Redstate

Last night I flipped to the dems debating for a few minutes and was shocked at how often they mentioned Rudy Giuliani. It was almost as if they watched the republicans debating and how often they mentioned Hillary and thought "they must know something we don't... we better start attacking their frontrunner, too." I don't think they understand WHY the republicans reference Hillary so much. Its because so much of the country is scared to death of a possible second Clinton Presidency (it would be worse with Hillary in charge). Are people really scared of a Rudy Giuliani presidency? I don't plan to vote for the guy, but he certainly doesn't do for dems what Hillary doe for Republicans. Oh well, it was pretty comical. I got a good laugh out of Biden's comment that the only sentences Rudy can put together include a noun, a verb, and a reference to 9/11.

I thought I'd be a social conservative. That oughta scare away all the kids...

I received this in a email... I'd be happy to credit the source if I knew who it was...

www.scottbomb.com
Click here to donate to the Fred Thompson campaign.

Dressing as Johnny Cash... and, dare I say it, I dig the look. May have to trot it out occasionally in the future just for the heck of it, although the black cowboy hat is a bit much :)

"I don't understand why the same newspaper commentators who bemoan the terrible education given to poor people are always so eager to have those poor people get out and vote." - P.J. O'Rourke

I consider myself lucky to have a State Representative that will say it like it is. Since this is an open thread... I thought I would share this:

Lasee’s Notes
October 30, 2007

Turn Back the Hands of Time

Today (or tomorrow depending on when you are reading this) is the day for trick-or-treat and Halloween. I have fond memories of Halloweens growing up, costumes past, my kids costumes, trick-or-treating, and all that candy!

Some years ago, Nanny local governments thought they could improve on the holiday by shifting Halloween to a “safer” time. Many communities hold on to this time-shifting approach. Depending on your community, Halloween trick-or-treating may have occurred last weekend during afternoon daylight hours. At least according to your local government.

Halloween is as good a time as any to ask: What role should our government have in our lives? Is there a limit, should there be a limit? (By the way, don’t forget to turn back your time pieces this weekend. It is later in the year than it used to be, by act of congress. I do like the extra evening light most of the year.)

What happened to parents? Like many parents, I walk with my kids around the neighborhood. We talk, we laugh, and we may even have a scare or two. It is a safe opportunity to say “hello” to neighbors, Halloween gives us an excuse to see our neighbors. It is fun.

Most communities have learned that people don’t want the government to dictate time and place to trick-or-treat. They learned this because their rules were ignored. Some cities persist in setting the time for trick-or-treating. They are often ignored, for some it is an opportunity to trick-or-treat twice. If our Nanny government really wants our attention, then tickets will be issued, fines will be imposed. I wonder how their constituents would respond to this.

With an ancient holiday like Halloween, the rules of the game have been passed down through the generations. Only knock on doors with lights on. When the lights go out, skip the house. When the lights go out in the entire neighborhood, time to go home. This is done voluntarily without the intrusion of government.

Government nannyism and daddyism has seeped into our lives at all levels of government. Many expect the government to take care of us, no matter how we behave. Often ignored is the fact that the vast majority of us don’t need this extra care. This extra care comes at a large cost to those who are producers, those who pay taxes.

A government big enough to give us all we want or to tell us when to do this or that (for our own good) is big enough to take all we have or force us to follow their great ideas whether they are great or not so great.

More than 200 years ago Thomas Jefferson said, “The government is best which governs least, because its people discipline themselves.” These words ring as true today as when they were said. Halloween provides this discipline without the meddling of the government. Many other things don’t need as much attention as our government decides to provide.

Trick or Treat.

Last year was the first in our new house, we were unprepared and thought 3 bags of candy would be fine. The Trick or Treaters started at 6pm, we were out of candy by 7 and had to shut the lights off (even tough I could see there were still a lot of kids down the street).

___________________________________
Two thirds of the world is covered by water,
the other third is covered by Champ Bailey.

I live in a garden apartment complex on Long Island. I have been here for twenty-five years. When I first moved in, I would have forty or fifty little kids and teenagrs come by on Halloween. Children of all types as this a very diversified neighbood.

Now, I only get a handfull of callers. The parents have been listening to the scare stories the media publishes about Halloween dangers and keep their kids home. There is a family in my own building with two kids. I see them every day with their parents but not on Halloween. They know I welcome children on Halloween but their parents fear that, if the children get in the habit of visiting me, they may decide to visit other apartments where the tenants are not nice.

Last year, I only had twelve callers. I know that there are more than thirty children in the complex and at least another twenty or so on our street. The parents are scared and are keeping the children inside. I don't give out candy or food because I appreciate the parents fears but I do give out money.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq56RlGKHQc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v3-AIc0aS8

I hope you enjoy

A half century ago (and then some), we had just moved from Chicago to Traverse City, Michigan. My parents had two young children, and Dad took us from Chicago to 'the little finger' area of lower Michigan's mitten.

The first year there, Dad took me around the block trick or treating. There was a tradition in the neighborhood called Trick or Drink: at each door the kids would get candy and the fathers would get a shot. By the time we had almost gotten around the block, we knocked at the door of Francis and Geradine Foley, whose younger son was my age.

Dad never made it home that night; he slept the evening on the Foley's couch. Father Foley was the pastor of the Episcopal church; he and my father, both now gone, were to become best of friends. Mother walked the few doors from 444 State Street, where we lived, to the Foleys' at 414 State Street, to get me.

"You see," Tim Foley told me years later, "my father and mother couldnt socialize with the members of his congregation. And they definately couldnt socialize with the Catholics. But your family was Jewish, and you were 'safe.'"

Both our families were from Chicago. Tim's father had been sent by the Episcopal church, while mine had gone north in search of an opportunity with his father in law. Both our families ultimately left the TC area.

Years later, I was involved in the restructuring of a software company which we moved from Trenton, NJ to Traverse City. I happened to be visiting the firm one Halloween week; one of the employees remarked that she needed to get home for a party and.... in her neighborhood, there was this thing called Trick or Drink.

It was only a block away from where decades before one night decades ago, Father Foley and my father had first met on a similar Halloween night.

Drive safely tonight, everyone.