stress disorder. Those segments involved questions about flashbacks, nightmares, depression and other symptoms.

“Nothing in this test supports your diagnosis at all, isn’t that correct?” Shipley asked.

“No,” Hegarty replied, noting that the test answers were only one component of her decision.

Seems like he's trying to weasel out of trouble if you ask me.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Iran Sped Up Enrichment

So the UN Nuclear group, the IAEA has stated the Iran not only has not stopped enrichment, they've sped it up. China and Russia are going to have a hell of a time trying to explain this away. Plus, the report is from the UN, not the US, so no one can claim bias. Keep painting Iran, the corner is right behind you.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Farrakhan To Make Last Speech

Oh just die in a fire already Farrakhan. This guy is a racist, homophobic man who is a perfect example as to what's wrong with Islam today. It's because of people like this that incorrectly stereotype Islam as radical and spew hate, while moderate Islamic folks have to feel the heat for this guy's remarks. So, please hurry up and die Farrakhan, you'll make the world a better place.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Blogger Jailed For Insulting Islam

If any of you out there think that we live in a police state, take a look at this and tell me we are. It's simply a matter of fact that Islamic states have draconian laws that are meant to not hurt the feelings of those in power and to suppress the truth.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

A World Without America

I didn't create it, but I agree with it. We've done more good in the world than most of the other world's countries combined. We give more aid, more medicine, more time, more defense to other countries than anyone else. Sure, it may sound like chest beating and others may resent us for it, but take a good hard look at the things we've done and tell me that any other country on earth would do the same if we weren't here. Russia? China? none of those countries would do what we do. China's fast becoming a major world economic power and what are they doing for foreign aid? Not nearly as much as we are. They aren't even doing as much as we are as a percentage of their GDP.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Democrats Got Their Feelings Hurt

So I guess they don't like it when people call it like it is. Vice President Dick Cheney, while agreeably not the most likable guy, stated: "I think if we were to do what Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Murtha are suggesting, all we will do is validate the al-Qaida strategy," the vice president told ABC News. "The al-Qaida strategy is to break the will of the American people ... try to persuade us to throw in the towel and come home, and then they win because we quit."

Of course Nancy Pelosi got her feelings all hurt and tried to contact Bush and complain. She was unsuccessful in reaching him. But this raises a more interesting point, does she have the right to be upset even though Cheney is telling the truth? Democrats have compared Bush to Hitler, slammed Republicans at every opportunity and yet, when some truth comes from Republicans, what do they do? They complain. You can't have it both ways Democrats, either you want "the truth" or you get the happy, sunshine version of events. The fact is that insurgents and Al-Qaeda want us to quit. They want to say "See, I told you that Americans were paper tigers. I told you that we can win."

As for Cheney's assertion that the partial British pullout is a sign that things are going well in Iraq, Pelosi said: "If it's going so well, we'd like to withdraw our troops as well." Well do we have soldiers in southern Iraq? The problem areas are Baghdad and a few outlying areas. Where there's no problems, there's no soldiers Nancy. Perhaps if you researched that and not told 1/2 truths Americans would trust Democrats more. There's a reason why Democrats have the reputation of being weak on terrorism and threats against the US.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

God Doesn't Like Pedophiles

And I can prove it. An 81 year old man is now facing child porn charges after a flood burst open his septic tank, revealing a plastic bag with tapes showing him involved in sex acts with children from decades ago. Sometimes you wonder if bad people ever get their comeuppance, now you know. :)

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Soldier Pleads Guilty

Paul E. Cortez has pleaded guilty to his role in the rape and murder of a 14 year old Iraqi girl and her family. Mr. Cortez has unfortunately brought shame and dishonor to his fellow soldiers and to his uniform. I say Mr. Cortez instead of Pfc. Cortez because he is being dishonorably discharged and does not deserve the title of any rank as a US soldier.

I'll be the first to defend a soldiers decision when it comes to taking a life. A split second is all you have to decide whether you want to fire upon a person. Sometimes you're right, sometimes you're wrong. When you're wrong, it can tear at your soul, but it's completely understandable when it's a "you or me" situation. The rape and murder of a civilian family is not something that can be "understood". Unfortunately, Mr. Cortez decided with some of his fellow soldiers that they would do such an act. They will pay for that act for the rest of their lives, even if they eventually get released from prison.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Insurgents Adapting

Apparently, the recent toxic gas explosion that killed 6 people wasn't the first, it was just the biggest body count. So is this what Murtha was talking about when he said that if we leave, the Iraqi's will have the insurgents gone "the minute we leave"? I'm willing to bet that we have guys already in chemical plants taking a look around to find those responsible, but it is an effective way to spread terror to civilians.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Iranian Sanctions Looming

Iran has really backed itself into a corner and made it's allies have to make choices that will drive a wedge between them. The IAEA report is coming out soon, and there's no doubt that it will detail that the Iranian's nuclear program can't be found to be confirmed fully peaceful. Tougher sanctions must result in the UN. Otherwise, what's the point? The Chinese and the Russians will look weak on the international stage if they decide that they don't want to back tougher sanctions.

Iran has fully admitted that they haven't stopped enrichment, which was one of the requirements for the tougher sanctions that everyone agreed to. So, stand up and be responsible and impose those sanctions.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

LA Times Outing CIA Operatives?

They do just about everything but name names. I would be very shocked if they weren't brought up on charges for this. For example:

In real life, the chief pilot is 52, drives a Toyota Previa minivan and keeps a collection of model trains in a glass display case near a large bubbling aquarium in his living room. Federal aviation records show he is rated to fly seven kinds of aircraft as long as he wears his glasses.

That narrows it down pretty significantly if you ask me. A simple search of the publicly available records will show you who this person is. Plus, what if the LA Times got this person wrong? They could be endangering the lives of 3 people and can get their butts royally sued for it. Is it another "Valerie Plame" case? Hard to say, but I will say that they are treading a very fine line that can lead to some serious criminal charges.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Al Franken And Homosexuals

Wow, get a load of this:

"It's not preppies, 'cause I'm a preppie myself. I just don't like homosexuals. If you ask me, they're all homosexuals in the Pudding. Hey, I was glad when that Pudding homosexual got killed in Philadelphia."
Mr. Franken, a 1973 graduate of Harvard, was referring to Harvard's Hasty Pudding theatrical club.
Those remarks were made back in 1976 when Mr. Franken, like former Virginia Republican Sen. George Allen and others, was a careless young man blurting insults that he now lives to regret.

We've all made stupid comments when we were younger, myself included. But if you plan on getting into public office, you'd better be much more squeaky clean then Franken. Plus, if hatred isn't in your heart, it doesn't matter what age you are, that hatred is there.


Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Budget Surplus In A Year?

So the Federal budget is doing so well and is revenue is so strong, were it to continue in this way, we would have a surplus within a year.

Already, the federal deficit is shrinking toward about half the size that it has averaged since 1970, when analyzed as a percentage of gross domestic product.

We're not out of the woods yet, but the Congressional Budget Office shows a surplus by the year 2012. Funny how you don't hear about that on the evening news. I wonder why?

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Obama: Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda

So now Barack is stating that, even without the evidence that the Senate had in front of it at the time, if he had been in the Senate, "I think I would have voted no.”

Of course he would have said no. That's what's popular right now. Of course he would have said no, he doesn't want to go to war with anyone, regardless of who it is, unless we're sitting in a pile of rubble. This statement lets you peer into his thought process on what it takes to secure this nation against threats, and he's failed miserably at that test.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Obama Shoots Back

Now the real fireworks can begin. Edwards, Clinton and Obama are all going to rip each other apart and I'm willing to bet that Rudy Guiliani will easily win in 08 if he decides to run. From the article: "We aren’t going to get in the middle of a disagreement between the Clintons and someone who was once one of their biggest supporters. It is ironic that the Clintons had no problem with David Geffen when was raising them $18 million and sleeping at their invitation in the Lincoln bedroom. It is also ironic that Senator Clinton lavished praise on Monday and is fully willing to accept today the support of South Carolina State Sen. Robert Ford, who said if Barack Obama were to win the nomination, he would drag down the rest of the Democratic Party because ’he's black.’"

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Stand Your Ground

I can't believe that a law like this even needs to be put into place, especially in Texas. But it basically states if you feel threatened, you have the right to shoot first without having to retreat. What bothers me is that it is still theoretically possible for you to shoot someone legally, and then be arrested, searched, and then have the charges dropped eventually when it's found you were in the legal right. Now you have to deal with attorney fees, putting your things back after the police have confiscated them and more.

But this is Texas. Everyone has a gun. There shouldn't need to be a second thought on if someone shoots another legally. Yes, there are going to be cases where the question of legality comes into play, but once it's found out that you did it right, then you should be free to go, attorney fee's waived, and your guns returned to you if they were confiscated right away.

You notice we don't have as much trouble anymore on airlines? People know that there's an armed air marshall on the flight somewhere. Criminals don't like hard targets. They often will think twice if they know that someone in the room has a gun and will shoot back.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

More Iranian Hot Air

Can any of these guys be trusted at all? First off, this unnamed official states that Iran doesn't want conflict and that they are offering: "is an Iranian pledge to refine uranium no higher than the 4-5 percent level, well below the 80 percent threshold needed for nuclear bombs."

What's to prevent them from ramping up the refinement process once world attention goes away? Why not use the equipment that can only be used for peaceful purposes? Why not have enrichment done in a neutral country so it can't be refined further? Why the talk of "showing of strength"?

You can't make a statement like "We do not want to have to prove that we are strong. Our nuclear program is not to show the U.S. we are strong. It is because of our previous centuries of threats and invasions," and honestly expect us to believe that you're only wanting electricity. It's bullshit and everyone knows it.

You want to be "natural allies"? Here's a small bullet list of things that need to happen, on our side and yours. First up, your side:

Stop support of terrorist organizations, including Hamas, Hizbollah, and others.

Stop supporting insurgents in Iraq.

Stop uranium enrichment at your nuclear plants and allow enrichment at an agreed upon neutral third countries location.

Stop naval exercises bent on provoking a military response.

Hand over all Al-Qaeda suspects currently in custody

Share intelligence on where Al-Qaeda suspects might be.

Stop the almost daily "Death To America" chants in mosques.

Stop teaching that children should be strapped with bombs and sent off into bakeries.

Stop teaching hate towards any group.

I'm sure I'm missing a few items, but those are the biggies.

Out list:

Support a true peace agreement with Israel and the Palestinians.

Tone down rhetoric about Iran.

Hand over any suspected militants bent against Iran (if any)

Open trade and normal relations

I'm sure there's more demands that Iran has, but until Iran stops those main arguments, they will always be looking over their shoulders wondering what we or the Israeli's might do.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

The Left And Wars

While this story is about the Italian Prime Minister resigning, the very last comment paints a perfect portrait about those on the left and how they feel about war, any war, regardless of circumstances. But one leftist senator announced he would resign rather than vote for D'Alema's motion. "I am against the war in Afghanistan"

Nevermind the war in Afghanistan began when we were attacked first. Nevermind that it started because the Taliban wouldn't hand over Osama Bin Laden. Nevermind we had 3,000 people dead. It's this guy's personal beliefs that war is never justified, regardless of what happens. But he'll be the first to cry out for our help if someone else comes knocking on his door.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Some British Troops Coming Home

Of course, this will get politicized. Ted Kennedy is the first to seize upon this bit of news, but he fails to mention the fact that there's no real problems in southern Iraq, so there's no reason why the Iraqi's can't take over that section of the country and for British troops to start coming home. But of course, you come to expect that kind of behavior from Democrats don't you?

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Let The Backtracking Begin

Oh how I love it when politicians start to backtrack on words they've said. Now John Edwards is backtracking on his recent comment of Israel bombing Iran is the biggest short term threat to world peace. Now he's stating, through his spokesman that the article was wrong and that Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon is the greatest threat.

This is classic "what he's really thinking". He said what he meant in the beginning and now with the minor backlash and the fierce competition that he's facing with other Democrats, they are now in damage control. Can you really trust what this guy can do for the country when it comes to threats, especially ones in the Middle East? Israel is our fiercest ally, and they are smack dab in the middle of people who hate us, so guess what might be a good idea John? How about not calling them the greatest short term threat to peace when they have every right to defend themselves from a nutjob trying to acquire nuclear weapons and has made direct threats?? Idiot.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Mt. Hood Climbers Don't Want To Be Responsible

I can't even believe this is really an issue. If you go mountain climbing, the responsible thing to do would be to carry an electronic beacon. There are actually people opposed to this. You can rent a GPS unit at the base of the mountain for less then $10. $10 and a cell call could have you extracted from trouble in only a few hours. This can and will save lives and money so that rescuers aren't combing over a rough terrain looking for you.

So if people are opposed to it, I have a solution: pay for the costs of your rescue. That would sober a lot of people up real quick. Rescues easily cost upwards of $50,000 or more. You have people's wages, helicopter maintenance, fuel, and other equipment and related costs. Simply have a law that states: if you're going mountain climbing, you must carry a GPS or electronic beacon. If you don't, you'll be required to pay for the rescue efforts. Simple as that.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com