Right Wing Lunatic

Medicare has announced that it will no longer pay for mistakes that hospitals make. What I can't believe is they actually have been doing that. If a hospital makes a mistake, they need to eat that cost. This will save Medicare TONS of money and make hospitals more careful about their care.

Why should you and I foot the bill for a screwup that a medically trained doctor or nurse make? Now if Medicare can get a bit more efficient, we can start seeing REAL savings. But at $408 billion in expenses in 2006, it's second only to national defense in terms of spending. Cut those overhead costs and streamline things without sacrificing care, and you'll see this country crawl out from underneath our mounting debt.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

The FISA court has ordered the Bush Administration to let the ACLU know the scope and range of the secret wiretapping program that the NSA and other agencies are currently doing.

I'd write more, but I'm on my way to my God daughter's 3rd birthday party. Enjoy the article!

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Good lord, people sure are whiners. So, in my neck of the woods (Pacific Northwest), everyone has been touting clean, renewable energy like solar and wind power. Well, so now there's a project going on about putting wind turbines in the Columbia Gorge, which has one of the highest winds in the region and where windsurfers come from all over the world.

But of course, there are land owners who are crying about the towers and how they'll obstruct their precious views and be "eyesores" and other such nonsense.

Let me explain something here people: If you don't own the land, you don't have the right to complain. If Wal-Mart bought up every piece of property around my house and put in a gigantic store, I have no room to complain because it's not my property, therefore I have no right to have a say in the matter.

I just can't believe that you would get away with this kind of whining in any other country. Do you think that Russia would listen to people if they whined on about their view being obstructed?

And what about renewable, clean energy? Well if you want it, you have to strategically put it somewhere. The Columbia River Gorge is a perfect place for wind turbines as it gets wind almost all year round. In other parts of my state, solar would work very well. But you can't have scenic views of a windy place and complain about not having renewable resources. You get one or the other, but not both.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Wow, you'd think that after Americans got a good hard whiff of what Democrats mean by "cleaning up Washington", that Democrats wouldn't make this promise so soon after the 2006 elections.

But Barack Obama is saying that he'll "clean up Washington".

Democrat Barack Obama, who says he swims in "the same muddy water" of lobbyists and fundraising that corrupts Washington, is pledging to reform the system if elected president.

Presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton "doesn't recognize the problem," Obama told The Associated Press in an interview late Thursday.

"I have a bunch of friends who were state lobbyists. The fact of the matter is ... I played poker with them, so I don't think that lobbyists are evil," said the first-term Illinois senator. "I just think they've got an agenda and you got to be clear about that, and not pretend that they don't."

"Why else are they getting hired and making all this money unless they're actually getting something done?"

Hmm...Sounds awfully familiar. I think we all remember Nancy Pelosi saying that if elected, she'd run the "most honest and open Congress in history", and how a lot of Democrats were going to "get rid of the culture of corruption".

But yet, here we are almost a year later and you have Nancy asking for special privileges for her family, hundreds of earmarks for pet projects from John Murtha, bribery scandals with William Jefferson, PROMOTION of Jefferson by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid undermining American troop morale, etc.

I mean come on, who's going to buy into this line of bullshit when the American people have been suckered by Democrats over and over again?

If Republican leaders were smart, they'd offer President Bush line item veto power bill to go through Congress so he could veto earmarks without interfering with larger spending bills. That would allow the country to get slowly out of debt and by the time the election rolls around, you would have significantly lower debt, which could be used as an election point.

What I'm willing to bet is, Obama will put together some kind of dog and pony show that will be filled with loopholes that Congress and Obama can readily exploit. They've already done it with the "lobbyist reform" bill that went through recently. Now instead of taking a Senator out for dinner and calling it lobbying, which is illegal now, they call it a "campaign contribution" which IS legal.

They are still doing business as usual, just calling it a different name.

The only thing Obama is running on is that he was against the war from the start, (but didn't vote on it), charisma, and an air of honesty. However, dig a bit deeper and I'll bet you'll find dishonesty in him and you can't be President on charisma alone.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Oooohh. Poor babies! Don't pick on innocent Iranian Revolutionary Guards. They are just peaceful people minding their own business and big, bad America is picking on them!

Well if you don't want that kind of attention, don't arm and train insurgents who are targeting American troops. You don't want a fight? Don't start one.

"Americans should know that in this field, as with nuclear energy, they are dealing with the whole nation. And the great nation of Iran will never abandon its revolutionary people," Ahmad Khatami told worshippers at Friday prayers in Tehran.

"Americans should know that if they act madly in this regard, they would be entering a swamp they won't be able to get out of," the conservative cleric said in a speech that was broadcast live on the radio.

Khatami is a member of the Assembly of Experts, an influential clerical body which has the power to appoint or dismiss Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

So the guy is pretty high up in the Iranian hierarchy of power, but that doesn't mean we're backing down. You pick a fight, we're going to fight back. Simple as that. Maybe if Russia and China were a bit more cooperative over their nuclear program, we wouldn't be seeing this emboldened Iran pushing buttons.

So we could always offer the Chechnyan's a nuclear power plant and watch Russia shit themselves. We could always pipe propaganda into China and watch their population, which is already pissed about a lot of things, get all uppity. It's really about working together. If Russia and China don't want to help with our problems, maybe we should exacerbate theirs.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

When you arrest a protester who's not doing anything other than expressing their Freedom of Speech, you're going to have to pay for it. Well the FBI just has been told to cut an $80,000 check to people arrested who were wearing anti-Bush shirts.

You see folks, that's how it's supposed to work. If you're wronged, you sue and get damages so it doesn't happen again. You don't go on and on about how America is doomed and other such nonsense. You don't blame this on Bush or any other politician, you blame the arresting officer, who gets his/her knuckles rapped for it, and you move on.

Simple, direct, to the point. It's called being an adult. You don't blame others who didn't cause your problem. You blame the one who did.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

It would be one thing if they were any other country, but because China has over 1.5 billion people, problems are exponentially worse. This included pollution. China is trying to get pollution down before the Olympics next year and I don't think they're actually going to make it happen.

With the money flowing, people need to get to around town and cars are usually the only way to go. With China already sucking down the oil as fast as it can get it, you'll start seeing a major health crisis in China in the coming years. People will start having all sorts of heart and lung problems and there won't be a lot that China can do about it simply because they have too many people.

Sure, we have our own pollution problems here in America, but you only see the problem in very populated places like Los Angeles. With China, the problem is much, much larger.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Sounds like dictator to me. Of course Chavez wants to give the illusion of elections, so he's proposing 7 year terms and indefinite reelections.

What that means is that either he can rig the elections or with 7 year terms, he has a bunch of time to turn around a problem before election. Because he's spending the countries money on socialist programs, he's trying consolidate power and basically buy or intimidate his way into solidifying his power.

Either way, you can bash America all you want, but we don't have idiots like this trying to make themselves leader forever.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

So, after Democrats have said that they will wait for General Petraeus' report in September, you're already seeing them start to dismiss his report and subsequent testimony because they know he's going to give a roughly positive outlook on Iraq.

The same can be said for Keith Olbermann. His blatant bias against the war in Iraq is astounding. Granted, the eventual report will be written by the White House, which does lead to credibility issues, however, General Petraeus has already publicly stated that the surge in Iraq is working and they are making incredible progress.

He has also warned that a quick withdrawal, one that Democrats have been fighting for, would undermine and even reverse progress that has been made so far.

However, you don't see Olbermann saying that. You see him bring on someone who says things like "Democrats are in a good spot right now" and "in the upcoming election, if you want change, vote Democrat". Which is what we all know is bullshit because if they can't make change happen with a majority in both parts of Congress, how the hell do you think they're going to make change happen in future elections.

Democrats already have a well earned reputation for cowardice in the face of threats against this nation, so do you think they're going to take the threat of Al-Qaeda in Iraq seriously? Of course not, they'll let that threat fester until we see it explode on the front page of the news one day just like Clinton did in the 90's.

Olbermann's "expert" on the show also talks about "this little routine in September" that Democrats will have to face. "This little routine"? This is war people, it's not a "routine". The report and testimony from General Petraeus is going to give us a front row seat into what's really going on in Iraq.

With General Petraeus literally writing the counterinsurgency handbook, he has incredible credibility. Numerous Democrats have said they will wait until September for Petraeus' report, and now you have hacks like Olbermann undermining the credibility of a General who's dedicated his life to defending this country. Do you really think he's going to say things are all peachy if they aren't just to please a boss who's going to be out within a year and a half? If you do, you're an idiot. No one's going to risk their military career to please someone for a year and a half.

With General Petraeus saying that the surge is working, however, we should bring down the number of troops, I tend to believe his assessment because he's an expert on the subject and is in the field seeing what progress is being made and what isn't.

For Olbermann to call it "politicized and whitewashed" is a slap in the face to a General who's most likely going to tell Democrats that their view on the war is wrong and that their plan to remove troops immediately is not only wrong, but will jeopardize the progress that's been made so far.

The problem that Democrats really face is that things in Iraq are starting to take hold. If Iraq gets on it's feet, starts having regular elections, and becomes a free nation, that would prove George W. Bush right and that's something that Democrats want to stop at all costs.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

If he can't keep a grip on power, and he allows anti-US elements to take over, he very well may have a very LARGE US problem. We certainly aren't going to allow Taliban/anti-US elements to control a nuclear weapons cache and we certainly aren't going to keep working with Pakistan if they stop working with us in finding Bin Laden. (which they are already doing a piss poor job of)


Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Well I'll be damned. Just when you think European countries don't have any backbone to call a spade a spade when they see one, Poland has come out against the UN conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because they see it for what it is: Anti-Israeli bias.

"I will not take part in this conference. I saw the materials prepared by the organizers," Bronisław Geremek, a Polish MEP, was quoted by Polish website, Europa21 as saying.

"Although there is no official statement that Israel must be pushed down to the sea there, the choice of subjects and the attitude towards the problems shows that it will be a biased, conflict generating conference. Actually we can call it anti-Israeli," he said. "There is not the first such initiative. (The) Pro-Palestinian lobby is very active here. If in fact, the conference will become propagandist, Israelis can count on Poles," Boguslaw Sonik, another Polish MEP, said.

Most times, you see European countries as these sissy types who just bash America, but beg for our help once they get into trouble, but Poland must be applauded for showing that they aren't going to be sucked into the bandwagon of bashing Israel.

Once people stop taking sides and actually delve into the problems that both sides face and work out something fair, THEN you'll see real progress. Until then, you'll just see tit for tat business as usual.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

After a meeting that went extremely well, North Korea is now working with all other nations in dealing with the details over dismantling their nuclear weapons program.

This was one of Democrats key arguments over Iraq: Why aren't we doing anything about North Korea? Well that key argument has now been settled without having to fire a shot or get anyone hurt or killed. Now if Democrats would get on board about Iran, we'll finally start seeing some real progress.

Unfortunately, most Democrats seem to think Iran is this simple innocent country who's not doing anything against the US. Once they start either seeing the evidence or get their heads out of their asses, (however unlikely), then the real progress against Iran can begin.

No one wants to go to war with Iran, but you simply can't ignore them taking pot shots at our soldiers and developing nuclear weapons, all the while supporting terrorist organizations. Remember when Bush said that he wouldn't differentiate between terrorist organizations and countries that sponsored them? Well here's a perfect time to keep that promise.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Take a gander at this:

MSNBC Newsroom Booed Bush State of the Union

This just after another news story about a Seattle station who had to be reprimanded for sharing their political beliefs (left wing as well).

So don't think for a minute that that bias doesn't sneak into their reporting.

Perfect example: The surge in Iraq is working and working very well. Have we heard much about it? No. Why? Liberal bias. If the surge wasn't working and the violence actually escalated, you can bet that would be all over the front page of CNN.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Well if Wall Street is going down (although it was only down 15 points today), Oil prices should come along with it. This actually is a good thing for gasoline customers as well as OPEC. I'll explain.

Lower gas/heating oil prices mean obviously saved money to you and I. However, how does OPEC and other oil exporters benefit?

They benefit because cheap oil means we won't be looking into alternative energy as much. If I was paying $1.80 a gallon like I was just a few short years ago, I certainly wouldn't be looking hard at the plug in Prius or the Chevy Volt.

That means that OPEC and other oil producing countries won't be dealing with a severe lack of demand in the near future. Keep gas prices at $2.65 and higher (which is where it is in my area right now) and I start contact auto manufacturers asking when plug in hybrids will become available.

Because of the high cost of gas, alternative energy becomes more and more attractive, even cheaper then oil. Would you rather pay the additional $10-$20 a month in electricity, or would you rather spend an additional $40-$50 a month in gas? The best part is, is that you can purchase a few solar panels to offset the extra cost of electricity. The added bonus is that it's better for the environment.

So if OPEC were smart (which it doesn't appear that they are), they'd work as hard as possible to keep energy costs to rock bottom prices. Because they are trying to bleed everyone for every penny they have, they are only pushing customers further and further away.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

A small South Carolina parts supplier collected about $20.5 million over six years from the Pentagon for fraudulent shipping costs, including $998,798 for sending two 19-cent washers to a Texas base, U.S. officials said.

The company also billed and was paid $455,009 to ship three machine screws costing $1.31 each to Marines in Habbaniyah, Iraq, and $293,451 to ship an 89-cent split washer to Patrick Air Force Base in Cape Canaveral, Florida, Pentagon records show.

The owners of C&D Distributors in Lexington, South Carolina -- twin sisters -- exploited a flaw in an automated Defense Department purchasing system: bills for shipping to combat areas or U.S. bases that were labeled ``priority'' were usually paid automatically, said Cynthia Stroot, a Pentagon investigator.

Take a good hard look at the above problem. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were spend on washers that you could pick up at Home Depot for 19 cents each. Is absolutely NO ONE paying attention at the Pentagon purchasing department?

Normally, I have absolutely no problem when the Pentagon asks for additional funds. Defending this country costs a lot of money in equipment, men, and training. But for such a blatant abuse to go unnoticed for 6 years and $20 million lost, leads me to believe that the Pentagon needs to revamp their purchasing department immediately to correct such blatant abuse.

That's $20 million dollars folks. That's enough to fund a new (smaller), bridge, new technology, or simply as a tax break to the public. There were two sisters who ran this company, and one has since died, but the other one deserves to have absolutely everything stripped from her: House, cars, bank accounts, even clothing. Such blatant fraud against the American taxpayer deserves strict jail time (she faces 20 years on each count) and I sincerely think we won't see much in return of that lost $20 million.

I've been screaming about cutting the fat from government services and sadly, it appears that the Pentagon needs to be looked into.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

On all counts. :) They face life in prison when being sentenced. I told you it was difficult to get around the evidence of an Al-Qaeda "job application".

Personally, I'd like to see the death penalty for a case like this. Had he not been caught, he could have easily gone on with his plans and murdered Americans. But alas, those are the rules, so he's going to live life in prison.

As a bright note, prison guards are pretty good at not giving a shit about prisoners whining, so you can expect Padilla to live in misery until he dies.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

The verdict will be read at 2pm Miami time, so we should know more within a few minutes. Stay tuned! My bet is guilty on all counts and life sentence. But I've seen retarded juries before....

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Holy crap on a stick! I would LOVE to hear another candidate speak so tough against terrorists. Check this out:

Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said he opposes creation of a Palestinian state at this time and would take a tough stand with Iran, including destroying its nuclear infrastructure “should all else fail.”

In addition, U.S. allies in the region such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have been pressing the United States to take a more active role in bringing about a settlement.

“It is not in the interest of the United States, at a time when it is being threatened by Islamist terrorists, to assist the creation of another state that will support terrorism,” the former New York City mayor said.

“Palestinian statehood will have to be earned through sustained good governance, a clear commitment to fighting terrorism, and a willingness to live in peace with Israel,” Giuliani said. “America’s commitment to Israel’s security is a permanent feature of our foreign policy.”

Simple, direct, and to the point. It's a big "fuck you" to Iran and Palestinians all rolled into one. And, quite frankly, he's right. Palestinians elected a known terrorist group as their government, and we're supposed to just sit back and take it to the chin? Apparently, that's not going to happy on Rudy's watch.

Of course, that may change if/when he's elected, but it's nice to see a candidate speak so....candidly over touchy issues. Because let's face it, if Palestinians are willing to blow themselves up, teach their children that Israeli's deserve to die, and they elect known terrorist groups as their government, why should be be a part of that? Why should we deal with people who make threats? I say let them starve it out. They don't need our foreign aid. They don't need our help in brokering a peace agreement. Let them know what it's like to deal with terrorists. Once they are broke, hungry, and homeless, then they'll find out how nice it is to be friendly to the US and Israel.

As for Iran....well...they'd better hope that Rudy doesn't get elected. Otherwise they might find themselves on the end of an old fashioned covert undermining.

However, with many firefighter organizations going against Rudy, I am concerned that if he did get elected, whether or not he'd follow through with it. Maybe 9/11 changed that for him, maybe not, but I'll bet anyone my bottom dollar that you'd NEVER hear that kind of talk from Hillary, Barack, or Edwards.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

The top American commander in Iraq said Wednesday he was preparing recommendations on troop cuts before he returns to Washington next month for a report to Congress, and believes the U.S. footprint in Iraq will have to be "a good bit smaller" by next summer.

Since this guy is the one running the show and he's also literally written the book on counterinsurgency, I'm trusting him completely at his word.

But he cautioned against a quick or significant U.S. withdrawal that could surrender "the gains we have fought so hard to achieve."

Makes perfect sense to me.

Petraeus said the shift in loyalty among many Sunni insurgents in Iraq's western Anbar province, Baghdad's Amariyah district and a similar hotspot in the city called Ghazaliyah was "a pretty big deal."

"You have to pinch yourself a little to make sure that is real because that is a very significant development in this kind of operation in counterinsurgency," he said. "It's all about the local people. When all the sudden the local people are on the side of the new Iraq instead of on the side of the insurgents or even al-Qaida, that's a very significant change."

What he's saying is that progress is being made (regardless of what Pelosi and Reid tell you) and to pull out too much too quickly would be to make sacrifices and gains in vain. He's also telling you that the Iraqi public is starting to turn their backs on Al-Qaeda and other insurgents because they are getting a taste of what life with them would be like.

It's important to listen to what this guy has to say as he's probably the best expert on what's going on and what to do about it in Iraq. If Petraeus says less troops, I imagine he's got a pretty good reason for it.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

So now Hillary wants to tell everyone that they are "invisible" to the government.

"If you're a family that is struggling and you don't have health care, you are invisible to this president. If you're a single mom trying to find affordable child care so you can go to work, you're invisible too."

Unfortunately, that's a bunch of bullshit and she knows it. It's a classic tactic of Hillary's: tell people that they are nothing, but to her, they are everything. Of course, once the White House told her she was full of shit, she replied:

"Apparently I've struck a nerve, the White House just attacked me a few minutes ago," she said. "Not only have I said it and am saying it, I will keep saying it because I happen to believe it."

Well if you believe it Hillary, you're an idiot. This is nothing more then a cheap PR stunt to help cement her lead over Barack Obama and gain support from on the fence voters. It's like I've said before: She'll say whatever she wants to gain power.

Let me ask you this Hillary, when you were in the White House as First Lady or as Congresswoman of New York, what have you done to remedy these problems? Why are your records of when you were in the White House not being released until after the election? Why not allow all the documents to be released without redaction? If you have done nothing to remedy these problems while you were in office, why should you get a promotion to President when you've shown you can't even be trusted to solve these problems when you are in Congress?

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Come on guys, win one for the ol' Gipper ! Hundreds of U.S. and Afghan soldiers have embarked on a major operation against militants in the eastern Afghan region of Tora Bora, near the border with Pakistan, officials have told CNN.

Air and ground strikes underway in the remote mountain region are aimed at large numbers of militant fighters.

The troops are targeting "hundreds of hardened al Qaeda and Taliban in dug-in positions," said officials familiar with the intelligence.

Sounds like they may be protecting something or someone valuable? One can only hope, as it would mean likely capture or kill of that person or thing. Our military guys don't mess around. :) What I'd really like to see is an offensive without borders, meaning if they try to sneak over into Pakistan, we follow and capture or kill them.

Travis

travis@rightwinglunatic.com

This has all sorts of implications, most of which needed to be addressed anyways.

The Bush administration has chosen to move against the Revolutionary Guard Corps because of what U.S. officials have described as its growing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for extremists throughout the Middle East, the sources said. The decision follows congressional pressure on the administration to toughen its stance against Tehran, as well as U.S. frustration with the ineffectiveness of U.N. resolutions against Iran's nuclear program, officials said.

The designation of the Revolutionary Guard will be made under Executive Order 13224, which President Bush signed two weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to obstruct terrorist funding. It authorizes the United States to identify individuals, businesses, charities and extremist groups engaged in terrorist activities. The Revolutionary Guard would be the first national military branch included on the list, U.S. officials said -- a highly unusual move because it is part of a government, rather than a typical non-state terrorist organization.

The order allows the United States to block the assets of terrorists and to disrupt operations by foreign businesses that "provide support, services or assistance to, or otherwise associate with, terrorists."

That means we can start making life a bit more difficult for companies that do business with Iran's military unit. How long do we keep getting undermined and shot at by weapons provided by these people before we actually do something about it?

What's worse is that liberals seem to think that we're picking a fight with a completely innocent country here. But tell that to the family of a soldier who was murdered by an insurgent with a very expensive sniper rifle that was purchased by the Iranian government less than 45 days after it was purchased.

Iran's starting to get a bit too big for it's britches and if it continues, they will find out shortly what it means to take on the American military. Hell, if they continue with their nuclear program, they will find out just how ruthless the Israeli's can be.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

You know you're in trouble when the defense attorney says that the case against you was based off of "fear of Islam". It's the exact same thing that other defense attorneys say when they are defending Mafia folks and other major criminals.

What they DON'T tell you is that there's an "Al-Qaeda job application" filled out by Padilla. Tell me THAT'S fear of Islam. It's difficult to defend someone who's so blatantly guilty. I can imagine what Bruce Cutler must think when he tries to defend Mafia bosses who are on mountains of tape talking about murders and other crimes. I've seen him tell a jury that it's all because the defendants were Italian, which was a load of crap that the jury luckily didn't buy.

My bet? I'm betting that all of them get found guilty and are given life sentences.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

I think Barack is pretty close when he says: "China is rising and it's not going away," said the senator from Illinois. "They're neither our enemy nor our friend. They're competitors."

However, I tend to disagree with they aren't an enemy. An enemy is one who spies on you, tries to undermine you at every turn, smiles at you when they are sticking a knife in your back, and basically does whatever it takes to make sure they are better then you.

Just take a look at some of China's past actions: Titan Rain, threatening to undermine our economy, actively keeping their currency artificially low, espionage against our military computer systems, actively stalking our Navy boats, the list goes on and one. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that China isn't exactly high on my list of supportive nations.

With the very latest Chinese made goods being recalled and people starting to realize that China cuts corners that effects quality, sooner or later, you'll see a trade embargo or a public backlash against Chinese made goods before you'll see them actually make decent items. If that comes to be, you'll see a mass exodus from China by foreign manufacturers to other countries.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Seems like a bit of a coincidence doesn't it? It certainly reeks of some kind of underhanded tactics to get at her real thoughts on issues while she was the first lady. You can bet the farm that if a Republican had done this, it would be all over the front page of CNN. I personally don't see a problem with releasing the records as is, however, there's a law that blocks such a blanket release.

If Hillary wants to run on her vast experience, then ask for the release of all the records as soon as possible. If you want to run on openness and honesty, the first person you need to start with is yourself.

"We're processing as fast as we can," Melissa Walker said.

Not fast enough, in the view of some who have been waiting. A conservative watchdog group called Judicial Watch filed suit against the National Archives last month, demanding the release of Hillary Clinton's diaries, telephone logs, daily planners and schedules. In the 1990s, the group filed suits against the Clinton administration that led to revelations about fundraising practices, including Democratic campaign donors being tapped for official trade missions. In the most recent suit, Judicial Watch said it had submitted its request more than a year ago and had received nothing, save for confirmation that the library possessed "a substantial volume" of such papers.

Seems to me that is one hell of a coincidence.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Now this is a fun idea. An annual RINO awards for Republicans In Name Only. Basically people who say they are Republicans, but don't support core beliefs like reduced spending, lesser government, lower taxes, etc. A good example for that would be Rudy Guiliani.

I know I've been called a RINO, (and much worse), for my stances on abortion and gay marriage, so it wouldn't surprise me a bit if I found my name on that list sooner or later. :)

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

See, now when I start to say nice things about CNN, they come out with crap like this. They give tips to people on how to answer kids' questions about touchy subjects like sex, pregnancy, death and more. Here's a hint, how about you simply tell the child the truth? You don't have to be graphic, but you can tell a child about where a baby came from and how the baby will be born.

If you sidestep an issue or question, you're only delaying that child from learning the truth about how things work. Now, if you can get away with giving JUST the basics, then by all means go for it. But sooner or later, that child is going to want to know specifics and you won't be ready for it.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

I think we all remember when I posted about giving illegal immigrants citizenship if they join the military and are honorably discharged.

Well now it appears that months later, CNN's opinion guy Ruben Navarrette now seems to think so and has written an article about it.

Now only if they will start mirroring my other opinions about issues like Russia, China, Iran's nuclear program, the poor financial situation of the US, and others, CNN might turn into a respectable news organization.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

She's fast becoming the "Theresa Heinz" of this Presidential election. She's becoming very mouthy, annoying, and saying things that will turn other people off. For example: "We can't make John black, we can't make him a woman. Those things get you a lot of press, worth a certain amount of fundraising dollars."

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic candidate John Edwards, lambastes his rival Barack Obama as "holier than thou" on the Iraq war and accuses Hillary Clinton of failing to show leadership on health care and Iraq.

While those things are true, those words should be coming from John Edwards, not his wife. It makes it appear that John is merely eye candy and that he's pussy whipped if he can't say these things, but his wife can.

Would you guys have listen to my points of view if they came constantly from my wife? No, of course not, you'd openly wonder why I claimed this site as my own if she was the one posting all the time. Elizabeth Edwards, if she doesn't tone it down, is going to be a reason why John Edwards' campaign loses.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Is anyone really surprised here?

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., has introduced federal legislation that would make it easier for states to extend benefits to people up to 21 years old, and would provide some matching money from the federal government. But her legislation, introduced in May, has so far attracted just one other co-sponsor.

Anthony Pico qualifies as an expert on foster care after spending 18 years in California's program. And he says it's far from perfect.

But staying in the system and receiving financial help as long as possible would be much better than being cast adrift, said Pico, who took part in a broad discussion of foster care at a meeting of the American Bar Association.

"I'm an adult, but I don't want to move out. I don't want to start paying rent. If I stay in until I'm 19 or 20, I'll be more stable and maybe I won't repeat the cycle," Pico explained at a weekend session of foster care experts and advocates at the ABA conference.

And California actually wonders out loud why their state is under crippling debt. The guy is 18 years old. He can go to college, work a part time job, join the military, or do any number of other things that millions of youngsters have done over the course of the history of this nation. He can legally buy a rifle, buy cigarettes, drive, hold a job, and more, so there's not a reason in the world why the state of California has to shell out another penny towards him.

He doesn't want to pay rent? Well neither did I genius! But who's to say that this lazy bastard won't say the same thing when he's 19 or 20? He might come back with at you with "well I'm not quite stable yet, can you pay for me until I'm 21 or 22 or 23"? At what point do you cut him off and say "no!" I worked a shitty part time job while I went to college. I didn't have enough money for a car, so I got a monthly bus pass and it took me 2 hours to get to school one way.

So there's no reason on Earth why this guy can't do the same. The simple thing is that he's lazy, has no drive, nothing inside of him as a man to get out in the real world and stand on his own two feet.

And who's to say he'll "repeat the cycle" since he was in foster care? He's trying to play on bleeding heart liberals who say "aww, you poor boy, let me take care of you and we'll make the money magically appear while you play xbox in your mom's basement". What they SHOULD be doing is kicking him in the ass and telling him to get a job because the money isn't coming in anymore. ALL foster kids who get a check know that it gets cut off at 18, and he's no different.

What's wrong with him joining the military? He'll get free food, medical care, a place to live, and a paycheck.

What's wrong with him actually getting a job? We've all had first jobs that were really horrible, that paid next to nothing, that made us hate every moment of it, but the REAL men and women out there sucked it up and worked harder to promote themselves into better jobs. Whiners and the lazy just want a paycheck to come in without actually earning it.

Even Barbara Boxer is having a tough time getting people to sign onto her bill because everyone knows that at 18, you'd better have a job, be in college, or be prepared to join the military. I don't know about you, but I'm sick and tired of paying more in taxes then a lot of people earn in a year to have it then go towards someone who "just doesn't want to pay rent". I want this country to get back to financial independence. I want us to no longer be in debt to other nations who threaten to tank our economy. I want us to be able to loan money to other nations and have THEM be indebted to us rather than the other way around.

Programs like this will continue to suck the financial life out of this country and you can bet your ass that it'll be the first thing to go if we face a financial crisis.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

Man, liberals heads must be exploding right now. Karl Rove, arguably the one person responsible for the outcome of the 2004 Presidential elections, has announced that he will resign at the end of the month.

When asked for his reaction to those who say he's being "run out of town," Rove responded, "That sounds like the rooster claiming to have called up the sun."

True, he may have been "run out of town", but he's certainly not going to admit that to anyone. It could also be that he's simply burned out of the job. It's a high pressure job and there aren't any upcoming elections that he can be a key part of, so why stick around? That being said, personally I would have stuck around until the next President was elected, even if I was burned out, just to piss of the Democrats.

But that's just me being vindictive.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

A lot of Republicans liked Thompson's stance on many issues, but he simply isn't as popular as Mitt Romney and Rudy Guiliani, and he's bowing out now.

You can find out all about Tommy's stance on various issues here.

Sometimes it's easy to see that you have zero chance of winning and it's best to bow out and count your losses rather than slug it out and hope for a distant placing in the runnings.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

You all must buy the new Kayne West album. 50 Cent has said that if Kayne West outsells his new album, he'll quit making solo albums. Oh God, if you love me, make Kayne sell more albums in the first day then Michael Jackson's Thriller sold over it's lifetime!

Ok, now that I've gotten that off my chest, let's move onto more pressing matters.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com

I was watching ABC News "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos, and Representative Dennis Kucinich was on. (Yes I know I really need to take a breather from politics if this is what I'm doing on my vacation). Anyways, George asked Representative Kucinich what he thought about nuclear weapons and the comments made by Obama and Clinton. It starts at around 6:20 of the video.

He said that he would work to get rid of ALL nuclear weapons that the United States has and "work with other nuclear powers" to get rid of theirs. It's naive thinking like that that is extremely dangerous. He wants to have "peace through peace", but you simply can't have peace if the other guy thinks they can take you on in a fight and win.

I'm not saying that you threaten another nation simply because they disagree with you, but that nation knows in the back of their mind that if they try something crazy, the United States will defend itself and it's allies and we mean business when it comes to war. Bash the US all you want but you have to admit, we know how to conduct war. Rebuilding a nation afterwards is a different matter.

So, if there is no implied threat, then diplomacy has no real teeth through it. If you told a nation "hey, knock it off", then where's the "or else" if you can't back it up? That's why we've never had a nuclear attack on this country. Everyone with a nuclear weapon knows that the American people would call for their country to be turned into a parking lot of green glass. Besides, do you really think that Russia and China are going to give up their nuclear weapons with the problems that they have? Do you think they'd give up their weapons now that they are starting to become major world players?

What's worse is Dennis was asked what he would do if Al-Qaeda got a hold of a nuclear weapon and detonated within the US. Dennis' response was that he would work for "peace for peace" and he danced around the question. I'm disappointed with George Stephanopoulos for not pouncing on that pathetic answer and telling Dennis that he didn't answer the question.

Dennis seemed to think that if we simply give up our nuclear weapons and pack it in that Al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations wouldn't use it as a propaganda tool and want to continue the fight in the streets of the US. He seemed to think that if we all just stopped fighting terrorists that everything would be happy sunshine land. He never said one way or another what he would do if a nuclear weapon went off in the US.

So what that tells you is that he doesn't have a plan for a worst case scenario. He won't go after terrorists who attack this country with the ferocity that it richly deserves. He is impotent in a job that requires tough decision making abilities with the leadership skills to back it up. Unfortunately for him, it really shined through during this interview that he simply isn't the man for the job, Democrat or Republican. Unfortunately for Kucinich, even his constituents seem to think he's not doing a good job in the current job he has. (towards the end of the video).

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com