I drive through Wheatland on my way into Fort Worth.  Wheatland has a big, fat billboard supporting the TTC.  It has a rancher/cowboy smiling, as though he is happy about this.  It says it will create jobs, improve emergency evacuations, and lessen traffic.
They are right.  It WILL create jobs, most likely for more illegal aliens, and fatten the back pockets of the investors and foreign interests.  It will aid those in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and the Red River counties to evacuate from ALL the hurricanes that make landfall in those areas.  It will have less traffic on it because no one will use it, except for the trucks from Mexico and Canada.
Indeed the TTC is a wonderful thing.  Taking beautiful grass and tree covered lands used by cattle and other livestock, AND OWNED BY  SOMEONE ELSE, in order to replace it with cold, hard pavement, a rail line,  pipelines, billboards, and more strip centers is a grand idea.  These strip centers will no doubt be filled with your typical Payless Shoes, Hallmark cardshop, Jose's Taqueria Grande, and the $1.25 Drycleaner.  Sam Houston knows, we can't have enough of those.
The rancher clearly on the billboard is not one of those that will be losing his land.  Perhaps the sign should tell the truth.  Less ranchlands, more roadside eyesores, and yet another toll road.

 

With all due respect for the contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the civil rights movement, I cannot help but think that his role was not as important as one other man’s. Indeed, King did help drive the movement toward victory, but one man got the ball rolling. This one man set the stage for King, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, and the outrage of the Emmitt Till case. Yet, we do not celebrate this man’s birthday. His name rarely comes up if only as a side note when discussing the demise of segregation.

This man stepped into history when he took a national stage in the 1940’s, the decade before the above mentioned individuals obtained real recognition. His trek against the color barrier was broadcast into the homes of not just black America, but all America. He stood up to racism and threats of violence from not only strangers, but from colleagues in his own profession. He turned the other cheek, though he wished he could lash out. He knew if he did, the “experiment” would come to an end. Looking back, had he spoken out too soon, the movement could have been pushed back several decades. We may never have celebrated the life and times of a Martin Luther King, Jr. or a Rosa Parks. Our schools could have remained segregated well into the 70’s or 80’s. His “job” was the national pastime. His stage was Ebbetts Field. His name was Jackie Robinson.

Baseball was the nation’s sport in the 1940’s. Major League Baseball was broadcast on radio throughout America. It was king. However, it was also lily-white. That was until Brooklyn Dodger’s general manager Branch Rickey introduced Jackie Robinson to America in 1947. Though football had somewhat desegregated several years before, it did not have the sort of affect baseball’s move did. This was where America’s heroes could be found, it’s larger than life legends like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Lou Gehrig. Now, here came this infielder from Georgia, a black man, something the game had not seen for almost seventy years, stepping onto the field. More important than the fact that he was there was that he was good, and maintained his temper against the hate spewed at him. A Rookie of the Year, an All-Star, and the man that broke the color barrier, not just in baseball, but throughout America.

Robinson opened the gate for King and others. It is Robinson that paved the way. He should be remembered more so than he is. His number may have been retired by baseball, but his contribution to our society is more far-reaching than on the diamond. Maybe it is because he was not as eloquent a speaker as King. Maybe he did not have the commanding presence of others in the movement. Nonetheless, as stated, we may never have heard of King had Robinson not brought the race issue to the forefront and into the lives and homes of so many. King was great, but we should be celebrating Jackie Robinson's birthday.

I don't like the mission our troops are going on.  Clear and secure is what we did before, but with little success due to a lack of troops.  Will this be enough?  I don't know.  Should we use the 21,500 to go after al-Sadr and his goons?  I'd like to see it, but I am not a military expert.  Should we have more trainers in the region to better prepare the police and military?  Yes.  I think it would help us move closer to our exit of the nation.  But, yet again, I am no expert.  By the way, cutting funds would only hurt our troops.

I do know we cannot leave Iraq in shambles, like it is right now.  I say they have a year to get it together, and if not, then we should go, at least to buy time and lick our wounds.  If we leave too early, Iraq will be overrun by al-Qaeda and possibly Iran.  They will have access to the oil and will sell it to build their arsenal and military.  They may even truly gain access to nukes.  When that happens, what's next?  We will have return to the region to stop these groups.

The war has been a debacle, partly because of us, but mainly because the Iraqis and the international community have done little to help.  Right now, we do have some in Iraq, whether Sunni, Shia, or Kurd, who do work with us and support what we have done.  We are fighting those that do not agree with what we did.  These current supporters will either turn against us, or be killed by those that take Iraq if we leave too soon.

I pray for our troops.  I pray for their success and safety.  I want to see them home soon.  But I want them to see the job through, first.  Iraq must be secured.  It must have a government by and for the people.  It must have a military and police force able to protect and serve the people.  Anything less is too dangerous for all of us.  Too borrow poetry from Johnnie Cochran, "We must secure Iraq, or we'll be back!"

Before I disucss what work the Legion of Doom has done, I must first tell you who and what they are.  Besides the old comic book cast of characters, the Legion is a group of nations across the planet that wish to do evil, mainly to us and the few allies we have left.  The group consists of Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Syria, all terrorist groups, etc.  It is quite the collection.  We can't forget about Palestine and Venezuela.  Some of those countries that have a foot in the door to the Hall of Doom are Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.  Do you see the forces gathering?  Maybe I am just paranoid.

Anyways, the work they do is two-fold.  For one side, they must build their military might.  China, as noted by Condaleeza Rice, has constructed a number of submarines and war planes to go along with its almost 3 million soldier-strong military.  Iran and North Korea continue to pursue nuclear weapons.  Russia continues to pursue energy strengths, that way it can become a mighty economic force and subjugate those countries that will depend on its newly found oil resources.

The second work performed by the Legion on its dual-pronged mission is its membership drive.  Yes, it works in pursuit of dragging in other countries into its hateful ideology.  Once its forces and resources are large enough, the Legion will begin its full out assault on the US, Israel, Japan, and anyone else that will not give in.  Don't think that I consider Japan an ally, but they surely have no love for China, nor for North Korea.  Australia and Canada, it seems, will also be on our side, at least for now.  The UK, which has already begun to ease away from us, will most likely join France and Germany as fencesitters as soon as PM Tony Blair is gone.

The Legion's missionary work continued this last week with Iraq stabbing us in the back by deciding to meet with Iran and Syria.  Both Blair and James Baker III have said it would be a good idea to get those two thug-countries involved in the rebuilding process of our little "situation".  How insane!!!  Of course, they have taken an active role as a stumbling block for Iraq's rebuilding.  Now the Iraqi president has seemly taken the advice of both Blair and Baker and will meet.  Lou Dobbs had posted a poll question on his show asking if we should have initiated the meeting between the countries.  No way!  There should not be a meeting at all.  One of the worries about leaving Iraq is how we will lose face if we leave before the work is done.  Now we may have the right reason to leave:  we were stabbed in the back by Iraqi leadership.  In the end, when you play with poisonous snakes like Legion members Iran and Syria, you will get bitten.

India, as well, is trying to buddy up to the Legion of Doom.  Stepping up trade with China, using part of the nuclear materials and technologies we had just agreed to basically give to them?  It is only fool's gold for India.  When Pakistan is finally overrun by the terrorists that are allowed to inhabit that country, they will turn on India, and China will do nothing.  China will be too busy sending those nuclear materials to North Korea.  Kim Jung Il will continue to pursue his nuclear pipe dreams, as China watches patiently for a new arsenal of nukes, at the same time keeping its hand clean and spouting out nominal rebukes at best toward N. Korea when testing news leaks out.

I hope I am wrong.  I hope that I am just paranoid.  But history, and the words and actions by the various members of the Legion, show me that perhaps I am right.  If so, our nation's leaders need to wake up and get ready.  Stop stretching out our military.  Secure the borders.  I would say that France, Germany, Spain, and the others need to choose a side now, and quick, but that time will come, whether they like it or not.  We need to make the first move before Iran and company do away with our strongest ally, Israel.  If not, if Israel is turned into a smoldering parking lot, we will be the lone military super-power left to battle the Legion of Doom.  Of course, we will fight the good fight, and I pray we will be victorious.  Then again, I pray I am just being paranoid.

If the conservative Republicans wish to take back the party, one of the first groups that needs to go is the Log Cabin Republicans and other gay members of the party.  It's already been rumored about Ken Mehlman's apparent lifestyle choice, and, of course, we've had the Mark Foley scandal.  Jim Kolbe was also an ugly chapter in the party's history.  If this is a party that promotes family values and other moral issues, then we can no longer afford to support these groups.  I am not against the person, but I do oppose the choice of lifestyle they have made.

Bill Maher has promised to out these people.  I say we cut him off at the pass and do it ourselves.  We know that, though they may support much of the party's ideology, they will still try to promote their gay agenda.  That is not acceptable.  If the country is truly "moving" to the right, then let us lead the way.  If we are true supporters of conservatism, we must clean house of the social liberals and the elitists that helped us lose the election of 2006.

For more, tune in to Sully on the Issues on BlogTalkRadio every Friday 9:30-10:30pm CST.

 

I read briefly an article of a complaint logged by an ALIPAC (Americans for Legal Immigration PAC) Democrat complaining about the lack of representation in the group’s candidate endorsements. Well, what did he/she expect? Has he/she not been following the news the last few months? The Pelosi Party loves illegals. Actually, they love all mankind, accept for those that speak out against them or their policies (or lack thereof).

The Complainocrats did not win this election. The Elitists in the Republican Party lost it. How dare they abandon the conservative values that supposedly make up the base!!! What structured policies have the Crats put forward to attract voters? None. Basically the campaign message was "We aren't Republicans!", and that was fine with America. I don't know who was more clueless: The voters who couldn't see the lack of substance in the Democrat campaign, but voted for them anyways, or the Elitists who lost touch with the values of America (and the vote).

Fox News could try to spin it all they want. They keep saying many of the Dems elected are conservatives or moderates. Perhaps, but their leadership is LIBERAL, and when they need that conservative Dem's vote, you know they'll get it. I know I'm sounding like a Complainocrat, but the difference is that I actually have an alternative plan. First, Ken Mehlman must go as RNC chair and be replaced by a conservative, not by an elitist. I think one of these conservative talk hosts would be great, maybe Laura Ingraham, as they actually listen to the people on a daily basis. Second, Donald Rumsfeld must resign, or be fired. I'd like to see Colin Powell in that place, but I doubt that will happen. It must be someone willing to listen to our generals in the Middle East and allow them to do their job. That is only a start but it's a start none the less.

As for illegal immigration, I hope that within the next two years, some common sense enters into the Halls of Congress. Amnesty, Guest Worker Programs...they don't work. The American people don't want it. The Republicans were far too busy fighting against the complaints of War in Iraq to deal with illegal immigration, so that was never truly a factor in this campaign. Just ask Randy Graf. Besides, the elitists are out of touch, as well, with their Guest Worker Programs and other "comprehensive" plans. What a shame! The RNC and elitist republicans should be ashamed of themselves.

Now, more than ever, the following plea has its greatest significance: Please, GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!