While McConnell Protected Free Speech, Bunning Snored

Give credit to Sen. Jim Bunning, who showed up the the Senate Finance Committee and condemned Sen. Max Baucus's latest iteration of Obamacare.

Unfortunately, Bunning then dozed off. Literally. Dana Milbank writes for the Washington Post,

"I do not support a government takeover of the health-care system," he [Bunning] railed. The proposal "confiscates more money from the taxpayers," he went on. "It tramples on American freedom and liberties."

After this vigorous display of open-mindedness, Bunning was spent. About an hour later, spectators noticed that the senator, who had been resting his chin in his hand, had fallen fast asleep. As giggles rippled through the chamber, an aide shook Bunning, who woke with a start.

Sen. Bunning has earned the right to take all the naps he wants, but it would be best if he wait until his successor is sworn in.

H/t: National Review

ABC News On McConnell Condemning Dem's Gag Order of Humana

ABC World News Tonight has a segment on McConnell's statement on the Senate floor, in which he called out Sen. Max Baucus and the Obama administration for placing a gag order on Humana.

It is rare to see McConnell so angry, and he has good right. As ABC notes, by silencing Humana from communicating with its subscribers about pending legislation, the Democrats have likely violated the first amendment.

ABC also points out that the substance of the Humana mailing at issue is true: current members of Medicare Advantage would see their benefits cut under the Baucus bill; that's one of the ways in which Democrats will attempt to pay for Obamacare.

Though ABC did not air it, in yesterday's hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office confirmed that approximately half of all benefits under Medicare Advantage would be cut:

Sen. Mike Crapo (R-WY): “So, Approximately Half Of The Additional Benefit Would Be Lost To Those Current Medicare Advantage Policy Holders?” CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf: “For Those Who Would Be Enrolled Otherwise Under Current Law, Yes.”

Humana had the right -- and arguably the duty -- to inform its customers of how this proposed legislation will affect them. However, as the object of a heavily regulated industry, it is difficult for Humana to protect its free speech rights. If the ACLU really believes in free speech for everyone, it should bring suit on behalf of Humana's subscribers. And if the ACLU is too afraid to stand up to its liberal special interests, then a conservative public interest group needs to step up.

McConnell Calls Out Baucus's Intimidation of Humana

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has always been a stalwart defender of free speech, and so it was appropriate for him to condemn the federal "investigation" of Humana -- an attempt to intimidate Humana into silence about the ramifications of Obamacare.

McConnell made the following remarks on the floor of the Senate just a few minutes ago:

“I rise to call my colleagues’ attention to a disturbing development in the health care debate.

“A colleague of ours has called for an investigation into a major health care company because this company informed its customers of its concerns about health care legislation that this colleague of ours introduced.

“As a result, the federal government has now told all companies that provide Medicare Advantage to seniors to stop communicating with their clients about the effects of that legislation — even telling them what they can and cannot post on their websites. This gag order, enforced through an agency of the federal government at the request of a Senator, is wrong.

“It started when a company based in my hometown of Louisville — Humana — had the temerity, in the eyes of some of our colleagues, to explain to its customers that if Medicare Advantage is cut, as the chairman’s mark requires, it may have to reduce benefits, which, of course, is a common sense conclusion.

“Mr. President, this is America: Citizens, either as individuals or grouped together in companies, have a fundamental right to talk about legislation they favor or oppose. That is the core of the First Amendment’s protections on speech. Unfortunately, this is part of a troubling trend of efforts to dismiss the concerns raised by the American people over the past few months.

“Over the summer, we saw American citizens who raised concerns about the health care proposals before Congress dismissed as ‘un-American’ by leaders in Congress. That’s bad enough, but using the full weight of the federal government’s enforcement powers to stifle free speech should trouble all Americans — and all of us — even more.

“We cannot allow government officials to target individuals or companies because they do not like what they have to say.

"This latest effort to squelch free speech raises several serious questions:

“Is this what we have come to as a country — that an individual or company can no longer factually advocate their position on an incredibly important public policy issue?

“Shouldn’t customers have a right to know the potential impact of a Congressional action?

“Is this what we believe as a Senate — that this body should debate a trillion-dollar health care bill that affects every American while using the powerful arm of government to shut down speech?

“Is this how citizens and companies can expect to be treated if health reform passes? That any health provider that disagrees with a powerful Senator will be subject to an investigation and a gag order?

“How is this any different than what the Washington Post and New York Times have done in lobbying for a reporter shield law? Would we stand by if the Judiciary Committee asked the FBI to investigate the media for taking positions on pending legislation we don’t agree with? Of course not.

“Humana is headquartered in my hometown of Louisville, and yes, I care deeply about its 8,000 employees in Kentucky. But this gag order now applies to all Medicare Advantage providers.

“I would remind my colleagues that I have spent my career defending the First Amendment rights of people to criticize their elected officials, including me. I would make the same argument if this were a company based in San Francisco or Helena or Chicago.

“The right to free speech is at the core of our democracy. Free citizens have a First Amendment right to petition their government for a redress of grievances. This gag order on companies like Humana and those in all our states, in my view, is a clear violation of that right. It’s wrong.

“Employers that warn their customers about the effects of legislation aren’t the ones who should be getting warnings here. Senators who threaten Americans’ First Amendment rights are.”

McConnell is correct to highlight two important points. First, political speech is at the core of what the first amendment protects. Second, this is an abuse of power by the federal government aimed to intimidate anyone who would dare criticize it.

Bill Farish Is Right On Slots

I went to the first day of Keeneland's Yearling sale last week, and it was a blood bath. Not a single horse sold for a million dollars. Most final bids did not meet the minimum reserve; many did not even cover the cost of the stud fee.

Kentucky's horse industry is dying, and our leadership in Frankfort -- including Sen. Dave Williams -- is preventing the solution: video lottery terminals at the tracks.

Joe Arnold links up a letter from Bill Farish that underscores the unity within the horse industry on the need for VLTs:

The horse industry is as united as it has never been in the past. Opponents of VLTs have always relied on our discord to defeat the efforts to compete on a level playing field. Now that the industry has formed a united front, opponents seek to break us apart again. They will be unsuccessful in their efforts to do so. Kentucky breeders recognize that we must have a healthy horse economy in this state in order to run successful breeding operations. A healthy horse economy includes buyers willing to invest in our product and take their investment to the racetracks in the hopes of recouping their investment. Owners recognize that they need healthy racetracks offering good purses, so that they can attempt to win back some of their initial investment. Racetrack operators understand that they need breeders to produce and owners to race their horses at their tracks.

We are all in this together, and the attempt to break us into factions is disheartening. A fractured industry cannot survive, and a failed horse industry would be catastrophic for Kentucky's economy. Sadly, Sen. Williams seems less concerned about helping our industry, and more concerned about maintaining control over his Senate fiefdom.

Farish also has harsh words for Williams:

Sen. Williams and several members of his caucus are currently advocating that the government should stand in the way of our signature industry, and prevent it from being able to compete. Government interference with Kentucky businesses and job creation does not sound like a Republican philosophy I am familiar with. But regardless, saving 100,000 jobs and the industry that identifies our state all over the world does not rest in the domain of any political party. It should be the stated goal of all Kentuckians--regardless of political registration.

Well said, Mr. Farish.

Dems Censor Humana

In an affront to the first amendment, the Obama Administration is investigating Humana for writing to alert its subscribers as to how Obamacare could affect their benefits.

Notwithstanding that corporations have first amendment rights, the Obama Administration -- urged on by Sen. Max Baucus -- is "investigating" whether Humana engaged in "scare tactics."

The administration that was supposed to be about transparency does not want Medicare recipients to receive any information that contradicts the White House talking points. Therefore, it has cut off the insured from receiving Humana's perspective on the proposed health care legislation -- an important source of information for those customers.

I'm not holding my breath for the ACLU to come to Humana's rescue from this government censorship. Nor do I expect the administration and Sen. Baucus to start scrutinizing -- and censoring -- those letters that labor unions write to their members, urging them to contact their members of Congress in favor of Obamacare. This is viewpoint discrimination, pure and simple.

Disturbing

The Mail Online (via Hot Air) has one piece that will provoke two nightmares.

First, new intelligence about a head of state visit that took place during the Clinton administration:

Former Russian president Boris Yeltsin got so drunk during a visit to Washington that he was found standing outside the White House in his underpants trying to hail a cab to go and buy a pizza.

The drunken behaviour of Yeltsin, who was known for his fondness for vodka and died two years ago aged 76, were revealed by former US president Bill Clinton.

Second,

Clinton, who is no stranger to indiscretions of his own, sat down with historian Taylor Branch to give an "oral history" of his presidency.

Clinton always deed have a sense of irony.

Medvedev Praises Obama

Russian President Dimitri Medvedev praised President Barack Obama's decision to renege on America's promise to help our Eastern European allies with missile defense. Medvedev called Obama' move "responsible."

Obama promised that if elected, he'd make America popular again with the nations of the world. And he has succeeded with Russia. As for the former -- and future -- captive nations of the Eastern Block, not so much.

McConnell Reacts to Obama Jettisoning Missile Defense

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell condemned the Obama administration's for abandoning America's promise to place a missile defense system in Eastern Europe:

The administration’s decision to abandon an important missile defense program for the defense of NATO and our allies in Poland and the Czech Republic, in my view, is both shortsighted and harmful to our long-term security interests. We must not turn our backs on two loyal allies in the War on Terror. Further, the administration has secured no apparent commitment from the Russians to work with us to reduce either the missile or nuclear threat from Iran. More troubling will be if the administration has made these concessions to Russia in pursuit of expediting ill-considered arms control deals.

Obama's decision will embolden Russia -- as if Vladimir Putin needed any encouragement. And it breaks America's word to our allies. This is the Carter administration all over again.

Thank you Mr. Obama...

Conservative's period of gloom and despair over Barack Obama's election are giving way to feelings of hope and optimism. Thanks to Mr. Obama,it looks like there may be a significant shift of power back to the other side of the aisle in the 2010 elections. there is no room for complacency, and there will be much tough campaigning between now and then, but conservatives should take heart that real Hope and Change may be on its way.

If you were to go into a laboratory to create the perfect foil for conservative ideals and values, it would be Barack Obama. In him the conservative movement has received a wonderful gift. He has forced conservatives to get back to their ideological roots, to return to the fundamentals of the cause and to more clearly articulate their divergence from liberalism.

And no, conservatives are not racists. There are hundreds of African-American men and women in this country that would make great Presidents. Unfortunately, Barack Obama is not one of them. Levying charges of racism for criticizing him is a cheap shot and an intellectual cop out.

This is a center/right country. There are those on the fringe, but the majority of Americans are somewhere right of center. The main reason that Barack Obama was elected was that he was not George Bush. He was elected by Democrats, Independents and Republicans that had some reservations about his politics and associations, but felt that those were outweighed by his promise of "hope and change".

Many of these folks have now discovered that they made a mistake. Barack Obama is off the scale to the left. Besides the fact that he is apparently in over his head from a managerial standpoint, most of his policies and ideas are outlandish. From healthcare reform to cap and trade to a host of others, people are beginning to understand that his policies will be a disaster for the working men and women of this country. If you are filthy rich or dirt poor, you may survive Obama's schemes. If you are anything in between these two extremes, you are in trouble.

Conservatives will not have to spend as much money next year coming up with clever campaign ads, all they will have to do is show clips of Barack Obama. So, thank you Mr. Obama. Keep up the good work.

A Little Feminist Outrage, Please

The citizen journalist expose of ACORN has revealed that the liberal front of "Community Organizers" is no friend to women. ACORN workers failed to condemn the objectification of women through prostitution. To the contrary, ACORN employees advised how to evade the tax and housing laws to allow a pimp to maximize his profits through illegal government subsidies.

Even worse, ACORN workers expressed no shock, no qualms about the importation of illegal immigrants, including children, to perform sex acts that could include abuse. That is, the ACORN employee confronted the possibility of conduct that was not just prostitution but a form of enslavement.

Where are the feminists? Why are they not rising up to condemn ACORN's willingness to aid and abet the exploitation of women and young girls?

Bin Laden Plugs Jimmy Carter's Book

Former President Jimmy Carter's anti-Semitic rant against Israel received a thumb's up from Osama bin Laden. It should be noted that Carter published his book a year and a half ago; apparently Amazon's shipping to the caves of the Khyber Pass is backlogged.

Here's how the New York Times reviewed Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” Carter

simply offers a narrative that is largely unsympathetic to Israel. Israeli bad faith fills the pages. Hollow statements by Israel’s enemies are presented without comment. Broader regional developments go largely unexamined. In other words, whether or not Carter is right that most Americans have a distorted view of the conflict, his contribution is to offer a distortion of his own.

It is a rare thing when the Paper of Record pans America's Worst President. Fortunately for Carter, bin Laden -- who has more followers than the Times has readers -- chose to "help" book sales. Here's the Times on bin Laden's review of Carter's book:

While the voice on the tape does not mention this book by name, it calls on Americans to “read what your former president, Carter, wrote regarding Israeli racism against our people in Palestine,” in a characterization of the book that goes beyond Mr. Carter’s own language.

President Barack Obama must be filled with Hope that bin Laden does not decide to endorse Obama's two books.

Sen. Cornyn Gives GOP Weekly Address

Sen. John Cornyn gave the Republicans Weekly Address. He discussed Afghanistan and health care reform.

His remarks in support of President Barack Obama as our Commander-in-Chief -- assuring Obama of Republican support to win the war on terror in Afghanistan -- contrast with the limp support that Obama receives from his own party (not to mention the lack of support Democrats gave the Bush administration).

“The terrorists who attacked us on 9-11 enjoyed safe haven in Afghanistan – and that’s why winning in Afghanistan remains so important.

“The Afghan people, like the American people, are tired of war. But they do not want their country returned to the control of religious extremists. And neither do we.

“President Obama has renewed America’s commitment to Afghanistan. He has the right civilian and military leadership in place. These leaders are developing a campaign plan based on the successful ‘surge’ strategy that worked in Iraq.

“Our troops and their commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan deserve broad bipartisan support. And they will have it.

“Republicans will support the deployment of additional troops – if requested by our commanders – as well as the resources our troops need to be successful as they attempt to deny safe haven to al Qaeda. Republicans will not waver in our support for our forces in the field – or President Obama – as he fulfills his responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief to protect the American people.

“On Afghanistan, President Obama has shown the kind of leadership he promised during the campaign – he’s built consensus and earned bipartisan support.

On the issue of health care, Cornyn expressed disappointment over the administration's unwillingness to listen to Republican ideas or the concerns of the American people:

“At town halls and public events across the nation, the American people are asking the right questions about health care reform. They’re asking:

- How can Washington lower health care costs by spending trillions of dollars more over the next ten years?

- How can Washington cut $500 billion from Medicare without reducing benefits for seniors?

- And how can a new government plan keep insurers honest when our existing entitlement programs are riddled with waste, fraud, and abuse?

“The President told us Wednesday night that ‘there remain some significant details to be ironed out.’ He wasn’t kidding.

“The most significant detail is the cost of his plan – and its impact on our long-term budget deficit. When you start counting in 2013, the first full year of implementation, the cost of the House bill comes to about $2.4 trillion over 10 years, according to the Senate Budget Committee.

“So instead of a top-down plan that will bust the budget, President Obama should work with Republicans on a bottom-up solution that the American people can support.

“Republicans want to save Medicare and Medicaid from bankruptcy by offering more choices to beneficiaries and by making providers compete for their business. Republicans want to expand access and lower the costs of private insurance by expanding competition at the state level. Republicans also want common-sense medical liability reform that eliminates junk lawsuits against doctors and hospitals. We need to put an end to jackpot justice and frivolous lawsuits, as well as the practice of defensive medicine.

Dr. Dan Practices On The Gov. & Mrs. Gov.

Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Senator wannabe Dr. Dan Mongiardo sharpened his medical skills by giving a flu shot to Governor Steve Beshear and First Lady Jane Beshear, according to WHAS11.

Beshear places a lot of trust in the guy who would become governor in the event that Beshear becomes, um, incapacitated.

Dr. Dan will have plenty of time to practice medicine after the Democratic primary.

September 11, 2009

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell spoke today to honor the victims of Flight 93 who perished eight years ago today.

“It is an honor to be here today with family members of the brave heroes of Flight 93, whose important place in history will now be forever memorialized here.

“We will never forget their sacrifice, nor the sacrifices of so many others on that sad day.

“In the life of a nation, some moments are worth remembering. Others are impossible to forget. September 11, 2001, is both. With each passing year, the day becomes more distant, but the memories do not.

“Some remember a warm smile, a last goodbye, a wave from the departure gate, the color of a dress or a tie.

“Others remember hearing about a friend, or the friend of a friend, and contemplating the horrible details. And all of us remember exactly where we were the moment we realized what had happened, and exactly what we did on that day eight years ago.

“For many of us here, we did the same thing we’re doing now. We stood together here at the Capitol to show our solidarity with one another, with the victims, and with the rest of a nation stunned but not silenced by the face of evil. Our hearts were broken, but our spirits were not. And united in purpose, we resolved to confront those who had done these things, even as we comforted the families and friends of those to whom they were done.

“Eight years later, that confrontation continues. In far-off places, brave Americans are still inspired by the sacrifices of the victims of 9/11. Today, we also honor them.

“We will never forget those who died on September 11^th, 2001, — those whose lives ended in a flash, or those who gave their lives that day so that others might live.

“All of these people hold a permanent place in our hearts, and in the story of our nation. That story is still unfolding. But we know the theme. It’s the same today as it always was: ordinary men and women pursuing their dreams, coming together in moments of crisis with the kind of heroism and sacrifice that people will speak of for centuries. Today we remember the men and women of 9/11 knowing that they will never be forgotten.”

God bless the family of these patriots.

The President should not be called a liar, but.....

First, let it be said that Joe Wilson's outburst at the President's address to congress was totally inappropriate. He said "You're lying!" in reference to the issue of insuring illegal aliens under the proposed healthcare reform. Such behavior simply cannot be tolerated by a representative in such a venue.

That being said, it must also be pointed out that because Barack Obama says something, that does not automatically make it true. He can say that illegals won't be insured, that the plan won't add to the deficit or that there will be no "death panels", but that does not mean that they are true statements.

Technically, there is language in HR 3200 that says no illegal aliens will receive benefits under the bill. Practically, there are many ways that they will be able to gain benefits.

The statement that the plan will not add to the deficit is laughable. It will add billions to the deficit and no honest, rational human being can say otherwise with a straight face (except for Barack Obama, I guess)

As to "death panels", no, there won't be panels of grim reapers in black robes telling Mrs. Smith that it is time to die. There will be well groomed, efficient bureaucrats effectively making the same rationing decisions in much more subtle and nuanced ways.

Technically, you cannot call the President a liar, because everything he talked about is prospective. Still, any thinking person can read HR 3200 and see clearly that if it is passed, much of what the President said will prove to be false. At that point, we still won't call him a liar, just gravely mistaken.

Too Little, Too Late

An entire nation waited and waited and waited for President Barack Obama to begin his speech -- much like we will wait for health care if 30 - 45 million people are suddenly added to the system. We received no apology or explanation for the delay.

And we received little in the way of specifics. The notion that Democrats' health care plan will not add one dime to the deficit is laughable. Are we really to believe that there is $ 900 billion in waste and abuse? There must be a lot of Medicare Cheats shaking in their hospital gowns today, a lot of underemployed bureaucrats quaking in their cubicles.

The Democrats' plan to pay for their plan assumes that so many of the governments' own employees are useless, and so many Medicare recipients are swindlers, that those people waste and abuse nearly a trillion dollars. It is an insult not just to the groups singled out but to the intelligence of the American people.

Now as for the bozo who called the president a liar in the middle of his speech, shame on you. Somebody, challenge this guy to a primary. The Big Tent is not big enough for that rudeness.

NRCC Welcomes Back Dems

The National Republican Congressional Committee has a new video that features Congressman John Yarmuth and colleagues at the summer town halls. Yarmuth gets included for his now viral clip: "The question is, how are we going to pay for it? I don't kow."

In fairness to Yarmuth, he clarified in a letter to the Courier-Journal that he does not know how we are going to pay for the sum total of the reckless spending that culminates in the deficit.

But when it comes to health care, he does know how to pay for it: by socking it to the rich. The problem with Yarmuth's plan is that he defines rich as those making more than $500,000. Many small businesses file as individuals. A business that makes $500,000 is big enough to keep a few people employed. It is not big enough to pay for nationalized health care. Indeed, forcing these business to pay any more taxes or endure any more government regulation will just worsen unemployment.

One other point on the NRCC video. It seems clear that many of the angry voters are conservative. It would be a mistake, however, for the party to assume that because they are hostile to the Democrats' plan that these people are Republican. Whether these people vote Republican will depend on whether the Republican party returns to and adheres to conservative principles.

Get Well, Rand Paul

WHAS is reporting that U.S. Senate hopeful Dr. Rand Paul has been hospitalized but is expected to make a full recovery. We add our prayers that he gets well soon.

What Kentucky Will Pay For Cap and Tax

Most of us who do not work in the energy industry understand in general terms that the Democrats' Waxman-Markey energy plan,"Cap and Trade," will raise our energy costs. Here are some specifics from Americans For Tax Reform on what Kentuckians will pay -- and what we will lose -- if this becomes law:

According to a study by Karen Campbell, Ph.D. and David Kreutzer, Ph.D. at the Heritage Foundation, Kentucky will suffer the following losses in 2012 as a result of Cap and Tax:

• A decline in Gross State Product of -$1,811,910,000
• Total Personal Income Loss of -$2,313,260,000
• Non-Farm Job losses of -21,942

An update to the Heritage Foundation’s study further shows an:

• Increase in Electricity Prices from 2012-2035 of $567.51 per household.
• Increase in Gas Prices from 2012-2035 of $0.65 per gallon.

Kentucky would lose billions of dollars and 20,000 plus non-farm jobs. Our state is too poor and too small to take that kind of a hit. Perhaps the most extraordinary thing about how Cap and Tax would affect Kentucky is that unlike a natural disaster, this is a disaster that a Democratic Congress and Administration would inflict on us. Thankfully, this is a disaster that we can avert.

Trey Grayson On Israel

Recently I raised the issue of how the candidates for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate view America's relationship with Israel. Both Dr. Rand Paul and Secretary of State Trey Grayson favor low taxes, limited government and an end to the profligate spending that fuels our deficits. That economic conservatism is necessary to win the GOP primary, but it is not, in my view sufficient. As voters, we must understand how the candidates view foreign policy, including our alliance with Israel as Iran develops its nuclear weapons.

Dr. Rand Paul's campaign responded by stating that he supports Israel: "Israel is a friend of America, he supports all allies with the United States." His statement was unequivocal but bereft of nuance or details. It's early in the campaign, and we look forward to hearing more from him on this and other issues.

Trey Grayson responded by noting that he has been to Israel twice and has written extensively about his travels. Grayson's "Face Book" friends received a contemporaneous diary of his 2008 trip to Israel with AIPAC. Plainly, Grayson has spent considerable time researching and reflecting on the Mid-East. The diary is 20 pages and makes for fascinating reading; his campaign should include it on his website.

Below is an excerpt of his 2008 diary, unedited for typos and grammatical errors -- just his raw reaction to what he saw in Gaza:

This part of the country (or at least the part closer to Gaza) reminds me of Kentucky. It has

rolling hills and is very agricultural. . . .Like many of the small towns in Kentucky, they are struggling with a lack of industry. Of course, there is one big difference. In Kentucky, our farmers and factory workers don't need to be on the look out for rocket and mortar fire from their neighbors.

I want to give you some background on Gaza itself. Gaza is a heavily populated area with 1.5 million residents squeezed into a small urban area on the Mediterranean Sea. We visited a lookout point near a

reservoir. We were outside of sniper range but inside of rocket range. In fact, there was scarring along the wall of the reservoir from a Qassam rocket that landed only a few hundred feet from where we

were. There was an older outlook closer to Gaza, but some Canadian visitors were shot at by snipers. As a result, no one goes to that lookout anymore.

From the lookout, you can see Israeli spy balloons. There also unmanned drones that fly around point cameras into Gaza. Quite often, Israel cameras will see terrorists using children as human shields

near the rocket launcher, or shooting the rockets from civilian areas, or both, to deter Israel from retaliating.

Prior to Israel's 2005 unilateral disengagement from Gaza (more on that in a second) 6,000 Israelis lived in settlements on Gaza. There were also 20-30,000 IDF troops in and around Gaza. After

disengagement, all of the settlers were moved out and their homes were bulldozed by Israel (so the Palestinians could build what they wanted on the land), and all troops withdrew to the borders. Israel still

sells power and fuel to the area, and it controls the borders tightly. This is called "disengagement". (Of course, the terrorists use the electricity to build rockets that they then fire at the Israeli power

plant that produces the electricity for Gaza residents as well as the southern third of Israel, but I am getting ahead of myself.)

Originally, the area was controlled by the Palestinian Authority, and this was viewed as a test for the unilateralism theory championed by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The idea was that, absent a strong

Palestinian government or authority with which to negotiate, Israel would set its own borders and hope that the Palestinians would be able to govern themselves and that this was the best way to achieve peace.

The hope was that this would help to reduce the suicide bombers and rocket attacks by removing Israeli control over the area. After all, this was rationale the Palestinians cited for such attacks.

Five days after disengagement, the first Qassam rockets fell on Israeli soil, even before Hamas forcibly took control of Gaza in 2006. When Hamas took control, it has only worsened. In fact, until last week's cease-fire, rockets were fired almost daily. When a rocket is fired, bomb sirens start to sound, giving you about 20 second at most to get to seek shelter

Qassam rockets are more or less hand made using agricultural products that everyone has as explosive materials. They have essentially no accuracy, which isn't a big deal for someone wanting to inflict terror

and have about a ten-mile range.

Israel erected a fence-only security barrier (no solid walls) along the border in 1994 to little protests. It worked well, with almost no penetration by suicide bombers. But the barrier doesn't stop snipers or rockets.

Grayson described meeting a young Israeli mother who had lived in Gaza. What she told him so disturbed him that it kept him awake at night:

At the lookout, we met with a woman named Tamar. She has a PhD and used to live in a settlement with her husband two children (both boys). She liked the settlement. It had good schools, was quite safe
and a good quiet place to live. The Israelis and Palestinians usually lived in harmony and had joint festivals. After disengagement, she and her family moved to Kibbutz Carmia, just a few miles outside of
Gaza. In theory, unlike most residents in the areas around Gaza, she and her family could move because they are professionals. They choose not to (more below).

Here are a few of Tamar's stories:

While in Gaza, before disengagement but after the Second Intifada started, the daughter of her next door neighbor daughter was murdered by terrorist. She and her boyfriend where shot while walking down a
street. The girl tried to hide behind a bush, but the terrorists tracked her down and shot her several more times until they were sure she was dead.

Also, while in Gaza, her husband slept with rifle next to bed, and they had a room with all concrete rooms, a "safe place". When the moved to Carmia, they moved to a trailer provided by the Israeli
government. Once they moved in, her son started patting down the walls, Tamar was wondering what he was doing. Once he had patted all the walls, he turned to her and said Mom, there is no safe place here.
The walls are too thin.

Even though she moved out of Gaza, because of the fear of rocket attacks, Tamar can't go to bathroom when the kids are home. She won't be able to get out in time and get the kids to the bomb shelter. She
has to give her children baths, so she will be near them if the bomb sirens go off. She has to shut off the faucet when soaping so she can hear the alarms. Her older son's epilepsy has gotten worse since
disengagement.

One day, she was driving with her two children and the bomb sirens started sounding. Knowing she didn't have enough time to get out of the car, unbuckle the kids and get to a shelter in the twenty or so
seconds that you have once the siren sounds, she instead put her car in park, unbuckled her own belt and covered up her kids to shield them, thus exposing herself. Her younger son, who might have been four at the time, asked her why she did that. She tried to deflect by saying she loved her sons and just wanted to give them a hug. He wouldn't buy it, and said, "I know why you did that. Don't lay over
me next time."

When she and her husband were deciding whether to move away from Qassam range, her younger son (age seven) urged them to stay. He said, Mom, when we moved out of Gaza they moved in. If we moved out the kibbutz, they will move there. If we move to Jerusalem, they will try to force us out. So let's stay and fight. That's what they did.

After speaking with Tamar, we drove through the town of Sderot, which has been the victim of thousands of rocket attacks over the past few years. Several bus stops had concrete bomb shelters. The town looked
pretty much like any other small town in Kentucky, but the residents have a very different life. The residents are growing more and more angry with the Israeli government for not doing more to help their
plight. They feel like the government doesn't care about the folks in the rural areas as much anyway, and if rockets were falling closer to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, more would be done.

Most Israelis know that military action is imminent. The status quo cannot be maintained. They know that many IDF soldiers will die. And while many Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists will die, so will
many civilians. And the international community will be blame Israel for those deaths. If only those "experts" could talk to Tamar.

Grayson's travels included visits to the Knesset, meetings with people who briefed President Barack Obama on his trip to Israel and tours of ancient archaeological sites. When Grayson describes his visits to the Gethsemane and other places pivotal to Christianity, he conveys the spiritual significance to him personally.

It is therefore fitting that Grayson ends his travelogue to Israel by quoting Psalm 122: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

Senate Poll Looks Good For Grayson

The Daily Kos (via Page One) has a new poll on Kentucky's U.S. Senate race, and Secretary of State Trey Grayson must be pleased:

In the Democratic primary, Dan Mongiardo beats Jack Conway 37 -30; "other" polls 15. For the life of me, I do not understand why Democrats prefer Mongiardo; I can only attribute this to hostility to Conway's hometown, Louisville.

For Republicans, Grayson beats Dr. Rand Paul 40 -25; "other" polls 18. This is a weaker showing for Paul than the last SUSA poll. This race may well tighten when Paul starts to spend some of the proceeds from his "money bomb."

In a general election race between Mongiardo and Grayson, Grayson wins 45 - 41. If Grayson opposes Conway, Grayson's lead improves to 46-40.

If Rand Paul wins the Republican nomination, Mongiardo wins 42 - 37 and Conway wins 41 - 37.

Therefore, at this point, Grayson looks like the GOP's best candidate for keeping this seat.

The poll has a four percent margin of error and was taken August 31-September 2.

Meet Charlie's Newest Angel: Ben Chandler

CBS News has dubbed Congressman Ben Chandler as one of "Charlie's Angels" -- as in Charlie Rangel. It seems that Chandler accepted campaign contributions from Rangel, who is being investigated by the House Ethics Committee. Chandler sits on the Ethics Committee that is investigating Rangel for failing to report $ 4 million in outside income.

The conflict of interest could not be clearer: Chandler needs to return Rangel's donation, or resign from the committee.

MR. YARMUTH MEETS HIS CONSTITUENTS

Last night Congressman Yarmuth finally met with his constituents at Central High School.

Cindy and I arrived about 5:05 and pulled in front of Central High School. We were greeted by a line going all the way down Chestnut Street to the next street east. The line was rather disappointing in as I thought we were already too late to gain entrance for the 6:30pm meeting. We both decided to see this through. I dropped Cindy off to hold our place at the end of the line and I parked two blocks away. Really no big deal.

I walked back with a man that was from Chicago and his brother was a good friend of “Barry” Obama and he had some interesting stories so I invited him to stand in line with us and we shared nice conversations. The line took about a half hour to get to security where we emptied our pockets and some were scanned while others were told to proceed on. At the next station we were told we could fill out forms to ask questions and then we could proceed to the auditorium. Filling out forms to ask questions before I had heard the Congressman speak seemed a little strange. In any case I passed since I had the chance of having one of my questions asked at another venue.

Once in the auditorium we were left to observe the people filing in. Above the stage was a banner “Working for Louisville by Listening to You”. I found this laughable after the several weeks of calling Yarmuth’s office, writing letters, calling his office, standing in protest in front of his office, calling his office, and inviting myself into meetings he held that I only caught whispers of their existence.

Interestingly enough there were a lot of union groups, in their appropriate tee shirts. Most of them were in the front of the auditorium and had good seats. Three members of SEIU were sitting behind me. Dressed in their appropriate tee shirts I heard them talking union talk and at one point one got up to take a picture of them and then stated “well now we have proof that we were here”. This implied to me that they were mandated to attend but I am accused of being a skeptic so form your own opinion.

There must have been many with my same experience since at 6:35 the crowd started clapping in unison calling for the meeting to start. They realized that not having a chance to meet with the Congressman they did not want to lose any valuable time and demanding their chance to meet with their Congressman.

John walks out on the stage to a round of applause but an equal amount of boos and people expressing their dissatisfaction. Now I don’t approve of booing a person or even a visiting team but it certainly set a mood for the evening.

Francene, the moderator, laid out the ground rules and asked the audience to hold their boos and yelling and to be respectful.

John starts out with an impromptu survey asking several questions that lead to a positive or yes response. Questions like should insurance companies cancel people once the come down with major problems. Of course everyone answered with positive responses but he did not ask the question “do you think the government can take care of this?”

I think John thinks he did a good job of “herding the audience” with his survey but the first question asked enforced the opinion that many in the audience were not in favor of this proposed bill. The first question was cheered by the audience and John’s response was booed. Now I need to mention that at this point I think booing is OK. In fact it was necessary to let the Congressman know how dissatisfied his constituents are. If we all sat very quietly and only applauded the items we agreed with and then sat silently while the others applauded the responses they liked then all the Congressman would hear is the applause and not any dissatisfaction. So this was an appropriate time for the American people from both sides to speak up and exercise their rights.

I actually witnessed one man get upset at a person that was being vocal and he confronted him. This is sad since in this venue you are bound to hear things that you don’t agree with but you can’t try to suppress others just because you don’t agree. If it aggravates you too much then you can either sit and steam or leave but not confront.

All in all it was an invigorating meeting, I left comfortable that those opposed to the Congressman’s view were heard. John had a very rough night. One that he had not experienced at the three prior meetings I had attended. I left the Town Hall meeting feeling that I have done everything possible to try to prevent this bill from happening. If it still passes and is a mess I can honestly say I did my best.

At the Democratic Club John basically stated that he is going to vote for this in one form or the other no matter how his constituents feel. (He stated they were misinformed by the media), we need to remember that American is a Republic, not a full democracy. We vote our representative in office to vote for us as they see fit. John is certainly doing this. He has every right to vote his heart instead of the opinion of his constituents. The only thing we can do now is to put someone forward that will beat John Yarmuth in the next run for the 3rd Congressional District of Kentucky.

Lets Roll!

An Honest Politician

When politicians are honest, they should be commended. Congressman John Yarmuth deserves a kudo for one of his answers at last night's townhall meeting at Central High School.

When asked how we were going to pay for healthcare reform, he answered: "I don't know".

Mr. Yarmuth, the truth will set you free....

Here's the YouTube clip.

Quick Reaction to Yarmuth's Town Hall

Congressman John Yarmuth has to be commended for entering the lion's den that was 1,400 people at Central High School -- roughly 70 percent of whom oppose the Democrats' plan to nationalize health care.

He had a few gaffes (more on that in the a.m.), but all in all, Yarmuth handled himself with humor, humility and patience with a crowd that I really wish had not booed (seriously, can't we show our displeasure with stony silence or something other than booing?) With the exception of a few hecklers (on both sides) and the booing (again, on both sides) the crowd was generally courteous.

Francene Cucinello did a superb job as moderator. She kept the pace moving, which allowed more people to ask questions, and she followed up when Yarmuth failed to answer.

The biggest story for Republicans was the reaction to a question about the need for the federal government to obey the Constitution. The point, in essence, is that we are a government of enumerated and hence limited powers. The crowd's reaction shows that there is a growing demand for limited government that obeys the Constitution as written, rather than as fantasized by those who see it as a "living document." The implication is the candidacy of Dr. Rand Paul and his ideological compatriots is no fluke. Establishment Republicans need to understand that there is a burgeoning segment of voters who will no longer tolerate using the Commerce Clause and the like as a jumping off point for all sorts of legislation.

Yarmuth is still wrong on health care and many other issues; more on that later. But I do commend him for showing up. It's too bad that Yarmuth's initial fear of town halls kept him from hosting one earlier. And it's too bad that he was worried enough about how it would all turn out that he wouldn't let ordinary citizens video tape the event -- just fancy media types.

Oh, Dear

U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has hired only one law clerk instead of the usual four clerks allowed to active justices. That almost certainly means that the 89-year old justice has decided to retire -- giving the Obama administration the opportunity to nominate another Wise [fill in the blank of your favorite identity group].

Marilyn Parker Will Run Against Yarmuth

Congressman John Yarmuth has a Republican opponent -- already. Marilyn Parker has announced she will challenge Yarmuth for the 3rd Congressional District. Mrs. Parker is a nurse and has been active in the "tea party" movement. She pledges on her website to serve no more than four terms.

You can meet her at this Saturday's "tea party," September 5th at 3:30 at Old Louisville's Central Park (4th and Ormsby).

H/t: Page One

Talking Points From Moveon.org For Tonight's Town Hall

Moveon.org apparently has given up on protesting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now that they are the Democrats' problem. In a last gasp effort to remain relevant, therefore, Moveon.org has turned to the health care debate.

But Moveon.org does not trust that it's members are smart enough to know what to say at the town halls: they might get out-Foxed by those birthers! So Moveon.org has helpfully formulated a script. In fact, Moveon.org does not even trust its members to know how to write a protest sign, so it has three on its website that the lazy protester can print out. Look for these tonight at Congressman John Yarmuth's town hall at Central High School (doors open at 5:00):

Here are some signs to print out and bring to a town hall:

"Public Option = Affordable Health Care" sign

"Public Option: Increases Choice, Reduces Cost sign

"83% Support the Public Option" sign

There's also a script of suggested questions:

Here are a few ideas you can use to ask a question at the town hall:

1. I'm here to urge you to push for passage of a health care reform plan with a real public health insurance option as soon as you head back to Washington. It's critical for controlling skyrocketing costs and guaranteeing security for all of us.


2. Our health care system is broken—costs are skyrocketing and too many people can't afford coverage. The heart of President Obama's health care plan—the public health insurance option—is the key to fixing those problems.


3. We need action now. The cost of inaction is too high—every day that we delay, 14,000 Americans lose their insurance¹and nearly 2,500 file for bankruptcy because of medical costs². And costs continue to spiral out of control: average family premiums will hit $22,000 a year in the next decade.³


4. With a real public option, costs will start to go down and millions of individuals, families, and small businesses will have access to high-quality, affordable health insurance. And no matter what happens to our jobs or our health, a public option will always be there for us. Will you fight to make sure a real public health insurance option is included in health care reform this year?

Note that numbers one-three are not even questions -- more like a slobbering kiss for a liberal Congressperson.

I am not including any fake signs for your to print out. Nor am I giving you any fake non-questions to ask. Unlike the Democrats, I have faith that Americans are smart; you know what to say.

Say Cheese for Yarmuth

Congressman John Yarmuth's office will require those who want to attend tonight's town hall meeting at Central High School to show identification to prove that they live in this Congressional district.

It is understandable that Yarmuth wants to make sure that his constituents aren't turned away because Cindy Sheehan and her friends (assuming she has some) have taken all the seats.

Now that Yarmuth has awakened to the utility of identification, it is time for him to support legislation that requires voters to show photo IDs before voting in federal elections. Democrats have stonewalled such legislation for years under the guise that it suppresses the vote of legitimate, qualified voters. To the contrary, Republicans don't want to prevent any legitimate voters from exercising their constitutional rights. We just don't want the poll workers to see dead people voting (over and over).

If showing ID is an appropriate safeguard for Yarmuth's town hall meeting, surely it is also appropriate for the even more important exercise of democray: casting a ballot.

Yarmuth meets the Doctors

Last night I was invited by Dr. Brooks Jackson, a local urologist, to attend a meeting with Congressman John Yarmuth and invited doctors at Baptist East Hospital’s auditorium. Dr. Jackson invited me and a mutual friend to attend. Unfortunately my mutual friend whom I won’t name at this time gave me a start time of 6:00 when the meeting actually started at 5:00pm. Now Stuart Haseker is generally a really nice guy so we can’t begrudge him too much for his intentions are always honorable and that is why I won’t mention his name.

So always being prompt, I arrived at 5:30pm for the meeting expecting to be early. I found the auditorium doors closed and the hallways empty so I knew I had made it on time. I pushed on the door to be greeted by one of Congressman Yarmuth’s staff and John speaking to the “good doctors”. At this time I am totally confused but realize the meeting has started so I to find a seat in the back.

In the two previous meetings, John has mentioned that he is not holding a lot of town hall meetings since they seem to be disruptive and antagonizing. He mentioned at the Democratic Club meeting held last week held at the American Legion that he can generally tell if the audience is receptive or not and they obviously were receptive at the Democratic Club. At the GLI meeting Friday, I could not tell how most of the crowd felt.

Last night was a different crowd John had to contend with. My First Impression was John was not in the presence of a friendly crowd.

As I sat down I could almost feel the tension in the room. There was a screen behind John with the slide America’s Affordability Health Choices Act. Quality Affordable Health Care with the bullet points:

. Provides funding to help, recruit, train, and retain
. Creates and expand new scholarships and loan repayment programs
. Doubles the National Health Service Corps
. Graduate Medical Education Act of 2007

But none of these items were in the discussion.

To be honest the Doctors were grilling him. I can’t say that this was the typical scene that you see at town hall meetings on TV but I can attest that most of the Doctors did not like what they were hearing. (Quite frankly I think Yarmuth didn’t like what he was hearing) Most of the doctors were stating their individual problems as examples of what they did not like about the bill and they were even making suggestions for the bill. At this point a frustrated Yarmuth asked “What would you like us to do?”

I bet the reader will have a hard time guessing the doctor’s most important suggestion. Well it was Tort Reform. When this was brought up John said, “Well we can look at that too”. I found this remark rather disingenuous since in 1100 pages of this bill there is no mention of Tort Reform. One doctor actually started quoting the problems by page number and paragraph items he had problems with. Yarmuth basically said “he is reading from a sheet of paper” which at this point the doctor raised up a stack of paper which was the whole bill. To say this doctor had not done his homework would be foolish. To be honest I think John was out of his league at this meeting. Several times after suggestions to change the bill John kept saying, “Well, we can do that too or we can look into that too”

One doctor actually brought up the point that this bill would override the many years of education that she had and the many years of experience she had and put the decisions in the hands of the likes of government bureaucrats and insurance companies. Who truly do not know the implications of the medical field. I believe it was the same doctor that suggested that they just do a little bit at a time and see how that works before revamping the whole bill. Like taking on catastrophic care first and watch that for a while and then trying something else etc. Again John mentioned “We can look into that too.”

John also brought up the support of the AMA (American Medical Association) and received an overall reaction from the audience which seemed to me to be laughable. John responded by saying he knew that the AMA only represented about 20% of the doctors population to which several calls from the audience stated more like 18 % and then 16%. One doctor also asked from the audience, by a show of hands, how many were currently actively involved or had been involved with membership to the AMA. Three doctors out of the 150-200 that I estimated to be there raised their hands.

I realize I am bias and I try to paint an unbiased report as I attend these meetings but I must say this meeting was the most negative meeting against the current Health Care Bill as proposed by Congress that John has attended. It is important to note that the doctors were very civil but were also demonstrative in their negative opinion of the bill.

See you tomorrow at Central High School. Arrive early and make sure you bring an ID.