tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40474125137920637172011-06-02T22:59:53.628-07:00I've noticed that a lot of bloggers seem to be inflicted with the disease known as "groupthink". I've also noticed that the left get's particularly nasty in describing the right. I've also noticed this tendency on the right when describing the left. I believe that we can have a reasoned debate about any issue. I also believe that the name calling and personal attacks are an impediment to that debate. That's why I created this blog.Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-26434480697084036112009-02-26T21:54:00.001-08:002009-02-26T21:54:27.739-08:00

According to The Hill… “The Senate voted to pass the DC Voting Rights Act on Thursday which would add a voting member of the House of Representatives to the District and Utah.” I remarked earlier this week on why this bill is unconstitutional. Now every Senator that has voted for this bill is forsworn. Remember, they are required by the Constitution to take an oath to support the Constitution. By

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-83518482839925564062009-02-23T08:35:00.001-08:002009-02-23T12:23:19.908-08:00

Do you remember this? A 71-year-old former Illinois attorney general, Burris was greeted at the Senate doors by Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) as well as the Illinois House delegation, including Democratic Reps. Bobby Rush and Jesse Jackson Jr. Jackson had publicly expressed interest in the seat, while Rush had infuriated Senate Democratic leaders by charging their initial resistance to

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-34670908402530955412009-02-09T11:41:00.001-08:002009-02-09T11:41:18.809-08:00

How many ways can there be to say that something's either good for us or bad for us? I know that some issues arouse a lot of passion, but eventually reading dozens of rants about the same subject gets dull and passion wanes. This isn't necessarily a good thing. Some topics need to be kept hot, simply to keep pressure on the opposition. But if the only people who are reading your rants are of a

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-6124220683932796042009-01-29T17:38:00.001-08:002009-01-29T17:38:39.627-08:00

In his inaugural address, President Obama had this to say… “To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history;” I have to wonder… was he listening to himself? Or was it “Just words. Just speeches.”? How about this statement, from the New York Post (emphasis added). President Obama warned Republicans on Capitol

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-39621181523187725622009-01-28T11:50:00.001-08:002009-01-28T16:36:05.684-08:00

Does everyone remember the outrage over the $1.2 million that Merrill Lynch spent to upgrade its executive offices? How about the outrage over that $50 million corporate jet for CITI? You know, the one — the one that CITI had ordered quite some time back, and ended up canceling the order because they got money from T.A.R.P. While spending “public” funds for that sort of thing on “private”

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-76701490286657520602009-01-20T11:16:00.001-08:002009-01-20T11:16:31.937-08:00

Which of these things demonstrates love? The giving of charity or the redistribution of tax revenues? Which of them works good upon the soul? Is the command to “Render therefore unto Caesar” greater than the command to “Go, and do thou likewise?” If, as you said in your inaugural speech today the free market is the greatest force for producing wealth, why then do you and other politicians abandon

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-35241438708847015082009-01-13T09:33:00.001-08:002009-01-13T09:33:32.191-08:00

Washington State that is. Paula over at It's Only Words has got two new posts up with a bit of information about Washington's SB6900. It seems that our beloved State Senators want to tack on some truly onerous fees to our car tabs, despite being told time and again by the electorate that we want them to be affordable. If you've got a 350 cubic inch V8 under your hood, you'll end up paying $325.00

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-19562112938646609502008-12-10T10:43:00.001-08:002008-12-10T10:43:47.365-08:00

A recent post on one of the blogs I frequently read has me thinking. Of course, that's generally the point of blog postings. I'm just not certain that what I've been thinking about is what the blogger in question wanted me to be thinking about. By the way, this isn't a dig at the Hoopy Frood Dude. If you only read the article I linked to above, you won't get the full picture. You have to follow

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-2744333445622091242008-11-11T01:33:00.001-08:002008-11-11T02:00:30.052-08:00

I've been repeating the call to educate the electorate about conservative principles and values for some time now, and especially since the election. It's something we must do if we want to get our message across. Getting that message across is something we must do if we want to regain the liberties that we have lost over the last 150 years or so, and it's something we must do if we want to

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-73746035418180286932008-11-04T20:35:00.001-08:002008-11-04T20:35:11.520-08:00

John McCain conceded defeat to Barack Obama before a single West Coast vote was actually reported. Barack Obama is our president-elect. The country has voted for socialism and anti-Americanism. I find it all disappointing, but not exactly surprising. The polls gave a clue, as did the pre-election “electoral maps”. But, I will not quit seeking to see real change in our government. Not the sort of

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-80655465191037833292008-11-04T00:55:00.001-08:002008-11-04T00:55:48.720-08:00

If you are a citizen of the United States… If you are eighteen years of age or older… If you are legally registered to vote… If you've educated yourself as to the issues and the qualifications of the candidates… If you haven't been disqualified due to mental incapacity or felony… then… vote today otherwise… …stay home!

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-3995103499913540162008-10-30T00:29:00.001-07:002008-10-30T00:51:32.574-07:00

The republican is the only form of government which is not eternally at open or secret war with the rights of mankind. — Thomas Jefferson (Letter to William Hunter, 11 March 1790) Where do our rights come from? Are they a gift to us from God or do they come to us from our government? I think that that's an important question. It also seems to be central to the divide between liberalism and

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-8183619677851805612008-10-23T11:30:00.001-07:002008-10-23T11:38:23.883-07:00

Sometimes, I think that the major media and the political punditry really have their priorities out of whack. Why else would we have to endure articles that criticize a candidate for the amount of money that they spend on their wardrobe? [N]ews that the Republican National Committee (RNC) bought Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her family nearly $150,000 worth of clothing since September fueled

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-68802730189783700472008-10-07T16:37:00.001-07:002008-10-07T16:37:28.504-07:00

It's been a long race for President, spanning nearly two years. Some might say that it's actually been going on for the last four years. Nevertheless, it's been going on for a long time, perhaps too long. When a national political campaign runs this long, it's expensive. It requires continual fund raising. It requires constant advertising. It costs money to build the organization. It requires

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-55442705506198887782008-10-03T11:24:00.001-07:002008-10-03T14:43:25.937-07:00

We are so screwed. Not just conservatives, but all of us. The Senate passed a pork laden bail-out yesterday. The House passed a bail-out today. Now all that remains is to resolve the differences and President Bush will sign whatever abomination results. [Update: The abomination is already signed. We really are screwed.] Ironically, on the news, prices on Wall Street spiked — for a moment. They're

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-92230529341269230192008-07-21T16:43:00.001-07:002008-07-21T16:43:33.887-07:00

Two convicted felons are using last month's Supreme Court ruling in Heller to challenge a federal law that prohibits them from owning guns. They're challenging based upon the court's ruling that the second amendment allows them to keep loaded handguns at home for self defense. "Felons, such as Barton, have the need and the right to protect themselves and their families by keeping firearms in

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-82417091791202848962008-07-04T01:29:00.001-07:002008-07-04T01:48:25.048-07:00

It doesn't matter if you're a liberal, a conservative, a communist, a socialist, a Republican, a Democrat, or whatever political side you take… if you're an American citizen, there are some essential resources available free of charge on the Internet to help you to understand where our nation came from, and where it ought to go. Put aside ideology for a while, our nation is defined by the

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-1161858865594341962008-06-16T09:45:00.001-07:002008-06-16T09:59:26.588-07:00

"Follow the money." That sounds like good advice when you want to know who's behind a campaign or initiative doesn't it? That's part of the reason behind some of our campaign finance laws. Knowing who's funding a campaign is important… if you assume that all money is corrupt… and if the campaign is for a person rather than an idea. I'm not so sure that the same applies to initiatives. After all,

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-75969164982344413632008-06-03T14:44:00.001-07:002008-06-03T14:46:42.358-07:00

What happens when you take farmland that is producing crops that are brought to market to feed your nation's people away from the farmers that own it by force, murdering those farmers if they don't comply with your desire to seize their land? Do crops grow without the seed being sown? Do crops thrive without fertilization? Do crops produce food when they are choked with weeds or burned to the

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-7705422759287802402008-03-12T13:32:00.001-07:002008-03-12T13:32:08.054-07:00

Probably not. But it's fun to watch as all of the negative campaigning takes place in the Democratic Presidential race and bomb-thrower after bomb-thrower goes down in flames. A lot of really outrageous claims have been made by political "operatives" who then are either fired or asked to resign. It almost seems like a new twist on an old tactic. It used to be if you had something negative to say

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-57316755549982802832008-03-12T10:25:00.001-07:002008-03-12T10:30:49.833-07:00

This morning, I was awakened by my wife, who brought me coffee. As I was rousing from my groggy slumber my clock radio turned itself on, and I heard Mr. Spitzer's resignation speech. New York governor Eliot Spitzer has resigned, purportedly over a sex scandal. It seems the governor, who spent his career as an attorney general and politician has been visiting high-priced hookers for the past ten

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-73708466648981051412008-03-10T12:18:00.001-07:002008-03-10T12:18:27.751-07:00

Once again, the Patriot Post picks a winner… “Each State, in ratifying the Constitution, is considered as a sovereign body, independent of all others, and only to be bound by its own voluntary act. In this relation, then, the new Constitution will, if established, be a FEDERAL, and not a NATIONAL constitution.” -- James Madison (Federalist No. 39, 1788) In this year when we are getting ready to

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-45578797927532292352008-03-01T04:34:00.000-08:002008-03-01T04:35:51.383-08:00

The entire point of this blog was to start discussion of various topics from both sides of the political aisle. Hopefully soon we'll have a new contributor.

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-53625891442116726702008-02-19T00:46:00.001-08:002008-02-19T00:56:55.880-08:00

It seems that more and more we're seeing states work hard to give up their rights, and the rights of their citizens to mob rule. Not content with having the federal government be a binding and cohesive force to hold the states together and having the states govern the people within their borders, the Democratic party marches on down the path toward direct democracy and the inevitable socialism

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-21409683317436166492008-02-14T01:27:00.001-08:002008-02-14T01:27:26.870-08:00

Apparently one of the attractions of Barak Obama for some Democratic voters is that he's seen as an agent of change. There's some question about his experience and his accomplishments. There's also some question about what he will actually do if he's elected to the Presidency, but he is seen as "the candidate for change." Meanwhile, quite a few conservatives (including myself) have waxed

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-41842172307594205782007-11-11T09:59:00.001-08:002007-11-11T10:17:23.542-08:00

Thank you for doing what I did not. Thank you for serving your country, defending her honor, and ensuring her liberty. Without your sacrifice, I might not have the freedom to even write these words. Thank you for taking the liberty which I love and sharing it with others throughout the world. Thank you for representing my country overseas. Thank you for feeding the hungry, for rebuilding

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-22206700068376550742007-10-26T11:10:00.001-07:002007-10-26T11:10:50.386-07:00

"It's Bush's fault." That's what we were hearing this week about the California wildfires. They were exacerbated due to global warming, which wouldn't be happening if President Bush made us implement the Kyoto Protocol we were told. The disaster response wasn't fast enough. California's national guard troops were all over in Iraq. California's national guard equipment was over in Iraq. We now

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-66876049007330899572007-10-05T11:21:00.001-07:002007-10-05T11:21:12.912-07:00

I know you've noticed it. Whenever a Republican is caught in a scandal it seems to be a career wrecker. Whenever a Democrat is caught in a similar scandal, even if that Democrat has done something more heinous than the Republican it never seems to affect their career. The Democrats have fond memories of being swept into power in the last election. They claimed that a universal lack of support for

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-74433554591808575602007-07-10T18:24:00.001-07:002007-07-10T19:10:11.282-07:00

I really do. I don't mind a good debate. I think they help to sharpen the mind and help the open minded to learn and grow. Some liberals are willing to debate that way, and I have learned to respect them. Most liberals though do not debate that way. One of my fellow bloggers on another site comes to mind. Once he seemed rational and willing to debate, but he already had some definitely annoying

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-70690304519381702252007-04-27T13:16:00.001-07:002007-04-27T13:21:07.865-07:00

OK, first of all, a lot of this comes from my memory of a conversation I heard on the radio this morning. I know I don't remember it exactly, so I'm not quoting anyone on the radio. Remembering that conversation and my reactions to it reminds me of my previous post. I heard the discussion, and I noticed something that I thought should be obvious. I tried to call in, but the lines were busy.

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4047412513792063717.post-81062522750271432972007-04-20T14:53:00.000-07:002007-04-20T16:20:06.698-07:00

Have you noticed a "coarsening of the culture"? Or do you think it might be something that's been there all along and that we're just hearing more about it lately?How about in the blogosphere? Have you noticed a tendency on the left for commenters to be obscene? Have you noticed a tendency of bloggers on both sides of the aisle to make ad-hominem attacks? Or resort to name calling?I have, and I

Perri Nelsonnoreply@blogger.com0