For those who love to hate America, here is a word from our friends on the other side of the ocean. Aren't you glad there is an America? I sure am!!

This is the fourth of 18DoughtyStreet.com's weekly adverts.  At a time of rampant anti-Americanism this ad - produced with BritainAndAmerica.com - aims to remind the world of the great economic, technological and political benefits that the US has brought to the world.

In my inbox this morning:

"Mr. Murtha has a different idea. He would stop the surge by crudely hamstringing the ability of military commanders to deploy troops.... His aim, he made clear, is not to improve readiness but to 'stop the surge.' So why not straightforwardly strip the money out of the appropriations bill -- an action Congress is clearly empowered to take -- rather than try to micromanage the Army in a way that may be unconstitutional? Because, Mr. Murtha said, it will deflect accusations that he is trying to do what he is trying to do." (Washington Post, Editorial,
2/17/07)

"We fear that clever maneuvers like the one proposed by Representative John Murtha, reportedly with the backing of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, to dress up a reduction in troop strength as a "support the troops" measure won't help contain the war or make American troops safer." (New York Times, Editorial,
2/17/07)

BOB SCHIEFFER: "Congressman John Murtha has a clever plan to block the President from sending more troops to Iraq. He's proposing a law that bars the President from sending troops in Iraq back to the war zone until they have spent one year being retrained at their home base. It forbids troops from being kept in Iraq longer than the one year tour they were promised and prohibits any troops from going to the war zone until they are fully trained and have the proper equipment. That is no way to stop a war. If Congress wants to stop the troops from going to Iraq it should just cut off the money to send them there." (Commentary,
CBS's "Face the Nation," 2/18/07)

"In his interview, Murtha, chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on defense, did not hide the purpose of setting standards for training, equipping and resting troops: 'They won't have the equipment, they don't have the training and they won't be able to do the work.'" (Washington Post, Robert
Novak, op-ed, 2/19/07)

BRIT HUME: "That sound bite from John Murtha suggests that it's time a few things be said about him. Even the Washington Post noted he didn't seem particularly well informed about what's going on over there, to say the least. Look, this man has tremendous cache among House Democrats, but he is not - this guy is long past the day when he had anything but the foggiest awareness of what the heck is going on in the world.

And that sound bite is naivete writ large, and the man is an absolute fountain of such talk, and the fact that he has ascended to the position he has in the eyes of the Democrats in the House and perhaps Democrats around the country tells you a lot about how much they know or care about what's really going on over there." (FOX News Channel's "Fox News Sunday," 2/18/07)

"Instead, they'll pass this 'non-binding resolution,' to be followed soon by attempts at micromanagement that would make the war all but impossible to prosecute - and once again without taking responsibility. Mr. Murtha is already broadcasting his strategy, which the new Politico Web site described yesterday as 'a slow-bleed strategy designed to gradually limit the administration's options.'

In concert with antiwar groups, the story reported, Mr. Murtha's 'goal is crafted to circumvent the biggest political vulnerability of the antiwar movement -- the accusation that it is willing to abandon troops in the field.' So instead of cutting off funds, Mr. Murtha will 'slow-bleed' the troops with 'readiness' restrictions or limits on National Guard forces that will make them all but impossible to deploy. These will be attached to appropriations bills that will also purport to 'support the troops.'" (Wall Street Journal, Editorial,
2/15/07)

MORT KONDRACKE: "Yeah, except that [the Murtha-Pelosi 'slow-bleed' plan] it is truly anti-troop, because you've got - the surge will be well underway and what Murtha is going to try to do is deny reinforcements for these troops. Help -- help will not be on the way if this passes, leaving them more vulnerable than they were." (Roll Call newspaper editor Mort Kondracke, FOX News Channel, "Special Report with Brit Hume, 2/15/07)

A few of our many grassroot bloggers are talking about the Democrat's efforts to end the war, and undermine our men and women's effort to defeat the enemy in Iraq.

Before I get to the blogger's thoughts, and the links, I wanted to remind everyone to check out Hugh Hewitt's Victory Caucus, and invite you all to sign up and join up. Hugh reported on the project efforts. They are also looking for a Republican primary challenger to Orlando's GOPer Rick Keller.

The list is growing at the Victory Caucus.  (And an effort to find a primary challenger to Orlando GOPer Ric Keller is underway as well.  There's got to be a fine victory Republican and veteran of OIF or OEF in that area.)

Now, to the bloggers...

I'll start off with KGK's (Philly's long in the tooth!) comments ripping away at the Democrats and the mainstream media for the cut-and-run mindset.


He places a lot of responsibility on the media for the dis-information campaign being waged.


You can read his full post, and more of this thoughts at Philly's long in the tooth!

Not Legal Roadkill Yet points out the Constitutional problem with the Murtha's plans.


He links to Politico.com's third in a series of essays on the subject.


You can read the rest of his post over at Law, Lawyers, and Politics.

Also related at Law, Lawyers, and Politics:

• The Democratic Strategy to Lose the War
• If I were Secretary of Defense (He offers 3 quick and effective options counter to Murtha's plan.)

Greg Reason has the Dem's all figured out and thinks this is all about the 2008 election cycle. It wouldn't surprise me if they had thought of this. He has a post titled, "Dems to Force Slow End to War."


Somewhat related, Greg Reeson blogs that,


The numbers for 2003 actually beat projections! Go read them for yourself! Like Reeson says, this of course doesn't get reported.

What a shame. Our men and women in combat deserve the credit for the great work they do in helping provide a safer environment where Iraqi citizens can work hard and build a better future for themselves.

Also Related from Greg Reeson:

• Democrats to Focus on Troop Funding

Moving on, Eric Jay doesn't hold back in his opinion of the Democrats!


Read his post, Non-Binding Resolutions. 

Well, I'm sure there is more, so if I missed your post, leave a comment and I'll include it in the body.

Also related to the issue of the non-binding resolution is Hugh's column,  The House GOP Goes Thelma And Louise, where he conveys his frustration with the House GOP leadership, and more. Read it.

Hugh also blogged about Rudy's reaction to the resolution.

Last night Rudy came out swinging at the non-binding resolution supporters.  Bravo. 

The Republicans who are voting for the Democrats' resolution are accelerating towards the cliff.  And the leadership that is allowing them to do so without a fight is along for the ride.

Information on communicating disgust is available at TheVictoryCaucus.

You can always track what the Townhall bloggers are saying at the Blogatorium.

Democrat Claim:

"We are not fighting terrorists in Iraq."   - Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), 2/13/07

The Truth:

Bin Laden Deputy Ayman al Zawahiri: Use Iraq to "Extend the Jihad Wave"

"It is my humble opinion that the Jihad in Iraq requires several incremental goals: The first stage: Expel the Americans from Iraq. The second stage: Establish an Islamic authority ... then develop it and support it until it achieves the level of a caliphate...The third stage: Extend the jihad wave to the secular countries neighboring Iraq."

(Letter from Ayman al-Zawahiri to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq, dated 7/9/05, released 10/11/05)

Any questions?

Looks to me like the Iraq government is taking their jobs seriously. This is good news.

Iraq's government said on Tuesday it had closed its borders with Syria and Iran, and extended the hours of a night curfew in Baghdad under a U.S.-backed security plan to rein in violence in the capital.

The measures ordered by Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki were announced on Iraqiya state television by Lieutenant General Abboud Qanbar, the Iraqi commander who is leading the security offensive in Baghdad.

Doesn't this look like good Iraqi citizens enjoying the new-found freedoms our men and women died for?

I'll be sharing a different video from the Be A Voice for Truth campaign. This week's video seems to be causing a hearty discussion over at YouTube.com.

One user, rwsaunders, said,

"It's not that they don't matter. It's that a fetus is not a fully developed person. I dont support late term abortions. For my part, I'm talking the point where a fetus is at most a couple inches long, unconscious, incapable of thought, most (or all) senses inactive, minimal brain activity. The fact that these things oculd develop should not be reason enough to ban abortion."

Liarsarestupid had this to say in response,

"You say that a fetus is not a fully developed person, but neither is an 8-year old!! And a person in a coma MAY or MAY NOT recover their full brain activity. Just because they could recover it, according to you, does not mean that they have a right to live. They have to have it right now, or else whoever is taking care of them (mother, spouse, whoever), should pull the plug. Please offer a logical counter to my discussion of the 4 factors that make a fetus different."

Read the whole debate. It will make you re-think your presopusitions about life, and the unborn. Of course, watch the video.

How do I explain that one to my mother? But, hey--no complaints here. Whatever gets people reading each other's blogs is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

So, I'm told the rules are:


I was actually taged by Cynewulf, and Madelines Dad.

So here goes:

1. I like having my own positions and views on issues. I very often get critisized by both sides of a political argument because I try to look at the unseen behind a debate, and always remain focused on whats most important in politics -- people and the consequences of ideas.
   
   
2. I have lived in more cities than I have fingers on my hand. I usually get an itch to move every 3 years. Last time, I only lasted around 2 years, when I was living in Colorado before moving to work for Townhall.com. But this time, I'm married, so I'm hoping things will slow down from here on.
   
   
3. Did I mention I love traveling? I know -- nothing weird about that. But, I like doing the non-tourist stuff. Like, going to the Dominican Republic, and staying at a friends house, who father was a socialist/comunist union boss. Of course, politics was not a topic we discussed during my stay.
   
   
4. My wife is my best friend and despite popular myth, the first year was the best. Is that weird? Everyone kept warning me about the first year... I still don't know what they where talking about.
   
   
5. I'm a musician, and I toured with a Spanish pop band in a Central American country as a stage sound engineer when I was 19, and doing a year-long relief work trip.
   
   
6. I once guest-hosted an "American Idol" style TV show while living as a missionary in the small country of Honduras. It was a New Year's episode, so not many people watched it. I actually never got to see the footage.
   

Well, thats all I got for now... I'll come back and tag 6 people some time later...

Townhall.com is now in Facebook. To celebrate, I dusted off my old college profile, and started using it. If you have a Facebook account, make sure to click here and join the Townhall.com group!

Did you know you can publish your Townhall.com blog posts on your Facebook notes? Here are the steps (it assumes you already have a Facebook account):

1.  Go to the "Notes" section of your Facebook profile, and find the "Import" or "Import Settings" or "import blog" link on the Notes page.
2. Grab your Townhall.com blog RSS feed link. Mine is http://rss.townhall.com/userblogs/josue.

Yours will have hte exact same format, except you would change the last part (josue) to whatever your blog URL is. So, since my blog is "josue.townhall.com" my rss link ends in /josue. Did that make sense?

3.  That's it! You can choose to not share some posts by removing it from your Facebook notes, but once you do this, every time you publish to your blog, it will show up on your notes, and all your Facebook friends will know and see your latest post.

CitizenLink's assistant editor Wendy Cloyd has an encouraging story on the progress made for life all around the country as a result of various pro-life legislations, and new research by Michael J. New, Ph.D. published by the Heritage Foundation.


Dr. New points out the results:


One thing that caught my eye is how teenagers are delaying sexual activity. Its nice (sarcasm) to see how the media and pop-culture totaly ignore what research is saying -- young people are staying abstinent longer. Hey, I guess I wasn't all that weird (or in the minority) as the pop-culture says I was.


As always, read the whole thing. Good stuff.

Found this interesting quote on the Heritage website.

...many people support raising the minimum wage under the well-intentioned but mistaken belief that it would reduce poverty.[3]

Mistaken. Its really basic economics, but why is it that the politicians inside the beltway just can't seem to use facts when enacting policy?

Perhaps, the answer is in what followed...

Some of the strongest advocates for a higher minimum wage, however, are labor unions, whose stake in the issue is less clear.

Last November, organized labor led the fights to raise the minimum wage in six states and to give Democrats control of Congress, in part on a platform of raising the minimum wage.[4] Yet very few union members work for the minimum wage. Only 2.1 percent of minimum-wage workers belong to a union, versus 12.0 percent of the overall working population.[5] Nonetheless, labor unions fight passionately for a higher minimum wage.[6]

I earned a minimum wage when I was a teen, and frankly, it was just plenty. Not only that, but it served as a great incentive to finish school, work hard, and improve myself so I could earn more. I realize not everyone can get a college degree, but everyone needs an incentive to develop themselves, learn, and grow in order to earn more. We cannot force that process.

Read the whole Web Memo, and learn a thing or two...or more, about minimum wage.

I really wish I could be there, as it sounds really interesting, but I thought I would give a shout out to my good friend Val Prieto, who is a panelist at the We Media Conference going on in Miami.

Chuck, Townhall.com's General Manager will also be there. Check out Babalublog.com for more, as I believe Val will be live blogging the event.

I got this statement in the email from Fidelis President, Joseph Cella:

WASHINGTON — The national Catholic based advocacy group Fidelis called on former Democratic Senator John Edwards to dismiss his presidential campaign blogmaster Amanda Marcotte on account of her long record of anti-Catholic bigotry.

Fidelis President Joseph Cella stated: “John Edwards seems to be level-headed enough to realize it is in the best interest of his presidential campaign to immediately dismiss Amanda Marcotte from his staff given her history of vicious attacks on Catholics and the Catholic Church, and cut all ties to her.”

Marcotte was recently hired by the Edwards campaign to coordinate his outreach to voters and activists through the internet. Through her blog Pandagon, Marcotte has used vulgar and profane laden language to describe the church doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and the Holy Spirit, and derisively referred to Pope Benedict XVI as a “dictator.”

“Keeping such a anti-Catholic staffer on his payroll will do significant damage to John Edwards as he seeks to court voters in the heavily Catholic states like Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan,” Cella said.

In the month before she was hired by the Edwards campaign, Marcotte wrote that the Catholic Church’s teaching against the use of contraception forced women to “bear more tithing Catholics.”

Cella added: “Amanda Marcotte’s writings clearly show she harbors a deep hatred toward Catholics and the Catholic Church. We call on John Edwards to send a powerful message and reject this type of mean-spirited anti-Catholic bigotry.”

Fidelis is a Catholic-based advocacy organization working with people of faith across the country to defend and promote the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and the right to religious liberty by electing pro-life, pro-family and pro-religious liberty candidates, supporting the confirmation of judges, and promoting and defending laws consistent with the Founding principles of the United States.

Not a great way to start a campaign....

There are many good reasons... easy to use, simple features, equal-minded community, and a strong commitment to conservative ideas.

But, there is one more you might like -- Townhall Blogs are inside the radar of top bloggers like Hugh Hewitt, Michael Medved, and Mary Katharine. They are part of the Townhall.com community, and are known to read and link to blogs within the over 3,000 bloggers who make a part of this community.

Just this morning, Hugh Hewitt posted the following:

Feeling Sorry For Yourself?

Then read this account of Diane Van Deren's life.  Van Deren is about to tackle the "Iditarod Trail International, 'the world's longest human-powered winter race,' an insane crucible where competitors run, ski or bicycle through 350 miles of tundra wilderness, where 50-below-zero temperatures and wild moose lurk, with virtually no outside support."

But that'll be easy compared to how hard it was to get to the start.  (HT: WhereAreMyKeys.)

Express your opinions, affect change, influence others--start a Townhall.com blog.