Bill Safire, Patriot and Friend

"Well then, you must write a book."

So said Bill Safire to me in 1994. It was shortly after former President Richard Nixon had passed away, and Safire had invited me to lunch in Washington to share memories of the man for whom we had both worked, although at vastly different times.

Safire had been a crack rookie reporter and a PR maven before he met Nixon and fell in love politically. Born in New York, he attended Syracuse University but dropped out to work with the legendary early TV and radio host, Tex McCrary. I'm sure Safire didn't regret his choice when he ended up interviewing Mae West. In 1952, America called, and the young patriot Safire answered: he organized an "Eisenhower for President" rally at Madison Square Garden, and then served in the Army for two years. When he returned from Europe, he got into public relations, ultimately running the 1959 display of American products in Moscow in that caught the eye of visiting American Vice President Nixon. That famous photo of Nixon and Khrushchev arguing the virtues of capitalism and communism in the "Kitchen Debate?" Taken by Bill Safire.

In 1968, he sold his PR agency and joined the Nixon White House, later becoming a star among stars on the speechwriting team. When Nixon needed what he called "conservative red meat" in his speeches, he turned to either Safire or a young Pat Buchanan (who was thrilled to oblige).

As Watergate unfolded, he remained loyal to Nixon, even when he learned that the president had taped him, along with many others in the White House. That loyalty extended until the end of Nixon's life, and beyond. When I worked for Nixon in the early 1990s, Safire was always there for him, ready with a warm personal note or supportive policy column in "The New York Times." It was a relationship that both men valued, and protected.

When Nixon died in April 1994, Safire didn't wait long to reach out to me. "So, kiddo" (he always called me "kiddo"), he said over Navy bean soup at the Washington Army-Navy Club. "What are you going to do now?"

I had no idea.

I began recounting my daily working life with Nixon and mentioned in passing that I had been keeping a daily diary in which I had reconstructed every single conversation I ever had with him. Hours of daily talks. Four years' worth.

When I looked up, Safire was in stunned silence, his soup spoon suspended halfway to his mouth, which was agape.

That's when he said: "Well then, you must write a book." And then: "You owe it to history to share with the world the Nixon you knew. Be honest. Report the man as you had found him, warts and all."

He reminded me of what an extraordinary opportunity I had had: witnessing such a towering and controversial figure up close and personal during the last years of his life. I had seen triumphant and dark final moments, moments of tremendous geopolitical influence and searing personal pain. In short, Safire told me, I had seen one of the biggest figures of our time in ways few others had, and I had a duty to share him.

I took Safire's advice and ultimately wrote two bestselling books about the Nixon I knew: "Nixon Off the Record" (1996) and "Nixon In Winter" (1998). As I tackled the lonely job of writing, I'd receive little notes of encouragement from him, telling me to "keep swinging, kiddo." I made sure Safire got early galley proofs of the manuscripts, and each time, held my breath waiting for his verdict. To my great relief and delight, Safire loved them both: "Two of the most honest accounts of Nixon I have ever seen," he wrote to me. Bill Safire? Cheering me on? It was, perhaps, the highest compliment I received about those books.

Bill Safire passed away today from pancreatic cancer at the age of 79. The world knew him as a Nixon speechwriter, PR master, author, columnist, and raconteur. I knew him as all of those things, and something more: a friend. He enriched my life simply by believing in me.

I will miss him.

Comments

[M/M]

Monica, what a great tribute. I was thinking about you and Pat when I heard the news.

Thanks for writing your books about Nixon. I rented Frost/Nixon, but preferred Nixon to Frost. Diane Sawyer was a nonspeaking character on Nixon's team. I was thinking about you and what you must have experienced whenever her character appeared in a scene.

[Truther]

I was hoping Monica would tell us a little about the Mr. Safire she knew. Thank you.

Harold Brown, the man who probably wants to retire with 100M and possessing a cyclopsian view of the world was confronted by the BBC, for consuming nondescript pills. Is this the way the BBC is offhandedly telling Mr. Brown he is not wanted as the leader of England?

I wonder if Timmy and Barack have a pill problem?
I also wonder if Timmy and Bill Clinton go to the same hairdresser.

[M/M]

Monica will be on Imus today. Tell Imus that we need to hear more of the incredibly sexy El Bernardo del Bronx.

[M/M]

Monica will be on Imus today. Tell Imus that we need to hear more of the incredibly sexy El Bernardo del Bronx.

Posted by: M/M | September 28, 2009 at 06:12 AM
________________________
Thanks Monica. That was so funny when they called Warner at home on Yom Kippur and Bernard said, "Enjoy your bacon and eggs" when they hung up.

[Checkers]

Great Safire Tribute, Monica!

[mjfell]

Thanks for posting the tribute to Bill Safire Monica.

Sorry to go off topic folks, but this is much too important to ignore:

HEALTH CARE "WALK OUT NOW!"

"We the People" have held Rally's, Town halls, Congressional Office Visits, we have called, emailed and faxed our Representatives and Senators on Health Care. We have held Tea Parties and on 9/12 Marched On Washington fighting the Government take-over of health care of the American People. We have asked the President to honor the will of the people and if, as he claims, there are 500 Billion in savings from Medicare that can be found in waste, then solve that problem first!

Legislation that will affect and impact all Americans deserves the input from all Representatives, and points of view. Decisions of this magnitude require appropriate and measured deliberations not hasty and partisan sniping as we have seen from the Democrats regarding Health Care Reform. A Decision that impacts all Americans should not be given artificial deadlines, based upon Political agendas, as the President has time and again. A decision that will impact one sixth of our economy is not one that should be made with only one Political view being considered, or callous disregard as the President did at the AMA with respect to Tort Reform and other sensible suggestions from the minority party.

The President campaigned on Transparency and yet was buttressed by the Democrats in Congress voting down the ideal to allow “We the People” to view Bills for 72 hours before they are voted upon. They too voted down the prospect of Congressional Budget Office scoring of legislation, before it is voted upon by members of Congress.

Because "We the People" have spoken on deaf ears in Washington, because when we arrived in D.C. to raise our voices, they adjourned and went home. We have had enough of playing by their rules, we prefer to honor the Constitution. This is why we ask our Republican members of the Senate Finance Committee to WALK OUT NOW!

We call upon all Conservatives to unite and say we have had enough of being ignored, we have seen enough sensible amendments being defeated and others passed on Party vote alone. The time has come for the Republicans to stand with the Majority of Americans and WALK OUT NOW! The time has come to have all the members of the SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE to WALK OUT NOW!

Senate Finance Committee reads: "Rule 4. Quorums. - (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) one-third of the membership of the committee, including not less than one member of the majority party and one member of the minority party, shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business." Let it be known, that conservative citizens all across the United States demand that the Republican Senators in the Senate Finance Committee stop negotiating and Walk Out for America. We will support this effort and will support the Republican members of the Committee.

WE THE PEOPLE are no longer willing to watch as Laws are passed without members reading them; we no longer will accept Laws that have not been given to us first, for review. We no longer will accept a Government dictating to “We the People” threats of imprisonment because we choose paths not acceptable to the elites in Congress.

We ask the Republican Members of the Senate Finance Committee to WALK OUT NOW! in support of the American People, they Serve!

Republicans
CHUCK GRASSLEY, IA
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 224-3744
Fax: (202) 224-6020

ORRIN G. HATCH, UT
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 224-5251
Fax: (202) 224-6331

OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, ME
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 224-5344
Fax: (202) 224-1946

JON KYL, AZ
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 224-4521
Fax: (202) 224-2207

JIM BUNNING, KY
Washington, DC
Phone: http://www.facebook.com/l/43a83;202.224.4343
Fax: http://www.facebook.com/l/43a83;202.228.1373

MIKE CRAPO, ID
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 224-6142
Fax: (202) 228-1375

PAT ROBERTS, KS
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 224-4774
Fax: (202) 224-3514

JOHN ENSIGN, NV
Washington, D.C.
Phone: (202) 224-6244
Fax: (202) 228-2193

MIKE ENZI, WY
Washington, DC
Phone: (202) 224-3424
Fax: (202) 228-0359

JOHN CORNYN, TX
Washington, DC
Phone: 202-224-2934
Fax: 202-228-2856

Please join us, in saving our Nation!

[Truther]

Thanks for the statement about the finance committee. I am afraid fire and brimstone does not deter the finance committee from its aberant course, however, demonstrating the will of the public to them cannot hurt anything, and is better than nothing. Who can stop believing in the power of the vote, or even writing letters? I get responses from Congress, and signatures, but I am not sure if any Congress person reads them either. The Tea Party needs more effigies.

If you show up and give speech at the UN, you will be rewarded with a 2.5mil incentive package from
the US. Something like this has gone on with Libyia. Two of Gadhafi's children will be recipients fo 200K grants. One of these children, Saif Gadhafi, was responsible for throwing the bash for the Lockerbie bomber.

I realise Libyia has uranium deposits, and .. Libyians can potentially swing the attitudes of other Islamic countries, however, giving Gadhafi this money for that speech, is even worse than giving it to Bill Clinton. You know, ... How low can they go? These people will garbage up anything given to them. What makes anyone think it will do any good, if there are no specific goals attached to the money? More good money, going bad.

[mjfell]

Senate Finance Committee reads: "Rule 4. Quorums. - (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) one-third of the membership of the committee, including not less than one member of the majority party and one member of the minority party, shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business."

If every Republican walks out they cannot legally take any action.

[gringoman]

Monica will be on Imus today. Tell Imus that we need to hear more of the incredibly sexy El Bernardo del Bronx.

Posted by: M/M | September 28, 2009 at 06:12 AM

Imus: "Do we want to go down that road?"

The point: Everything is about Imus. That would include El Bernardo. Imus would see your comment on El B del B as a comment on Imus. i.e. It would remind everyone of the kind of man Imus is really attracted to. He and Bernardo have been in relationship longer than many marriages.

[xbjllb]

Safire was indeed one of the rare nice guys who will definitely be missed.

From an earlier generation of right wing pre-Goebbels II political punditry.

From a pre-Dole/Gingrich/Rove GOP.

[xbjllb]

New flash to the brain dead:

Obama IS going to get a health plan passed. Of that there is no doubt.

However: Don't worry... there will be NO single payer option. The government will not be paying out health insurance. For ANYONE.

What you will get is a law that requires everyone to have mandatory health insurance, just like car insurance. The heath insurance industry who pimp most of you out will have a monopoly, and jack up the rates to ridiculous amounts while running tons of ads like auto insurance about who is "cheapest".

Answer: NONE. Jump around all you want (just like car insurance) you will still get reamed.

Bonanza for broadcasters; bonanza for insurance companies; middle class will get further reamed, and the poor will be criminalized.

Exactly what you wanted. So shut the ef up about health insurance.

Evil bastards. The trillions pissed out of the Treasury to enrich war profiteers and kill innocents in the Mideast the last eight years would have provided health care for all Americans for more than a decade.

[Ummahgummah]

Imus: "Do we want to go down that road?"

The point: Everything is about Imus. That would include El Bernardo. Imus would see your comment on El B del B as a comment on Imus. i.e. It would remind everyone of the kind of man Imus is really attracted to. He and Bernardo have been in relationship longer than many marriages.

POSTED BY: GRINGOMAN | SEPTEMBER 28, 2009 AT 02:34 PM

--

True, Slimus has to GO. He kissed Al's mafia ring, thus disgracing himself by doing so.

Cya, Slimus!

.

[mjfell]

New flash to the brain dead:

Obama IS going to get a health plan passed. Of that there is no doubt.

However: Don't worry... there will be NO single payer option. The government will not be paying out health insurance. For ANYONE.

What you will get is a law that requires everyone to have mandatory health insurance, just like car insurance. The heath insurance industry who pimp most of you out will have a monopoly, and jack up the rates to ridiculous amounts while running tons of ads like auto insurance about who is "cheapest".

Answer: NONE. Jump around all you want (just like car insurance) you will still get reamed.

Bonanza for broadcasters; bonanza for insurance companies; middle class will get further reamed, and the poor will be criminalized.

Exactly what you wanted. So shut the ef up about health insurance.

Evil bastards. The trillions pissed out of the Treasury to enrich war profiteers and kill innocents in the Mideast the last eight years would have provided health care for all Americans for more than a decade.

Posted by: xbjllb | September 28, 2009 at 02:47 PM
----------------------

Sorry Sherman, I don't typically waste my time "talking" to someone who's never had an original thought. I'm only taking this time to remind you yet again that your carefully borrowed words are 100% ineffective on those amongst us who have eyes that see and ears that hear.

I suggest you take the cotton out of your ears and stuff it in your mouth.

Have a wonderful day!

[Phil Wedeen]

Gringoman needed to be corrected by M/M before regarding El Bernardo del Bronx. Gringoman's misstep then was to pin the basketball racism on El Bernardo when the blame, according to M/M, belonged to Spike Lee.

Now El Bernardo has been Gringocast as the submissive in a homoerotic lovefest where Imus is the man charge.
Where does narcissism go if the wrong men are in the mirror?

Will M/M step in again and pin the tail on the guilty?

Apropos the topic, William Safire's friendship with President Nixon gave his editorials in the NYT and Time magazine a certain Saigon Post quality. It took Safire until 2001 to charecterize the debacle in Vietnam as a defeat.. while much less known cheerleaders such as Daniel Cameron continue to portray that fiasco as a glorious victory for the Army and Tish Baldridge journalism.

As XBJLLB hints at, Safire today would be left of center, assuming he dug in his heels against the rightward continental drift into the cyber-lunacy sandbox where his freeper friends shovel and bucket their worldview based on emails from Orly Taitz.

'Is he a terrorist?'

'No ma'am.'

[Michael Avari]

Thank you Monica.

AP wrote of Safire, "Along with George Will and William F. Buckley Jr., Safire's smooth prose helped make conservatism respectable in the 1970s, paving the way for the Reagan Revolution."

He--like Buckley, Will, and others in that class--was not shy about putting principle over politics. He was amoung the first to object to the Patriot Act:

You Are a Suspect
November 14, 2002

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/14/opinion/14SAFI.html?scp=3&sq=safire%20+%20patriot%20act&st=cse

I think Safire would agree that conservatism cannot stand on polemics alone. It must stand on principle.

[Phil Wedeen]

Birther ORLY TAITZ sanctioned and removed from "Birther" case:

In response to a motion filed today by “birther” attorney Orly Taitz, U.S. District Court Judge Clay Land has removed her from representing an Army captain who sought to stop her deployment to Iraq by arguing President Barack Obama can’t legitimately hold office.

Land’s order states that Taitz, who represented Capt. Connie Rhodes, is still responsible for showing why he shouldn’t sanction her $10,000 for filing a “frivolous” suit and that Rhodes remains responsible for paying the defendants’ court costs..

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/165/story/855604.html?storylink=omni_popular

"gringoNOTE: Kudos to Orly Taitz, a woman who is more of a warrior than any Republican of allegedly male gender. "

Yes Gringoman. That is one way to put it.

[M/M]

Monica on Imus this morning.
http://www.wabcradio.com/Article.asp?id=1520310&spid=22807

Gringoman confuses El Bernardo del Bronx with someone else. I’ve infiltrated WABC and I can tell you that El Bernardo is very popular with the ladies over there. Listen to the way he speaks to Monica, for example.
http://www.wabcradio.com/photoWallPhoto.asp?wallID=57474&photoID=3943537

http://www.wabcradio.com/photoWallPhoto.asp?wallID=57474&photoID=3943536

[xbjllb]

"I'm only taking this time to remind you yet again that your carefully borrowed words are 100% ineffective on those amongst us who have eyes that see and ears that hear."

----

Eyes to see what? Your payoff checks from Big Insurance?

Ears to hear what? When they tell you to bend over and blow smoke out of your rectum?

Now that's original.

[xbjllb]

Obama ISN'T a US citizen, and never was. Which doesn't mean he isn't getting some things right. The CIA (his boss) does do global research, you know.

Problem is, the right insists on ignoring the obvious (the birth issue) and pursuing the impossible (everything else.)

Really, the left is damned lucky that the right doesn't concentrate on the things it can change instead of the penny-ante crap it can't.

If the right EVER got on the birth issue, it would be all over for the Democrats AND Obama.

Makes one start to believe that the entire right-left dichotomy is a sham circus after all.

[Ummahgummah]

I suggest you take the cotton out of your ears and stuff it in your mouth.

Have a wonderful day!

POSTED BY: MJFELL | SEPTEMBER 28, 2009 AT 04:52 PM

--

MJ, good to see you back. And welcome to the latest POS infesting the blog! As soon as one of them goes the next one comes in... as if they'd coordinated it.

This lil Xbot here is out of talking points and annoyingly to all but the lying WELCH Ovari (who's been getting friendly with Pill weirdeen as well), keeps spouting the same nonsense over and over again.

Le plus ça change..

PS. I got another suggestion where the Xbot can stick its cotton.. namely where it talks out of all the time!

.

[xbjllb]

Here's a link to a blog with a different take on the birther issue, but every bit as valid.

http://naturalborncitizen.wordpress.com/

And I'd say birthers shape up thus:

45% GOP
40% Independent
15% Democrat

Of course, no one will poll because the MSM doesn't want numbers like that out. It's much better to label all birthers as right wingnuts.

[Michael Avari]

Analysis of G20 Summit

It was perhaps no accident that in the same week during which President Obama asked the United not to rely on the United States to lead the world from its problems, his administration pushed the “Framework for Strong, Sustainable, and Balanced Growth” at the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh. The Framework is positioned in the G20 communiqué as “a compact that commits us to work together to assess how our policies fit together”.

This innocuous statement seems to contradict other parts of the agreement that commit to free market principles: to “phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”, “promote energy market transparency”, and “fight protectionism … toward a successful conclusion” of the Doha Round of trade liberalization talks.

Yet, contradictions abound. Buried in the G-20 final communiqué are cryptic notions of “shared objectives”, “rebalancing” of growth, and “collective implications” with “mutual assessment” of national policies. What all this means might be inferred from a letter that White House senior aide Michael Froman wrote to his G20 counterparts two weeks before the meeting, "As private and public saving rises, the world will face lower growth unless other G-20 countries undertake policies that support a shift towards greater domestic, demand-led growth." The administration seems to be exporting their apparent distaste for capital formation—the by-product of savings and investment—as the catalyst of economic growth. It is one matter to keep these notions within the borders of one’s country; it is quite another to plead them as universal truths.

Two disquieting premises emerge from this faith in 20 governments’ ability to do collectively that which has eluded any single country. First, in this concept of rebalancing lies the assumption that governments actually exercise control over their economic activity. Elsewhere in the communiqué the members reveal their exasperation that the contrary is true. The best they could do, for example, to address future bubbles was to debate without conclusion the effect of bank capital, derivatives markets, and employee bonuses as contributing factors of crises. Are such microeconomic concerns governments’ best tools to prevent overexposure to risk in a financial system, what they refer to in the communiqué as macro-prudential policy? They seem, instead, to be admitting ignorance of the causes of the present crisis or impotence in preventing the next one. No mention was made of monetary policy or how the risk exposure of quasi-governmental agencies, like Freddie and Fannie, distort prudent decision making in the private sector.

The second troubling presupposition in the G20 Framework is that governments have the capability to share economic management as a group and then subject it to peer review. Without having established the first premise, the second is obviously false. Imagine Communist China, where the savings rate is as high as 40% and industry subsidized, assessing or being assessed by the United States where markets are freer but which only recently emerged from a negative savings rate and continually runs huge budget and trade deficits largely financed by China. After the meeting, both China and the U.S. acknowledged the difficulty.

Most telling is the admission by Froman after the meeting that members avoided difficult discussions about currencies. China controls its currency to manage exports as the dollar floats freely to low points against the Euro. Without addressing these distortions and allowing currency pricing to serve its purpose as the market’s efficient balancing mechanism, the Framework seems only to globalize government activism.

AmericanCivility.us

Twitter.com/FreeCapitalism

[xbjllb]

"And welcome to the latest POS infesting the blog!"

----

Ah, the Queen of Genocide returns with a vengeance.

[mjfell]

Ummah--

Thanks, glad to be back. XBJLLB is entirely clueless. No doubt still sticking with the "teabaggers are astroturf" defense.

So typical. When they are incapable of swaying the debate to their position on the merits of their argument they sling mud.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Ummahgummah]

.

MM, I don't want to get involved with the positions on the totem pole over at WABC, but now that Slimus is taking shots at Curtis Sliwa, who is incidentally just getting sued by an "unindicted 911 co-conspirator", one must ask whether Slimus would be attacking Mr. Sliwa if he were of a darker complexion, if you knwo what I mean..

I will Bernard all the best. May he take over after they DUMP SLIMUS ALREADY!

Slimus has GOT TO GO!!

.

[xbjllb]

TMG - No Princess this week and no appropriate post to put this under.

BUT..... SOMEONE has to tell Lowry to lighten up on the botox.

[Ummahgummah]

"I'm only taking this time to remind you yet again that your carefully borrowed words are 100% ineffective on those amongst us who have eyes that see and ears that hear."

--

We also have NOSES. We keep having to HOLD them.

LOL

.

[Ummahgummah]

SOMEONE has to tell Lowry to lighten up on the botox.

POSTED BY: XBJLLB | SEPTEMBER 28, 2009 AT 06:42 PM

--

Looks like that SOMEONE is YOU, gurlfriend.

.

[Ummahgummah]

Ovarfi, you lil WELCH and LIAR!! You promised to STAY OFF this blog!!!

Can't keep a promise, can ya?

Therefore whatever you say has no value. It's all a bunch of lies anyway.

Allah snakbah!

.

[xbjllb]

"No doubt still sticking with the "teabaggers are astroturf" defense."

----

Never said that. No, teabaggers are half honest-to-God GOP trailer trash, and the other half the same idiots who used to turn out waving Chinese-made Wal-mart American flags in George Bush parades (before other folks started throwing bricks at his limo.)

Oh wait, that's the same half.

Astroturf? Hardly. No, they're the real deal. Now if only they had something real to complain about, like the birth issue, or the way Obama lied about ending the war. Then they would multiply their numbers by 1000 and be a real non-partisan force to be reckoned with.

[xbjllb]

"Looks like that SOMEONE is YOU, gurlfriend."

----

Done, done, and DONE.

[xbjllb]

"We also have NOSES. We keep having to HOLD them."

----

Try bathing more than once a year. Works for most people.

No promises in your case, Schmelly.

[M/M]

I haven't heard Imus say anything about Curtis. Imus' friend, Bo Dietl, was fighting with Curtis but told Imus that he apologized to Curtis. Imus said he didn't know Curtis.

Imus dumped "the hillbilly" station and just signed a deal with the Fox Business Network. He's not going anywhere.

[Ummahgummah]

.

MM, you have expressed extreme disgust with Al Fartson in the past.

Therefore how can you get defensive for Slimus now? Please explain.

.

[Michael Avari]

UG, are you sure Safire wasn't talking about you when he wrote "nattering nabobs of negativism"?

Maybe not. You don't look like a nabob to me.

But you sure got 2 out of 3.

[M/M]

UG, I'm not defending Imus. I haven't heard him say anything negative about Curtis. And I can't see WABC dumping Imus when Fox Business News just signed a big contract with him.

Gringoman, have you heard Imus attack Curtis?

[mjfell]

Obamageddon—Gerald Celente: Obama's Agenda is to Destroy America Before His First Term Ends, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve-hosIBtBM

[mjfell]

DARK REIGN: Obama Thugs Vote "A Couple of Times" Each

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWevdNfbGak

[mjfell]

Despicable: Barack Obama Orders Pensions Cut Off To WWII Veterans

WASHINGTON — In a strongly worded message to Congress outlining its priorities for a military spending bill, the Obama administration today said it disapproved of including money for pensions for 26 elderly members of the World War II-era Alaska Territorial Guard.

The Guardsmen are among those assigned to protect Alaska from the Japanese during World War II.

….Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who along with Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, sponsored the fix [to the pensions], called the administration move “deeply disappointing, bordering on insensitive.” The legislation honors 26 elderly Native people who are the few remaining survivors of a military unit that served the country with valor, Murkowski said.

“The administration’s justification, which is that the legislation will set the precedent of treating service as a state employee as federal service, defies logic and history,” she said in a statement. “Sixty-two years after the Territorial Guard was disbanded, the Obama administration minimizes the contribution of this gallant unit to America’s success in World War II by calling its service ’state service.’ “

http://www.redstate.com/gary4205/2009/09/28/despicable-barack-obama-orders-pensions-cut-off-to-wwii-veterans/

[mjfell]

The Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute (CBLPI), a conservative women’s group, is putting out its fifth annual Great American Conservative Women Calendar — and we've got a sneak peek at some of the photos.

The star? Former Miss California Carrie Prejean.

http://www.politico.com/click/stories/0909/a_sneak_peak_at_cblpis_calendar.html

[mjfell]

Amy Kremer Has Inspired Many Patriots To Attend Tea Parties

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cweVdl2H-ic

[mjfell]

"Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g_G13J2sco

[mjfell]

Reflections on the 2009 California Republican Party Convention
by Michael J. Fell

The 2009 California GOP Convention in Indian Wells, CA, is now but a fond memory.

There were fine people, rousing speeches, workshops chock full of useful information, liquid receptions, excellent cigars (thanks Mr. Shawn Steel), campaign signs and bumper stickers galore. Even driving out there and back was a pleasant experience (thank God for air conditioning).

With all due respect to the Party leaders who took time out of their hectic schedules to participate in the proceedings, the most compelling event was the Media Panel with Andrew Breitbart, Inga Barks and Evan Sayet, which was hosted by Republican Party Vice Chairman Tom Del Beccaro. It was truly great to hear the real story of how average every day Americans are fighting the seemingly endless corruption of the radical left. To those with eyes that see and ears that hear, it’s painfully obvious that this internal threat to the United States Constitution is being substantially aided and abetted by its friends in the fringe media, or to coin a phrase: the Democratic Party Pravda.

For the uninitiated, you can find the pertinent back-story information here: http://biggovernment.com/

What’s most illuminating is how this story’s about brave individuals putting themselves on the line in defense of their fellow Americans, without regard to party affiliation, partisan agenda or political hierarchy. This is the true spirit of America; the willingness to voluntarily stand under fire to protect the individual freedoms of others. The exceptional call to a cause greater than oneself. Without doubt, Hannah Giles, James O’Keefe and Andrew Breitbart are great American Patriots who deserve the support of every man, woman and child who’s proud to be an American.

Which brings to bear the focal point of this writing: Tea Party Patriots and their relationship to the Republican Party.

It was wonderful to hear the words of welcome and acceptance which greeted attending Tea Party Patriots. Acknowledgement of and appreciation for their hard work, grassroots organizing and indomitable spirit did not fall on deaf ears. To the credit of the GOP, there’s a sense of “job well done” for the attention that the Tea Parties have drawn to traditional Conservative ideals and principles.

That being said, it’s important for the GOP to recognize that those with ears that hear are capable of discerning the subtle (or not) suggestions that Tea Party Patriots might want to start getting into line and listening to GOP advice about how the next election will be run. To put it bluntly, there persists within some ranks of the Republican Party a view that Tea Parties as rolls of voters who should get back into step with the Party and without input, start blindly supporting the next crop of GOP candidates. The message seems to be: “Thanks for drawing attention to the Conservative cause, now shut up and listen to us.”

What this demonstrates is that some in the Republican Party have largely missed the point of the Tea Parties. Tea Party Patriots are people who’re rookies at demonstrating. They’re ordinary, every day citizens who’re so disgusted with corruption, lack of accountability, growing government and massive spending that they’re compelled to get off their butts, take to the streets and fight for their God given rights. They’re frightened by the Chief Executive’s emerging shadow government that’s unchecked by a Congress that won’t read the bills they didn’t write before passing them on to a seeming pathological liar to sign into law. A man who told his supporters right before his inauguration that they were “five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvJJP9AYgqU

Don’t get me wrong. Despite the fact that with the exception of the past few months I’ve been registered as Declined to State for my entire adult life, I’m now a proud, registered member of the Republican Party and fully participating in a recognized, Republican Club.

Before that, I was a Tea Party Patriot. I’m still a Tea Party Patriot.

To those in the GOP who continue to view today’s political climate as a time for business as usual I offer these thoughts. Take the time to sit down and listen to Tea Party Patriots. Hear them. Discover what they want in their candidates: accountability, someone willing to listen to the people, someone who'll stand by their principles, say what they mean and mean what they say.

Put these types of people on the ballot and you’ll find that they’re electable. Fail to do this and you risk further alienating a huge natural constituency who support bread-and-butter issues of lower taxes, reduced government, strong national defense, secure borders, and a return to the traditional American values of E Pluribus Unum, Liberty and in God we trust. This constituency will revitalize the GOP and remove the need for a third party split that will doom the United States to the fulfillment of the progressive agenda.

The choice is yours.

We the people are waiting...

[Ummahgummah]

.

More meemeegrants terrorizing Americans..

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/accomplices_in_terror_plot_id_HbM0Lhs5o1dft1yz7wuhWM

..and the Bama is letting the inmates at Gitmo loose on the population..

Just SICK.

.

[Ummahgummah]

UG, are you sure Safire wasn't talking about you when he wrote "nattering nabobs of negativism"?

Maybe not. You don't look like a nabob to me.

But you sure got 2 out of 3.

POSTED BY: MICHAEL AVARI | SEPTEMBER 28, 2009 AT 07:23 PM

--

Wow... the WELCH is trying to get real witty.. tweet!

PS. Why don't you try and keep your promises once in a while?

LIEberal!!

.

[Ummahgummah]

ONE OF SEVERAL: from the "religion" of "peace" hahaha:

Jordanian suspected of trying to blow up downtown Dallas skyscraper

Posted Thursday, Sep. 24, 2009

View photos

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi

BY MITCH MITCHELL

mitchmitchell@star-telegram.com

DALLAS -- Federal agents arrested a Jordanian Thursday suspected of trying to blow up the 60-story Fountain Place building in downtown Dallas.

Undercover agents with the FBI tricked Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, 19, into thinking that he was detonating a bomb placed in an SUV parked outside the 60-story skyscraper at 1445 Ross Ave., before they arrested him, according to court documents. The explosive device was inert and inactive, the Justice Department said in a news release.

"The identification and apprehension of this defendant, who was acting alone, is a sobering reminder that there are people among us who want to do us grave harm,” U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks said in the news release announcing the arrest.

Undercover agents posing as members of an al Qaeda sleeper cell met with Smadi several times while the terrorist suspect hatched his plot to commit jihad, or holy war, against the "Romans (Christians) and Jews," an arrest warrant affidavit says.

The affidavit says Smadi made clear his intention to serve as a soldier for Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, and to conduct violent jihad. But it says he was interested in "self-jihad" because it is "the best type of jihad."

The investigation by the FBI and members of the North Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force determined that Smadi was not associated with other terrorist organizations.

The FBI said Smadi was in the United States illegally and lived and worked in Italy, Texas, about 45 minutes south of Dallas.

Federal agents said they discovered Smadi within a group of online terrorists, and added that he stood out because of his willingness to conduct terrorist attacks inside the United States.

"This is not related to any other investigation," said Mark White, an FBI spokesman. "This is a standalone terrorist. A lone individual who did whatever it is that he did."

There is an ongoing investigation in New York and Colorado into a possible terrorist strike.

Smadi told undercover officials that he wanted to blow up a credit card center in the United States.

"Millions of people will incur losses," the arrest warrant affidavit quotes Smadi saying. "Unemployment, poverty, hunger, and a strike to the head of the government. Don't forget the psychological impacts on the loss of this beautiful building."

Fountain Place, a 1.2 million-square-foot building, is home to a Wells Fargo Bank branch, Avanti Restaurant, the French bakery café Au Bon Pain, a newsstand, cleaners and other restaurants. A pedestrian tunnel connects the building to the Fairmont Hotel, and a YMCA is across the street.

Smadi is expected to make his first court appearance at 11 a.m. Friday in U.S. District Court in Dallas before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma C. Ramirez.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Make sure you receive all of your messages from ACT for America. Add actforamerica@donationnet.net to your address book as an approved email sender. If you found this message in your "Bulk" or "Spam" folder, please click the "Not Spam" button to notify your provider that these are emails you want to receive.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ACT for America
P.O. Box 12765
Pensacola, FL 32591
www.actforamerica.org

[Ummahgummah]

MM, I don't listen to slimus so I have no idea what he said about Curtis, but I sure heard Curtis talking about it and he sounded none-too-pleased!

What I was referring to was how can you try and defend slimus after the shameful way he failed to stand up to the RACEBAITER and CRIMINAL Al Sharpton.

Slimus had the perfect opportunity to highlight the different standards when it comes to race and who is allowed to say what and so forth.

He failed not himself but all of New York and the country at large.

Slimus is in the radio BUSINESS for himself and noone but himself.

.

[M/M]

I'm not defending Imus. Monica is a friend of his and she was a guest on his show. He does promote her career.

Imus does charge mucho dinero for his services but his fans also point out that he gives to many charities, including the Imus ranch.

Many of the talk show hosts are fighting with each other. Savage seems to attack everyone nightly and Glenn Beck seems to be the object of their attack. Mark Levin claimed Beck is in it for the money.

I don't know what Curtis' beef is, but he does have a radio show at night. Laura Ingraham used to have a show on WABC but they seem to have given her hours to Curtis.

Imus does mention double standards but accepts responsibility for his remarks versus playing the victim. For example, when George Stephanopoulos interviewed Obama, he asked him what about what he funding for ACORN now that the scandal has been exposed and pulled out a dictionary to define "tax" in response to another question. Imus asked if Stephanopoulos was being called a racist. He also has been calling Sharkton a phony and criticizing Obama.

What, exactly, is Curtis upset about?

[Ummahgummah]

I don't know what Curtis is upset about in this particular instance besides being talked about by Imus.

But I think it's clear that Curtis is a straight shooter and he is doutlessly upset about the wimpy slimus knuckling under to the abominable race murderer Sharpton.

Unforgiveable.

Absolutely unforgiveable.

.

[M/M]

Where is Gringoman? I don't remember Imus talking about Curtis, but maybe Gringoman heard something.