FREE SPEECH ROUND TABLE

Revised version of the Simpson County News Announcement

2011-06-25T23:20:00.002-05:00

I made a few changes in the first draft of my announcement. Some people thought that I was too tough on the incumbent so I toughened it up a little more.

I am Cliff Brown. I am a tough, no nonsense, conservative business owner who is running for state senate. There is a rumor that I am a little too tough and no nonsense to be a good senator. Some people say that I am uncompromising almost to the point of being stubborn. They say that I am too stiff to bring home the bacon. They say that I am so inflexible in my beliefs that I cannot do deals that benefit my friends. Actually I must admit that those rumors might be true.

Our nation is in bad economic shape and that is affecting all fifty states. Mississippi no longer has access to as much out of the federal cookie jar. We can no longer afford politicians at any level who believe in taxing more money from the economy and thinking it will not damage the tax base. We can no longer afford any more wasteful spending. We can no longer afford legislators who have never had to deal with crime against their own businesses. We can no longer afford state legislators who do not sign business checks on the front.

Please do not assume that I am totally against the incumbent who is running for his third term. When times were good he did not do too bad. I believe him to be a moral man who did not do anything to embarrass his supporters. He did not vote for many tax increases and except for the bond sale to pay for two museums, most of the taxes he voted for were small. He provided good leadership on agricultural issues, which is his area of expertise. He can show a list of issues, like Nathan’s Law, on which he voted the same as I would have. Compared to the majority of the legislature, our incumbent is among the best. In better times and under different situations I might vote for him, but these are not ordinary times. We must have among our legislators at least a few who hold like solid anchors on conservative issues.

I was born in Brandon and raised in a small community near Star. My father, Clarence Brown, was a long time employee at Universal and Magnetic and died in the factory just before it shut down. My father and grandfather were both deacons in the same small church. My mother is still the pianist and I teach the young adult Sunday school class. My daughter, Jessica Sailor, is serving in the active duty Air Force stationed in South Korea. My step son, Dennis Adams, is about to finish his training to become a school teacher. Just in case you are wondering, it is true that both my daughter and step son have a child, so I have two grand reasons to care about the future of our state.

I joined the Mississippi Air National Guard in 1980 and retired in 2004. My National Guard service includes four consecutive years of active duty, two years in a California reserve unit, plus many years worth of short activations. I met my wife, Jade Brown, while serving on active duty in California. She was born in South Korea and immigrated to America legally. She followed the INS rules and studied English and civics so she could take her citizenship test. It is an insult to legal immigrants to say that some one who invaded our nation is an immigrant. My wife and I have owned and operated a small retail store in Magee since 1995. We keep our store open 60 hours each week so I tell people that we sleep in Star but live in Magee.

One of the rumors about me is that I make fun of politicians who have never held a non government job. That is another rumor that might be true. I am not saying that government service is not important experience, but I believe that it is important to have some real world experience too. I attended Hinds Jr. College, Mississippi State University and Solano College in California. I have more than twenty years of military training. I have worked for the state of Mississippi, the City of Jackson and the City of Fairfield, California. I started a business from scratch and have depended on it for a living. Those are all valuable sources of knowledge, but the most valuable lessons I learned was as a kid in the hay fields picking up bales for a nickel each.

There are only two candidates running for senate district 35 and both are in the Republican Party. The Republican Primary is August 2. There are no Democrats or third party candidates. Please do not vote for the Republican best able to win in November, because there will not be an election in November. The question is not Democrat or Republican but which Republican. Please vote for the conservative tea party type Republican. Please vote for Cliff Brown.

Text for Simpson County News/Magee Courier Announcement

2011-06-25T01:17:00.002-05:00

I have prepaid and scheduled an announcement for the Simpson County News. This is the first draft of that announcement. I may or may not make changes before I send it. I have already sent the write ups for Rankin and Covington counties. Tell me what you think in the comments.

I am Cliff Brown. I am a tough no nonsense conservative business owner who is running for state senate. There is a rumor that I am a little too tough and no nonsense to be a good senator. Some people say that I am uncompromising almost to the point of being stubborn. They say that I am too stiff to bring home the bacon. They say that I am so inflexible in my beliefs that I cannot do deals that benefit my personal friends. Actually I must admit that those rumors might be true.

Our nation is in bad economic shape and that is affecting all fifty states. Mississippi no longer has access to as much out of the federal cookie jar. We can no longer afford politicians at any level who believe in taxing more money from the economy and thinking it will not damage the tax base. We can no longer afford any more wasteful spending. We can no longer afford legislators who have never had to deal with crime against their own businesses. We can no longer afford state legislators who do not sign business checks on the front.

Please do not assume that I am totally against the incumbent who is running for his third term. When times were good he did not do too bad. I believe him to be a moral man who did not do anything to embarrass his supporters. He did not vote for many tax increases and the ones he did vote for were small. He provided good leadership on agricultural issues which is his area of expertise. Compared to the majority of the legislature, our incumbent is among the best. On some issues he might even be better equipped than I am so if he has good advice I will listen to him. In better times and under different situations I might vote for him, but these are not ordinary times. We must have among our legislators at least a few who hold like anchors on conservative issues.

I was born in Brandon and raised in a small community near Star. My father, Clarence Brown, was a long time employee at Magnetic and died in the factory just before it shut down. My father and grandfather were both deacons in the same small church. My mother is still the pianist and I teach the young adult Sunday school class.

I joined the Mississippi Air National Guard in 1980 and retired in 2004. My National Guard service includes four consecutive years of active duty, two years in a California reserve unit, plus many years worth of short activations. I met my wife Jade Brown while serving on active duty in California. She was born in South Korea and immigrated to America legally. She followed the INS rules and studied English and civics so she could take her citizenship test. It is an insult to legal immigrants to say that some one who invaded our nation is an immigrant. My wife and I have owned and operated a small retail store in Magee since 1995. We keep our store open 60 hours each week so I tell people that we sleep in Star but live in Magee.

One of the rumors about me is that I make fun of politicians who have never held a non government job. That is another rumor that might be true. I am not saying that government service is not important experience, but I believe that it is more important to have some real world experience too. I attended Hinds Jr. College, Mississippi State University and Solano College in California. I have more than twenty years of military training. I have worked for the state of Mississippi, the City of Jackson and the City of Fairfield California. I started a business from scratch and have depended on it for a living. Those are all valuable sources of knowledge but the most valuable lessons I learned was as a kid in the hay fields picking up bails for a nickel each.

There are only two candidates running for senate district 35 and both are in the Republican Party. The Republican Primary is August 2. There are no Democrats or third party candidates. Please do not vote for the Republican best able to win in November because there will not be an election in November. The question is not Democrat or Republican but which Republican. Please vote for the conservative tea party type Republican. Please vote for Cliff Brown.

Announcement in Covington County Mississippi

2011-06-11T23:05:00.001-05:00

This is the text I used in the announcement that I placed in Covington County News Commercial.

My name is Cliff Brown. I am a Sunday School teacher in a small rural Baptist church. I am retired from the Mississippi Air National Guard. My wife and I own and operate a small retail store in Magee. I am a candidate for State Senate District 35.

District 35 is a strangely gerrymandered district that snakes its way from Richland in Rankin County all the way to Collins in Covington County. It has parts of four counties but all of none. It has a single voting box in Copiah County near Crystal Springs. It contains all of the north half of Simpson County but very little of the south half of Simpson County. It has the north half of Covington County and there is a little connector around the east of Magee that connects Covington County to the rest of the district.

As many of you know, we had a census last year and it was the job of our state legislature to draw a new map of house and senate districts. The two chambers were supposed to draw their own maps and make them balanced by population and as compact as possible. After drawing the maps, the two chambers should have voted to approve each others maps. The senate drew a map that heavily favored incumbents of both major parties but at least it was more compact than the current map. The house made a total mockery of the whole process and drew a map that looked more like wrestling spiders than a serious map of house districts. The house map was so obviously messed up that the senate was forced to reject it and in retaliation the house rejected the senate map. Now time has run out on the process and we are forced to hold elections using the maps that were drawn after the census ten years ago. It is needless to say that the old map gives a big advantage to the old incumbents. The fact that the challengers were kept in the dark about the district boundaries we are attempting to campaign in gives another advantage to incumbents, but properly informed voters can still send a message.

There are still a lot of unknown things about this election for legislative offices, including the length of the term. Most likely it will be for a single year term and there will probably be a special election next year for a three year term. Voters have a unique opportunity to send a new group of legislators to Jackson with a clear mandate to do the two things that the incumbents failed to do, which are to make a balanced budget and to draw fair district lines.

I, Cliff Brown, am a hard core, no nonsense TEA Party conservative. I have a reputation for being tough and uncompromising. Some people even say that I am mean. If you are trying to steal from me I am mean. If you are trying to scam me I am uncompromising. If you have a logical disagreement with me and can show me a better way I will listen and take your advice. If I win this senate office and someone asks me to use my position to grant a personal favor I will say no, but if someone asks me for something that is good for the whole state I will do what ever I can to make it happen. I believe that welfare is a necessary crutch for some who need help but I also believe that people who abuse the welfare system should be weaned. I believe if you do a crime you should do the time. I believe that marriage should be a Godly union between a man and a woman. I believe that abortion kills a living human.

If you agree with my beliefs, or if you just want to send a message that we should change the incumbent protection system that we currently have, please vote for me in the Republican Primary for State Senate District 35. I understand that Covington County is a traditional Democrat county. I know that many of you want to vote in the Democrat primary for local and county offices but vote for Republicans in state and national elections. That will not work in this race. District 35 is drawn so that only a Republican can win. No Democrats are even running this year. The winner of the Republican Primary wins the seat. If you wait for the general election you will miss your chance to vote. The question is not Republican or Democrat but which Republican. Will you vote to elect a conservative or will you allow an establishment incumbent to win a third term?

Rankin County News Announcement

2011-06-09T13:26:00.002-05:00

I just emailed a photo and text for a political announcement to Rankin County News. This is the text.

I am Cliff Brown. I am a small business owner. I am retired from the Mississippi Air National Guard. I teach the young adult Sunday School class at Dry Creek Baptist Church. I lived for a while in Starkville, Ms and in Fairfield, CA. but I was born and raised in Brandon, MS. I am a TEA party type conservative and I am a Republican candidate for Senate District 35.

District 35 is a strangely gerrymandered district that snakes its way from Richland in Rankin County all the way to Collins in Covington County. It has parts of Rankin, Simpson, Copiah and Covington Counties but has all of no counties. It is drawn in a way that slightly favors Republicans and heavily favors incumbents.

This is my third time running for this office. This is also the third time to run against the same Republican in the primary. The first time there was a Democrat also running so the Republican voters picked who they believed could more easily beat the Democrat. Several people told me that they believed me to be too conservative to win a general election. The second time there was no Democrat involved but there was a third party candidate so people stuck with the incumbent. This year it is only me and the incumbent who is running for his third term. There will be no general election. The winner of the primary wins the seat. Conservative voters are now free to vote for the conservative candidate. The question for voters is not Republican or Democrat but which Republican.

Experience is very important. Some tell you that only experience in government work or in elected office counts. If you think the job of a state legislator is to do favors and bring home bacon it is true that seniority in office is helpful. I believe that real world experience is more important. I was a state employee for a while but I cashed out of the state retirement system to start a new business. I served on active duty in the Air Force. I worked in a sweat shop factory. I picked up hay bails for a nickel each. I was even a teachers aid in the San Francisco Bay Area for a while and believe me when I say that I got a better education from that experience than my students.

If you agree with me that some of the people running the business of our state government should have experience running a business, please vote for Cliff Brown. If you believe that life begins at conception and marriage is a holy union between a man and woman, please vote for Cliff Brown. If you believe that the government at all levels from local to federal waists too much of your hard earned tax money, please vote for Cliff Brown. If you believe that there are some people who need help from government and charity, but most of the people receiving help would benefit more from being weaned, please vote for Cliff Brown. If you like things the way they are being done now, then vote for the same senator again.

I am not a well financed candidate. I cannot afford slick mail outs or expensive ads. I still have a real business to run so I cannot go to a lot of meetings to shake hands. The legislature played tricks with redistricting and created a short time to campaign so I cannot knock on a lot of doors and put up a lot of signs. This announcement may be all of my campaign so please talk about me. Word of mouth is the best way to get new conservatives elected. You can find more about me on my blog. Go to freespeechroundtable.blogspot.com. You can also find me on facebook.

My Abridged Autobiography

2011-05-15T20:45:00.002-05:00

Someone recently told me that based on what he reads about me on Facebook I must be a pretty good guy, but he does not really know me. I told him that I would put a bio on this blog, but I started thinking that even if I did he would still not really know me. He would only know what I told him, but would have to assume that I am not lying. I also realized that a complete bio is not possible for two reasons. I am not finished living yet and I cannot remember all of what I have done so far. The best I can do is an abridged autobiography.

I was grew in a double community in Mississippi in 1960. Houses were and still are in little clusters. There was and still is two churches. There was back then one store and one juke joint. Blacks and whites would always rub shoulders at the store and once in a while at the juke joint. Now there is only one store. Our local school was the "separate but equal" black school and the whites traveled 6 miles away to the white school in Brandon. There is about 10 times as many houses in our area now and our local school (McLaurin)is now integrated. That is about the only major changes around here. There may have been some underlying bigotry back then but I did not notice it. I see a lot more of it now but not around our community.

Fast forward about 12 years. (I said it was abridged) That is the year our local school was integrated. There was no white girls in my sixth grade class and I was one of only three white boys. If I ever write a longer book about me, that year will have a chapter or two all on its own, but for now I will just say I got a valuable education that year.

McLaurin only went to the 9th grade back then so I finished High School at Florence. (My third school even though I lived in only one house) I had been the snow flake playing drums in the Jr. high band, so I continued in the band at Florence. I relearned a new way to play but am glad to have two skills. Academically I was way, way above average in Jr. high and just slightly above average in high school. I then went to Hinds Jr College. (please do not correct me by saying Hinds is a community college. It was a Jr. College back then) I studied pre-vet-med at Hinds and had respectable grades, and yes I did play in the band and was a student body senator.

After Hinds is when things went a little sideways. I had a summer job at the Jackson zoo but lost it because Jackson passed a law so that only Jackson residents could work for the city. I did not have enough money to go to Mississippi State University so I Joined the Air National Guard. I went off to Lackland for basic and tech school. I became an air force veterinary specialist which is a fancy word for food inspector. I went to Mississippi State in the spring of 81 but did not get into vet school. I changed my major to animal science but by that time I was wondering why I really wanted to do vet work. Politics was way more interesting to me but I had been told all my life that it is an evil occupation. Other than some independent study at the John Stennis library I never took a political course. Actually I did not take a lot of any courses. I just played in the band and drank whiskey. Eventually I changed my major to Agricultural Journalism but it was too late.

The air national guard was my only link to sanity. I had fallen into a not so good circle of friends in Starkville and even married one of my drinking budies, but my national guard friends were of a different caliber. I was tired to inspecting food one weekend a month but the rest of the job was good. I asked a recruiter which job takes the most interesting trips and he sent me to retraining to become an air cargo handler. I loved the air cargo job so much that I dropped out of college and went into the active duty air force. My wife spent one year with me at Travis AFB then left me. If I write a longer book my x-wife will get a few chapters of her own.

Serving on active duty even though my wife left turned out to be the best thing I ever did. (OK a few more chapters about the air force in the unabridged version of this story) I grew up in Fairfield, California. I was the son and grandson of Southern Baptist deacons and had been very devoted to the Christian way of life. When I got to Starkville I back slid. In California I found a very strong local church and this time I really got saved. (a chapter on that church too)

After 4 years active duty I was involved in a church building project so I stayed in a reserve unit for two more years. The first year I was in the reserve there was an earth quake so we spent some time building things other than our own church. The second year is when Iraq invaded Kuwait so reserve was kind of like active. Eventually we finished that church building and I had met a far better woman than my first wife. I even managed to work at a few interesting jobs that paid me for my work during those last two years. A chapter of urban reforestation and a chapter on the California schools will be in the longer story (if I actually write it). I worked for a city tree department for a while planting trees. I also was an instructional assistant in the public school system.

I returned to my old family stomping ground and got a maintenance job in a HUD supported apartment building. That is an education in it self. I patched fist shaped holes in sheet rock just long enough to land a state job at LeFleur's Bluff State Park. After settling down in a good job and fixing up a place for myself to live I went back to California and retrieved my girlfriend. We got married in Arizona on the way to Mississippi. Soon after we got home we started the business which we still run now. I am already trying to write the chapter about that store.

Like I said, this is the abridged version of my life story. Actually I should say life story in progress, because I intend for there to be more. Even if I never write a book I will still fill in a few more blanks using this blog. People often ask me why I got interested in politics so I will soon fill in those blanks too.

I am a Candidate.

2011-04-22T22:59:00.002-05:00

4 years ago and 8 years ago I ran for Mississippi senate. I let it be known that I am a no-nonsense conservative who will not compromise my basic principles. My opponent both times let it be known that he is well connected to the establishment. Back then it was a great benefit to be connected to the establishment and to the money that that connection generates. Times have changed. Groups like the TEA Party have awakened the people. It is now cool to be conservative. It is so cool in fact that a lot of establishment legislators are pretending that they always were conservative. The few people who know the truth about me have been begging me to try just one more time.

I had decided to give up running for office. I was tired of loosing. I was tired of having my name dragged threw the mud. I was tired of the vile rumors that were spread about me. I was tired of my own words and even this blog being twisted and used against me. I am still tired of it but I am also tired of watching what is happening to our state and nation. I cannot just set and watch all this crap continue. Once again my name will be on the ballot in August.

The last 2 times that I ran I tried to do it all by my self. I put up my own signs. I made my own phone calls. I went out alone knocking on doors. This time I will not do that. I must have the good conservatives of Mississippi talking about me and spreading the TRUTH about me.

I had this blog and used it often before the last election. I left the comments unmonitored so anyone could say what they wanted. The trouble is that several people wrote vile things under my name and my political opponent printed copies of the lies and handed them out at a rally. I have long since deleted nearly all of my writings along with the vile comments. I almost completely quit writing here when I discovered that Facebook is an easier way to connect to people. Now that I am putting my name on the ballot I am once again using this blog as a way to let people know what I believe in. I am still on Facebook more but as time goes on I will say more things here too.

Remember that I cannot run this race alone. Please spread the TRUTH about me.

It Has Been a While.

2011-03-21T09:10:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time, not too long ago I spent a lot of time saying things on this blog. Over the years some strange things happened to it that made me delete parts of it and there has been things that made me ignore it for periods of time, but I am back.

People who have been following this for a while remember that several years ago, I asked people for their opinions of a certain police chief from Mendenhall who is now in jail. People began to give their opinions and the comments deteriorated to gutter language. I was running for state senate at the time and my political opponents saw an opportunity to use what other people were saying on my blog against me. I do not know this as a fact but I suspect that it was some of my political opponents who were writing a lot of the anonymous comments. I really hated to shut down a venue of free speech, but when elementary school students (or adults impersonating students) used my blog to start rumors about teachers, I decided I had to. I did not shut it down completely and probably never will, but I did delete all comments and blocked new comments. The ability to comment is now back on but certain safeguards are in place.

Another thing that greatly affected this blog is facebook. I noticed that a lot of the people who used to make thoughtful comments were leaving. Many of them told me that facebook is just a better format for the way they correspond. I began using facebook myself and have to agree with them. If I had unlimited time each day I would write a lot more using a large array of media, but I work 60 hours a week and have to limit what I do. I spend most of my available time on facebook now.

I have been reading political tea leaves lately. There is a lot of sick things going on at all levels of politics from president to dog catcher. A lot of that has been going on for a very long time, but the corruption has reached a level that people who usually abstain from politics are noticing. People are starting to demand that someone step up and so something about it. I have lost a lot of elections in the last 10 years and had decided that I was not going to try again. Now things have changed. People no longer trust establishment moderates to control government and are looking for proven conservatives. Some good folks are asking me to try once more.

I am not sure that I have the resources to run a winning campaign for senate against the establishment of my own party. Alone, I know that there is now way, but if hard working conservatives join the effort, together we can. I will start by opening up and promoting this blog again. I will make an effort to write things to stimulate conservative conversation and invite comment. I ask you to join the conversation but please to not abuse this medium.

If a true conservative steps up who is willing and able to run an effective campaign for house or senate, I will stand with him. If no body steps up and people tell me that they are willing to campaign for me, I might be the one who puts his name on the ballot. At the least my contribution will be a forum for speech.

The First 6 pages of "Going Rogue"

2009-12-14T15:03:00.005-06:00

I read the first 6 pages of Sarah Palin's book, "Going Rogue". No I should rephrase that. I re-read that part. Eventually I will finish the whole book, but if the rest is like the first it will take a very long time. There is just too much in it to digest and is all seems worthy of comment. I guess also in a strange sort of way it sounds too familiar.

Those first 6 pages are about her trip to the Alaska State Fair. It is so complete that I can still smell the pop corn and hear screaming kids on roller coasters. Somewhere down the midway Sarah Palin came to a "Right To Life" display and was drawn from being a mother at the fair to being the governor. 7 years before, the pro life folks loved her so much that they used (and still use) a baby photo of Piper as a symbol of life, but for pure political reasons never endorsed Sarah in a single political campaign. The wonderful sights, sounds and smells of a day with her kids became a remembrance of raw, dirty politics. She began thinking about how her fight against corruption and cronyism had put her at odds with some powerful people in her own party. (Side Note: The one thing that might either drive me out of politics or force me to run again is cronyism in my own party.)

Sarah Palin was looking for a way back to the fair and Piper gave it to her by asking to ride a roller coaster, but just then the cell phone rang. She was hoping the call was anything other than politics. Maybe it was her son at Fort Wainwright who was getting ready to go to Iraq. It was Senator John McCain asking if she wanted to help him change history.

Arguing With Idiots (a book Review)

2009-11-23T23:50:00.006-06:00

Glenn Beck writes like I read (and wish I could write). He knows that those of us with A.D.D. are nearly always smarter than our labeling but are prone to drift away from long boring passages. He knows that we tend to think like a computer with multiple programs running in the background. Sometimes there are pop ups and off we go on a tangent. Glenn beck puts the pop ups right onto the page and actually calls them A.D.D. moments. For those of you with normal brains, "Arguing with Idiots" might seem a bit jumpy, but for me it is the smoothest book I have ever read.

It has 12 chapters. 13 if you count the 25 pages of citations. Conservatives need a 25 page citation chapter because we actually have to prove our quotes and liberals do not. 10 of the main 12 chapters were dead on word for word the way I understand things. 1 of the 12 is clearly true but says a few things that go so far against the party line that even a rouge like me might think twice before touching it. 1 of the 12 is mostly true but makes a few points that I do not agree with. I will start with a little comment on each of the 10 that did not make me nervous then dig a little deeper in the other 2 chapters. I will end with the chapters that I hope Glenn puts into his next book.

Chapter 1 is "In Defense of Capitalism" I am a small business owner. I did not just buy an existing business. I did not just buy a franchise. My wife and I actually built our business from scratch using nothing but good ideas, borrowed money and faith. Finally someone wrote a chapter that recognizes that risk takers and entrepreneurs like us are the spine of our economy. I suppose I might rather have read a scholarly work about the finer points of economic systems but plain straight talk is a better tool for breaking into closed minds.

Chapter 2 is about the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I am an endowment member of the NRA. I had to become a life member before taking the next step and become an endowment member. The reason I did that has very little to do with guns. It is more about the constitution itself. Do not get me wrong and think that I do not love guns. If you do not believe me just try to rob me. Even as dedicated as I am to defending myself, my wife and my possessions I am equally devoted to defending our nation and its constitution. There are a few extremely rare cases when gun haters make logical arguments about safety or the need to have military weapons, but when doing so they shred part of the constitution. It is not possible to shred even one little amendment with out damaging the whole thing.

Glenn Beck spent a lot of time explaining the preamble clause of the second amendment and explaining the definition of "militia". I am not sure if it is because I served long enough to retire from the Mississippi National Guard, because I read NRA magazines, because I read our constitution or because it just makes common sense to me, but for some reason I just have to give Glenn an AMEN on that chapter.

Chapter 3 is about Education. One day I may write a whole book of my own about education. I learned a lot about the subject by going from the historically white Brandon elementary School to the nearly all black McLaurin Jr. High during the forced busing movement of the 1970's. I learned a lot by becoming a teachers aid in of all places California. Throw in the fact that my daughter-in-law is teaching at Florence Elementary and my step son soon will be too. Throw in the fact that most of the friends I go to church with are teachers. Throw in the policy research I did to run for Rankin County school board and the stuff I learned by running and I might be considered a minor expert on the crap that goes on.

Glenn Beck told a lot of frightful horror stories about what government does to schools that would have made my skin crawl if not for one fact. I have already seen a lot of that and my skin already crawled.

Chapter 4 is "Americas Energy Future" I grew up around drilling. When the Piney Woods...(sorry, I cannot say that). When the Cox well exploded I could see the flames from my house. When I was a kid I sat on Albert Garret's back porch and watch men working on a derrick in his back yard. When the Thomasville refinery was built, I sat on my on door steps and watched all the parts go by on trucks. When they built Shell Oil Road they took part of my grandmothers land. No, that does not come even close to qualifying me as an energy expert, but it did spur enough interest to take a closer look.

I worked at the Mississippi State University Forest Products Lab back in the 80's. I met a professor who even back then was trying to find an efficient way to make fuel out of wood alcohol. He told me that it is cheaper to just burn the wood.

Last week the little struts that hold up the back glass on my SUV got weak and the glass bopped me in the head. I went to O.E. Berry Salvage Yard and took good struts off a cash for clunker that was far newer and in better shape than the one I drive. That is failed energy policy in action.

OK. That is still not enough to claim to be an energy expert but to borrow a line from Glenn Beck "I am a thinker". What I know about the subject totally jives with what Beck wrote. He just said it in a more interesting way than I would have.

Chapter 5 is about labor unions. When I was 18 I worked for a summer at the factory where my father worked long enough to retire. My father died on the factory floor. When I was there I chose to join the union. I took a job at a truck stop in California and was forced to join the union. The truck stop is closed and the factory is now in Mexico. Now that I own my own business I know that I would close before being unionized. In my opinion Glen softened that chapter too much. I would have gone into Jimmy Hoffa and dug more into mafia connections but still it is a useful chapter. There is enough information in it to arm yourself against idiots.

Chapter 6 is about illegal immigration. The largest and lowest attack the left uses is to say that the right is against immigration but leaving out the word "illegal". My wife is a legal immigrant from South Korea. She played by the rules to earn her citizenship. I know what she went threw to achieve that goal. It really burns me to see cheaters break in line. Glenn Beck wrote about that problem as though he really understands what goes on.

Chapter 8 is about owning a home. I have been taught all my life the great value of ownership. I have also been taught the great value of putting down roots in the community. If you honestly look at the numbers it is clear that buying a house is not always a good investment, especially for people who move often. Glenn also nails Barney Fwanks in the chapter so it is fun to read.

Chapter 9 is called "Economics 101" If you did not get it after the chapter on Capitalism or the chapter about unions or the chapter on home ownership you are probably too much of an idiot to ever get it, but just in case here it is one more time. It is clear that smaller government really does equal a bigger wallet.

Chapter 11 is about universal health care. A lot if this chapter is stuff that is in the news daily. No, not if you are such an idiot that you get your news from the broadcast networks, but if you get news from legitimate sources it is there. Few people even including the ones shoveling that crap know what is in those house and senate bills. Even if someone could read all of it they could not keep up with all the amendments, pork and Louisiana Purchases that keep getting piled into it. Glenn Beck does not even try to make sense of it. He just shows the disaster in other nations that did it. He also looks back at the history of the single payer idea as far back as FDR.

Chapter 12 is the chapter I most wish Glenn beck would rewrite as a whole book. He went threw the U.S. Constitution line by line and explained it in language so simple that any bone head aught to understand. The problem is that the chapter is way too short and he only explained the parts that the left most severely twists. The chapter does make it clear how little regard certain people have for our constitution.

Chapter 10 is about the U.S.presidents. This is the chapter which I agree with but for pure political reasons never touched (until now). Every president from Washington to Obama has either written a book or has a sycophant fan write one about him. Presidents have a unique way of inflating their own importance in history. One of the most inflated presidents in history is considered by people who do not know him to be a great conservative. His image is on Mt Rushmore and John McCain called him his idol. I studied Theodor Roosevelt a long time ago and concluded that he is among the worst of the American presidents. I never said that out loud because most people already think that I am on the edge of lunacy. Glenn is probably closer to the edge than I and he is no where close to being a left wing nut. When He said what I already knew I felt relief. I felt not so alone.

I bet very few conservatives would be shocked over what Glenn said about known liberals like Obama, Clinton, Carter, LBJ, Wilson FDR and a few more. They might also not be shocked over what he said about Washington, Jefferson and Regan. Some might get twisted out of the comfort zone to learn the truth about Teddy and the book is worth the price just for that one segment.

Now for a personal story. My first year at the newly integrated McLaurin Jr. High was the sixth grade. I might actually write a whole book about that year but for now one story. I had several teachers that year who did not actually teach. One math teacher never even handed out the math books, but instead we drew pictures and colored them. One of only three teachers that actually taught was the civics teacher. (English and band were the other two) We used a book called "American National Government" and he made sure that the students understood basic political science. The only problem was that he taught from a far left point of view. Very often he would refer to the Democrats as God's Party. Once he even quoted scriptures where Jesus criticized Publicans then said now they are re-publicans. He ranked presidents according to how much they grew the importance of their own office. My first indicator that Teddy Roosevelt might not be such a great guy was when that teacher included him as one of only three Republicans on his list of great presidents.

Here is my own A.D.D moment. I only spoke up twice in that class. Once was when I read aloud my report on U.S. Grant. The other was when I raised my hand and asked what is wrong with a trust and why bust it? Neither of those two times that I spoke up got a friendly response.

Yes I know that there is one more chapter in Glenn's book that I have not talked about. I also said that I would give a list of chapters that I wish were in there. I changed my mind. I will save that list in case I decided to write them myself. The one chapter that I left off is about the Nanny State. I have a lot to say about that so I will make you wait for another blog post. Call it a Cliff Hanger.

Buy Glenn Beck's book and watch him on on FOX News.

Drive by Post.

2009-09-30T09:04:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know that there are some people who still read local blogs like this one. Most read national things and keep up with their circle of friends with Facebook. I have been on Facebook myself a lot lately, but that does not indicate that I have totally forgot this blog. I figure I at least aught to drive by and make a post once in a while.

While I am at it I must admit that even though I have spent some time on Facebook, I have not taken the time necessary to really dig to the bottom of certain issues and comment on them like I want to do. I am into my Sunday School class heavily now and am still busy with business. Football season is on us and I spend a lot of my available time at McLaurin High School.

Even though I have not commented on politics lately I have been reading and studying about it. Back when I was thinking seriously about running for office I felt more of a need to throw my two cents worth into everything. I thought I had to keep my name in public. Now that I am not seriously planning a run for anything I actually dig deeper and find out more.

Now that I have driven by this blog today I invite the few remaining blog readers to drive by Facebook. Click on the badge on the left column and just follow it threw.

Face Book

2009-09-10T11:32:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time Geocities was the hot place on the internet. Then came blogger then My Space. After that it was twitter. Now Facebook is where people tend to go. I am trying to keep up. I have two Facebook pages. Check them both out.

Look in the left column and find the two badges. My main personal page is the second one and is where I spend the most Facebook time. The other one is a special fan type site that politicians use. I am not running for anything and may never run for any thing, but just in case I have a start. You can be a friend on one and a fan on the other. Y'all are invited.

I have seen a lot of bloggers go to Facebook and never come back to blogging. I am still here, and do not plan to stop.

The Shack

2009-09-09T11:09:00.003-05:00

I just finished reading a book called "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young. It is about a tragedy that God used for his good.

I do not agree 100% with the theology inside the book, but it is 99% like I believe. I recommend it for anyone who is hurting,or knows some one who is hurting.

In time I might do a complete book report on it but for now just go to this link. The Shack Book.

Jonah

2009-08-25T21:31:00.003-05:00

I teach adult Sunday School at Dry Creek Baptist Church (the one in Rankin County). I am probably the worst teacher in the long history of the church, but somehow feel like I should be doing it. I don't even call myself a teacher, but a discussion leader. I wanted an adult class because adults will discuss. It is the teachers in the children's classes who need the skill.

This week the lesson was all from the book of Jonah. I had some good talkers in the room so the lesson went well, but what happened in the worship service is something I am not proud of.

All week I had been thinking about Jonah and how it applied to different situations. That lead me to develop a little story based on Jonah. Instead of some guy who lived back in olden times I used myself in modern times. Instead of Nineveh (where Mosul, Iraq is now) I used San Fransisco, Ca. I developed a pretty good story and figured maybe I would refine it some more and make a written story out of it. I ended up using it in a different way and it bombed big time.

Our pastor, Gerry Glass, started doing children church several months ago. He would have a short presentation or video or something that hold kids interest. He would bring them to the front and present it to them but where adult could also hear. He made it clear that he would not have something every week but wanted various people to present something.

We eat breakfast at church Sunday mornings before Sunday school. I noticed that there was a much larger than normal bunch of little ones running around. I also saw that Gerry Glass was preaching a special event at another church, and the assistant pastor Donny Nash was ready to preach. I told Donny about my story and he gave the green light.

I gathered the kids up front and started energetically telling the story but could not match the kids energy. They were wound tight that day. (Hats off to the professional teachers in public schools.) When I got into the story I realized the major flaw. I am an adult discussion leader trying to tell a story to kids. Maybe the adults got something out of it, but it was a mile over the kids heads.

I am not sure if I will ever do that again, but if I do I will tell a story geared for the right age group. As for that Jonah story I might still polish it up and post it. Besides this blog I also have a brand new facebook page and my friends are all church people. A lot heard me butcher Jonah. Perhaps when I polish the story I will place it there.

140 key Strokes

2009-08-24T10:32:00.002-05:00

I have been playing around with twitter lately and found that it is a great teaching tool for long winded writers. By limiting to 140 key strokes it forces people to find pithy ways to get to the point then shut up. Once in a while I have a very little thought that is not little enough to squeeze into such a small space. That is alright because I still have blogger. Here is a question to ponder.

Why would the Democrats in congress risk their majority in 2010 to ram thew a government health care take over? The answer is simple. The take over might be expandable, but regardless of who wins in 2010 is not reversible.

Daily Twit.

2009-08-17T21:17:00.008-05:00

I am still busy, but I cannot make that an excuse. Our state, our nation and our world have serious problems now. The root cause of a lot of the problems is the fact that Christians and conservatives are too busy.

The squeaky wheel really does get the grease. For the last few decades the only people who had time to squeak were unemployed by choice and people who do not spend time in church activities. Even though the silent majority is still the majority, the noisy left is getting the grease. Over those decades the left has been gaining in power and plotting a take over. They see now as their opportunity to fundamentally change all the norms. Our only defense is to squeak.

I am one of those conservatives who has a voice. I got my voice by running for office and stating my opinions. I have had this blog for several years. I actually built my first political website nearly 20 years ago. My voice is not super loud but relatively well established. My voice becomes louder when added to others. The trouble is that I do not use what God has given to me. I often go weeks or months at a time saying nothing then coming back with a lame statement about being busy.

I really am busy, but now is the time that all busy people must step up at least a little. I still do not promise to write a full post every day but I will try to say at lease a little something every day. To make that possible I have added a new feature to this blog. Scroll down the left side and look near the green clock. I have opened a twitter account and linked it to this blog. Now when I twit it automatically shows up on this blog. Now I can quickly say something that is on my mind every day.

The last five twits stay on the blog, but do not assume that you can read all of them by visiting once every five days. There may be more than one in a day. If you missed some just click the "follow" link and read the rest. You can even have them sent as text messages to your cell phone if you like.

My Town Hall Question

2009-08-15T09:16:00.005-05:00

I have been watching with glee as patriots confront politicians at town hall meetings. If I get the opportunity to go to one of those events I will go. Going to an event does not guarantee I get in and getting in does not guarantee get a chance to speak, but just in case I am prepared. All patriots need to be ready. This is what I would say.

I am a self employed small business owner. I am in reasonably good health for my age but my wife is diabetic. Times are hard for retail merchants like us and we had to cut cost to stay in business. One thing we had to drop was health insurance. I desperately need for the federal government to fix the health care problem. These are what I see as the 6 most important things the government can do.

1. Get the government's rear end out of the way so I can buy insurance from any man or lizard selling it in any of the 50 states.

2. Get the government's rear end out of the way so small business owners can form groups and buy group policies.

3. Get the government's rear end out of the way of doctors who are not allowed to expand clinics because of the obsolete "certificate of need" laws.

4. Get the lawyers' hands out of my pockets. As a small business owner I constantly live under the threat of frivolous lawsuits. Even if I were to be sued and win I might still go bankrupt because at least two lawyers and a judge gets paid every time. Even businesses who never get sued still lose because health care providers pass legal costs to patients. Give us real TORT reform NOW.

5. Get the illegal border invaders out of our nation, or at least make them pay for their own benefits.

6. Stop lying to me.

That is what I would say if I had a long time to speak, but every patriot needs to have something quick just in case. If they are rushing me I might just ask, "For whom did you vote for Speaker of the house and why should I trust you with my health care?"

Baptist Children's Village

2009-08-13T09:32:00.003-05:00

When I was only about 3 feet tall, my father would sometimes give me 10 dimes. He would tell me that 9 of those dimes were mine and 1 belonged to God. I would always put God's dime in the offering plate. Several times a year the church would pass the plate like usual but would also have a separate collection for special things. My father told me those are for extra gifts to God's work and if I put in an extra dime I would get an extra blessing. I always did it and it is true that God always made me feel good about giving. Those special offerings were for Annie Armstrong, Lotty Moon, an occasional Gideon who would make a presentation and for the Baptist Children's Village.

I told that story above as a way to admit my bias on this subject. It is true that I, and probably many others, have a preconceived notion that certain church related activities need support. Now I have the opportunity to throw in more than just a dime to help a great cause. I now can throw in my 2 cents worth. The Baptist Children's Village is building in my neighborhood and I am writing to say AMEN to the project.

I live in the Thomasville Community on Star Road between Star and Brandon. It was known as Dry Creek when I was young and I see now that people who do not know are calling us the McLaurin area. Ground has been broken on new construction about 1/2 mile from my house. I am excited about the project. I am a Sunday School teacher in the church closest to the project and see an opportunity for outreach. The only problem I have with the whole project is the fact that they put the driveway in a dangerous curve on Star Rd. That is something that can be fixed.

There is a tiny group in my community plus a larger group of agitators from outside my community who have blocked the project. That group is bringing up every thing from juvenile delinquency to misuse of county money. Here is your chance to have your voice heard. If you agree with me that it is a good opportunity for outreach say it here. If you think it is a bad idea, state that case here too. Give me your most logical and/or emotional argument for or against.

Sales Tax Holiday

2009-07-30T22:55:00.006-05:00

As most of you know I am a retail merchant and tomorrow is the first day of the sales tax holiday. Most of you also know that often called the tax holiday a gimmick to cover for the fact that our legislature does not know enough about retail sales to know that a permanent reduction of the tax rate from 7% to 5% would increase economic activity. It is a bunch of arrogant politicians telling us to shut up and be happy with a temporary break on a few select select items.

Sales in my store has been down for the last few weeks for obvious reasons. One reason is that the customers have very little money. Another reason is that they are saving the little the still have so they can do a months worth of shopping on one weekend. This does not increase sales. It only bunches sales up.

I do not know what problems I will have tomorrow, but one that I predict is people thinking it is a total tax free day. There is still tax on most items and on every item over $100. I can also see problems when merchants file the monthly statement and give money to the state.

I admit that I do not write as much as I once did. I am busy. I will however follow up on this story. When the tax holiday happens, I will report the results from a merchants point of view.

------------------------update August 10-------------------

The only surprise about the sales tax holiday was that it was not as much trouble as I thought. I expected people to demand no tax on every thing. Most of my customers seemed surprised that I gave them a tax break on clothes. It was as though they recognized the whole thing as no big deal and they were correct.

My gross sales for the two days was only slightly better than they normally would have been, but the week before the event was a near record low. The weekly total was worse than normal. Most of the retail merchants I talked with said the same. In Magee, where my store is, the only store that I know had an in increase was Walmart.

Human nature is to shop locally for quick things and go to larger towns for buy a lot. It makes sense that a tax holiday would draw folks away from small town merchants. My mother went to Lakeland Drive on Saturday and told me the crowds were huge but she saw more lookers than buyers. She also noticed that most of the sales in the places she went were because they were bringing out the out of date and damaged merchandise. When she told me that, I had to admit that I did it too.

Now that the tax holiday is over for shoppers it is not over for merchants. We still have to file a report on the 20th day of the following month. I predict a lot of confusion from some and some cheating from a few too. What makes it worse is that the two day event was in two different months. There will be two months of confusion and cheating. It also tells me that the dates were picked by politicians and not merchants.

Some of my customers remember that I ran for state senate before and apparently a few think that I won. Someone asked me why I did not include school supplies when I voted on that bill. I asked if she voted for me and she said no. I said that is why I did not include school supplies. I was tempted to leave her hanging there but finally told her the truth. The truth is that I was not for the gimmick at all, because it is an excuse to not repeal the "temporary" increase in sales tax to 7%.

---------------------------------update August 21----------------------

I, like most retail merchants, file an online sales tax return each month on the 20th day. I thought there might be some special instructions on the form because of the tax holiday. There was not, so I just winged it. I opened the deduction schedule page and wrote in school clothes and told the declared amount of no tax sales for Friday. Next month I will do the same but declare Saturday sales.

Where have I been?

2009-05-21T23:13:00.006-05:00

Friends expect me to write something often, but I would rather write when I am inspired. I know that we have a vice President with a foot in his mouth and a President who needs one there. We have local elections going on for mayor and a mayor of Jackson who died on election day. We have a national financial melt down and a war still raging in Afghanistan. Yes there are plenty of things to write about but the bottom line is that I am busy. I still have a business to run. It is not that I no longer care it is that I am in the middle of it.

In all honesty I had hoped to have a new job by now and a business up for sale. I would have had the time to deeply research issues and not only write about them but vote on them. Maybe later, but for now I will keep my 60+ hour a week job and continue teaching Sunday School.

Even though I do not devote the time to my own blog like I and want and have not updated my other website for a year does not mean that I dissolved. I do make occasional short comments on other sites like The912project.com. Check it out and see for your self.

I will be back when I can.

See for your self.

2009-04-25T21:00:00.004-05:00

Just click on the title of this post and tell me what you see.

I Went to a Tea Party.

2009-04-15T22:56:00.003-05:00

April 15 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm there was a tea party on the steps of the State Capital Building. I was there with my NRA hat, my Fair Tax tee shirt, my pocket sized constitution and a sign that said, "RE-ELECT NOBODY".

I run a business 10 hours a day 6 days a week so I do not go to a lot of protests. I made an effort to attend that one. There were several good things about the event, like meeting people like me at a peaceful protest. There were some less than good things like elected politicians hogging the microphone. All in all it was a great experience and I pray what started there continues.

In the next few days after I get some sleep and reflect a little on the days events I will comment on the goings on. Until then please visit this link. Also check this link.

RE-ELECT NOBODY

2009-04-03T22:27:00.004-05:00

It seems that every time people get a little upset with government, the mantra is "throw the bums out". It sounds good on the surface, but when it's time to vote, the mantra changes to "throw the other guys bums out". People get all fired up and mad about all the pork flowing to other districts, but somehow think the pork they get to eat is necessary spending. People get bent out of shape over corruption, but somehow convince themselves that their guy is the only innocent in the game. People get steamed over compromises without thinking about who they are compromising with. Even in those rare cases when voters realize that the people they voted for is not as good as the campaign ads, they don't want to gamble on what might be worse.

Here is a clue. When elected politicians use news paper guest columns, government financed mail outs and a whole list of other free communication tools to brag about all the wonderful things they did, they are trying to convince you of something. Nation wide there is a small handful of politicians who have done bold and unique things that indicate they deserve a second look. I can think of a mayor who stopped house break ins by requiring able bodied law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms. I can think of a sheriff who makes thugs wear pink undies. Yes, there might be a few babies in the bath water but honestly ask yourself this. Is there a single elected official in Mississippi who cannot be replaced?

I am affiliated with the Republican Party in Mississippi. I get fund raising mail outs all the time explaining why we need to protect our own party members. They make it look like every one with an R is good and every one with a D is bad, so we must protect our numbers regardless of the stand on issues. OK, for the sake of argument I will agree that we must protect our numbers. It does not matter who is in the seat as long as he has an R. That means the changes must happen in party primaries. Read deeper into what both parties are saying and you will realize it is as much or more about protecting incumbents than counting seats.

The time is now more than ever to use the primary system to purge the parties.

Roger Wicker Responded to my Email

2009-03-24T12:23:00.004-05:00

Back during the debate over the omnibus budget (the one Obama blamed on Bush but signed with his own pen) I sent an email to both of our federal senators. I told them that I did not like their stand on ear marks. Finally last night I got a reply from Wicker but have yet to hear from Cochran.

I have not yet figured out how to make this post accept HTML code so I am retyping his reply word for word.

Thank you for contacting me regarding federal spending priorities. I am glad to have the benefit of your views on this issue.

I understand your frustration with the increased government spending and earmarking in recent years. The annual budget resolutions sets limitations on how much spending will be done each year. I have consistently supported budget resolutions which held the line on discretionary spending. Once overall limits are set, congress must prioritize the competing demands for spending within that budget framework. In many instances, congressionally-earmarked funds can address the needs of a community better than other forms of federal aid doled out by Washington bureaucrats. Congressional earmarking must be balanced with national budget priorities including national defense, medicare, and social security, and earmarked funds must still fall within the overall amount dictated in the budget resolution.

I am disappointed that President Obama's first budget request to Congress will increase the deficit by $1 Trillion per year for the next ten years and increase taxes. I believe we must meet the financial challenges our nation is facing without increasing taxes on hard working Americans. Unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues have different priorities, including plans to raise taxes in order to increase spending. I have voted against these efforts several times and will continue to do so.

Be assured I will keep your views in mind as I continue to combat wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars. Please feel free to contact me if I can ever assist you.

With best wishes, I am

SincerelyYours,

Roger F. Wicker
U.S. Senate

Let me translate: I know more about this than you do. This is the way it is done and I need to bring home local bacon to get reelected.

The 912 Project

2009-03-14T23:33:00.004-05:00

I do not watch much television for obvious reasons. I budget my time miserly, but do have a few favorites. Since Glen Beck has been freed from CNN Headline News, he has become one of my favorites. This weekend he confirmed for me the gut hunch I had about him and his show.

More than half the people in the USA are asleep, but little by little a few are starting to stir. Most of those awakened by the economy are becoming angry at the reasons our nation is in trouble. They are angry but until now figured they were angry alone and kept quiet. There are a few outlets with which to vent. I admit that I do not have a national voice but one of the reasons for this blog is to provide a space to vent. Glen Beck has made it clear that we are not alone and has launched a national scale place to vent.

I could write word after boring word trying to explain why I am on board with Glen Beck on this one but my best advice is to check it out your self. Just follow this link to his web site and learn a little about his show. Next go to the 912 project web site and find more about the budding movement that is destined to bloom. If you still feel angry and alone then I suggest you find a support group of like minded people. If all else fails just vent on this post and I will pass it on.

Know the Enemy

2009-03-07T21:14:00.004-06:00

I was watching Glen Beck on TV today and his guest was the head of the communist party. What the man said was scary to people with a clue about religion, history and economics. The trouble is that most of America has no clue. What he is promoting is what we have been slowly slipping into for decades.

I know that most conservative websites only link to other conservative sites, but it is more important that we know what we are facing. I have placed a link to the communist party on my link list along with the White House site and that Recovery web site. When I find the time and stomach I will develop a whole new link list devoted just to left wing radicals.

I am not Republican

2009-03-05T21:40:00.004-06:00

I am a self employed retail merchant which means that I work 10 hours a day 6 days a week. Monday I had a very rare half day at home. It was still a work day, I just had honey dews. At 10:30 AM when most earners are earning, I got a phone call from the Mississippi Republican Party. The script reader started with the usual "thank you for your past support". When he asked how much I could give this time I threw him off script by saying I will give none because I am no longer a Republican. I actually heard him turning pages then he started back trying to sound local. He told me that our own Senator Cochran will need help soon. I asked him if that is the same Cochran who leads the senate in earmarks. Again more page turning then he started talking about the state legislature. I almost told him I twice ran against one of the rinos he is asking me to help, but I figured it was not worth the argument.I just told him to call back next year if the party becomes conservative.

That conversation started me thinking of a local radio talk show host who equated support for George Bush with conservatism. I did strongly support Bush on several issues but certainly not every issue. If I ever get another half day off I will reread a lot of what I wrote over the last 8 years and point out places where I called him timid on tax cuts. I know that this may make me sound less conservative, but I saw Bush's name on my ballot 4 times and never voted for him. I voted Ambassador Keys in both primaries and for the Constitution Party candidates in both general elections. This time I voted Mike Huckabee in the primary and Sara Palin's running mate in the general.

I have said this many times. If you are conservative and have failed to study the candidates or issues, just stay home on primary election day. That day is where the rubber really hits the road. We cannot afford to have people blindly voting for either incumbents or candidates anointed by party moderates. The primary is where we purge the party. That is why our legislatures are more conservative on paper than in reality. That is why so many republican US senators push pork. That is why McCain won the Republican primary and lost the general election.

The Governor Says No to Bail Out.

2009-02-24T00:11:00.003-06:00

The governor of Mississippi along with several potential presidential candidates said no to a portion of the federal money. Where have I heard that idea before. Oh yes, I remember now. I said it in 1999. I wrote a sample list of issues I believe in and a quick explanation of each. I did add a few things to the list but have never taken any thing off since I wrote it. I wrote about taxes in 1999 and it still applies. Please go to Electcliffbrown.com then go to the issues page and select taxes from the list. You will find where I said "we should be very careful when we reach into the cookie jar"

Obviously I cannot disagree with someone who agrees with me, but I do question his motives. I do believe he is our second best conservative governor behind only Fordice. Considering his abilities to compromise and play the media, he is more affective than Fordice, but still far less of on actual conservative at heart. It might be that he truly believes it is dangerous to reach into the jar, but I think he is reading the mood of the voters on this one. He knows that the far left liberal legislators will over rule him so he can be seen making the best of what he will continue to call a bad situation.

That is my opinion. what is yours?

Broadhead Is Out

2009-02-20T20:57:00.004-06:00

People who live in or near Simpson County Mississippi probably know a little about this story. This blog may have a few readers from other places so I advise you to do some homework before proceeding with this post. Follow the link to Simpson County News and look for the story titled "Judge Rules Broadhead is Out".

Several years ago I wrote a post about the Mendenhall chief of police who was arrested for statutory rape. I got into some serious hot water when some one put comments about the Broadhead family on that post. I may be taking a risk now but I see it as my moral duty to speak.

The Simpson County News correctly reported that Mendenhall alderman at large Bill Broadhead moved into a new house outside the city limits, thus making himself legally unqualified to hold an elected city office. He refused to resign and his fellow aldermen refused to remove him. Ultimately a judge had to remove him from office. The news paper also briefly mentioned Broadhead's strange defence, where he claimed he is such a great alderman he has to stay in office. In my opinion the paper went about as far as is safe to go, but I will take the risk and kick the hornets nest.

I have never sat down and had a conversation with Bill Broadhead, but have met him several times in passing. I have spent some time with several members of his inner circle and twice ran a political race against his father-in-law Perry Lee. In my opinion the best two word description of most members of that inner circle is "extremely arrogant". I know that often professional politicians act arrogant to intimidate opponents. They tried that on me, but it is far more than that. What I saw did not look like an act. I believe some among them think they are so vital to the future of the county and even the state that any one who does not agree must be evil.

I will finish this post with a rumor which I heard from many unrelated sources, but cannot prove or disprove. Some, all or none if it may be true, but it is something to ponder. There was and may still be a master plan to promote three prominent members of that above mentioned circle to higher political positions. Bill Broadheads father-in-law Perry Lee, who is now a state senator, will move to State Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce. Andy Gipson, who is now a State Representative, will take Perry's place in the senate. Bill Broadhead will replace Andy in the house. I heard that before Andy Gipson had been elected to anything. The seat Andy needed was held by the conservative Republican Clint Rotenberry. According to the rumor Clint failed to vote yes on an earmark Governor Barbour wanted so the governor slanted the primary race for Andy.

For obvious reasons I must screen all comment to all my posts, but I am feeling a little bold now. I also hate corruption enough to take more risks than normal. No foul language or obvious malicious attacks will be allowed but I invite all other comments. Tell me what you think.

Obama's Big Lie

2009-02-18T20:37:00.003-06:00

I just put a link on this site to to RECOVERY.GOV. See for yourself what he says about the trillion dollar mess he just signed. He talked about transparency yet put a tiny one page thing up to explain a 1000+ page document. In the next few days when I have time I will try to find and post more truth about that thing, but now I just want a drink.

I'm Just Rambling

2009-02-04T15:29:00.003-06:00

One of the first thing writers should learn is to make a point then shut up. The next thing to learn is that if you must make several points, at least they should be on the same general subject. Rambling is wrong. I started this blog to discuss local conservative politics. Since I live in Rankin County and work in Simpson County I call that my local area. Sometimes I ramble into state politics and lately I have been rambling into federal politics. At least when I venture out of my local area I usually pick only one subject at a time. Today I have been reflecting on several different things I heard on the news and just need to throw my two cents worth i several directions.

I will start with the pilot Sully. With all the crap going on in Chicago, DC, Wall Street, and almost any where else, it is real nice to know that such a man would quietly call his local public library and explain why he cannot return a book about professional ethics. In case you missed that one the book got wet.

Now for the drive by media heaping praise on Obama for reaching across the isle. When Delila reached across the isle Sampson got a hair cut. I pray that the pseudo conservative Republicans do not fall for that one. Obama's latest stunt was to pick Judd Cragg for the cabinet. That does not mean he is bipartisan. It only means he can count to 60. The drive bys are giving cover by talking about the Democrat governor who picked a GOP replacement for senator Cragg The raw truth is that he picked a North East Republican and not a true conservative Republican. We might be able to count her on some economic issues but on social issues she admitted to being liberal.

Now I want to get into octuplets. According to every reporter who has never met the mother she is evil. I must admit that she might have some mental quirks. I think single women going to such measures to have even a seventh baby should raise some flags. Some questions about who is paying the bill should be asked. Some ethics questions about the fertility clinic should be asked. I however am not ready to throw her under the bus before hearing the answers to those questions. As some one who grew up in the rural south I do not find large poor families strange. It works as long as none are allergic to hoe handles. If the mother can make enough money to pay her bills by doing the media tour then I say good luck to her. It could turn out that she had a moral objection to letting a live human embryo die. Let us hear her first.

What about the salary cap on executive pay? The one thing a poorly run company needs most of all is a better CEO. There is a lot of good ones out there but they go where they can make the most money. I cannot think of any thing more stupid than the government telling a company that needs help that they cannot go after the best talent.

Now for that ridiculous thing they call a stimulus bill. Only a socialist would think you can waste your way to wealth. Since government caused most of the problems how can government fix it by doing more of what caused it? Any bone head who has ever balanced a check book will tell you that the first step to getting out of debt is to stop spending. The only stimulus that will actually work is a retroactive and permanent tax cut on people who hire people. Followed by deep cuts in all government non defense spending.

I did not get in to the huge list of Obama appointees who are falling to ethics problems or to Iran's missile. Maybe later or maybe I will leave that to you. Tell me what you think.

Is Blagojevich Dirty?

2009-01-27T23:54:00.002-06:00

The more I think about it the more I know that that is the wrong question. I should ask, "Who else is dirty?" I am sure that a lot of politicians and influence peddlers in Illinois and some in Washington are sweating bullets. There are large hoards denying that they know him. Even the guy who he appointed to the senate said he hasn't talked to him since.

The Illinois state senators are the most interesting to watch. They cannot just hide from him, but must actually cast a public vote on him. I am sure that some among them are clean and can decide the merits of the case, but not all. My gut hunch is that many know that if the governor goes down he will take someone with him. They are wondering should they cast a public vote in favor of the governor whom the people distrust or risk him telling all when he goes to criminal court? I think the main purpose of Blago's tour of New York is to give cover to dirty senators. Listen to the statements they make after voting. If they use something lame like they do not agree with their own senate rules or some of the other talking points the gov has given him then you will know.

That is my opinion. What is yours?

Get Involved

2009-01-25T12:21:00.003-06:00

I believe that we should support and pray for our new president because like him or not he does represent our nation before the world. Just because we are nice to the man does not mean we have to drink the cool aid every time he speaks. The same can be said about not just the chief executive but the dog catcher too. We the people not only have the right but the responsibility to stand up for right and against wrong.

My little way to do my responsibility is with this blog but not every one has a blog. That is why I have added two new links to my blog. One says "Contact Your US Representative" and the other says "Contact your US Senator". Those links lead you to email so you can tell them your opinion. When the president appoints cabinet members he has to do so with the advice and consent of the senate. They usually confirm all of them unless we the people make it known that we object. Right now they are in the process of confirming a pick for treasury secretary who is clearly not qualified for many reasons, the most famous reason is that he is a tax cheat. Please use that senate link to tell both of our senators to have a spine and oppose the tax cheat.

Please contact our two senators NOW before it is too late, but not only now. Please get in the habit of learning the issues and making your opinion known.

What Happens Next???

2009-01-17T22:54:00.002-06:00

I am pretty good at making predictions. All I have to do is look at which directions things are going and the forces that turn things. What I am not good at is writing down my predictions, which means that even though I am not surprised I still cannot say "I told you so". I am making a few observations about the Obama administration and this time I think I will write a few down.

I start with the direction things are going now. He has made most of his cabinet picks and so far there has been no surprises either in the picks or the media reaction to them. I am mildly surprised at keeping Gates as Sec. Def. The media has declared it to be a tradition to retain one official from the last administration and since Obama dares not disappoint the media he obviously must oblige. I thought he might save someone like the post master general or some one on that level. The fact that it was Gates tells me a tremendous amount about the next four years. The most important thing is that he sees the economy ahead of war. During the campaign, Obama said he wanted the troops out of Iraq now and wants a surge in Afghanistan. The fact that we are nearing success in Iraq and plans are already being made for a surge in Afghanistan kind of messed up his opportunity for change. I also think hearing the security briefings opened his eyes a little in that area. He is risking a lot of protest from the left of his own party by keeping Gates, but he will use a whole list of domestic issues including the economy as cover. He hopes that in two years just before mid term elections he will have found a way to replace him. I think Gates along with a lot of national security team members will remember some personal reason to resign.

Now for the economy stupid. Or is it the stupid economy? He predictably picked a list of left wing nuts who either want to protect their Wall Street buddies or who actually think we can spend our way to wealth. He has as head of the IRS some one who says he doesn't understand his own taxes. He even has the confessed socialist Carrol Browner on his team. No surprise there. The far left wing press and a lot of pseudo conservatives are talking about how centrist the group is. No surprises there either. I think that all of that money squandering by the government might actually appear to work in about three years. FDR started with a small, short term economic problem and used his new deal to turn it into a full depression. The economy eventually cycled and the post war boom hit which brought us out. The trick was that no matter how bad it got he always blamed it on Hoover. Obama will have similar things happen for him but the recovery will come faster because of the only good thing he will do and that is to increase consumer confidence.

Maybe if the mood hits I will write a post about the very predictable results of having so many Chicago people (some of which send dead fish) in the administration. With the help of congress and the cover of the media it might be interesting to watch as long as it is your own back you are watching.

I had thought of writing a long scholarly break down of each appointee, each campaign promise, each news story, and each cowardly "conservative" with his head in the sand. I could write an impressive list of predictions by just looking at the relationship of those four groups but it is too obvious. Instead I will leave you with some thoughts that I bet most people reading this blog missed.

As many of you may know, I run a business that caters to special needs of black customers. They asked for Obama memorabilia such as shirts, hats, necklaces, watches buttons and several other items. I figure since he won he deserves his due respects, so I stocked a whole line of Obama stuff. It is the fastest selling clothes line we have but I noticed some things that I did not expect. I sometimes talk to the customers while they look at the stuff and sometimes I quietly listen to them talk to each other. I found that I could easily divide the Obama fans into three nearly equal groups. Some of the youngest see him as nothing more than a popular celebrity along side their favorite movie stars. Some have dreams that the messiah will deliver them from all earthly problems. The most surprising group is the ones who are happy just because one of their own won. They seem to have no expectations or even hopes that he will be a great president. They simply wanted to see that barrier broken. Where I expected to see a lot of gloating I saw instead relief. This will need a closer look but I suspect it has taken a lot of the urgency out of the civil rights movement and may turn out to be one of Obama's largest problems. It may also explain why Jessie Jackson wanted to castrate him. More on that later. Now tell me what you think.

Is IL Politics Really the worst?

2008-12-17T17:07:00.004-06:00

Unless you have been in a cave for weeks you probably know that the governor messed up and the US attorney called his state among the worst in the nation. That made people start to think of the other states in the running for the title. LA where cold hard cash is in freezers. NJ and NV for obvious reasons. AK has had its moments. IN was once wholly owned by the KKK. In my opinion none are at the top. according to con artists, the best con is when the victim never realizes he got hit. The one thing all those known corrupt states have in common is that they are known.

Watch out for states that look too clean. Better yet all citizens should look out for their own states and their own counties and their own small towns. That is where it starts. Look for city aldermen who live out side the city limits. Look for certain families who sell swamp land to counties. Look for the dirt pit owners who sell fake loads of fill for the foundations of schools. Look for friends and family members of elected officials with sweet jobs. Look close but don't just look and say nothing can be done. Vote against those people. Write letters to editors. If nothing else comment on this post.

Obama is Pres. Elect

2008-11-24T10:24:00.002-06:00

Obama is the president elect of my nation. I did not vote for him and four years from now probably will not vote for him again, but like it or not he won. The Bible says that I do not have to like him or agree with his policies but I still must pray for his success.

Our government is based on a system of checks and balances. One of the original checks that we have nearly lost is states rights. Any power not given in writing to the federal level was spread among the many states and the states were checked by the counties. Another check is the fact that our federal government is divided into three branches plus the constitutionally guaranteed free press. Each unit of government was to be checked by at least two of the others. Now that all three branches and most of the press is dominated by the same political party we have apparently lost the last check, but it is not over yet. Talk radio is not corrupt yet but watch out for the "fairness doctrine". The most sacred check is the right to vote, but fraud has diluted that. The greatest tools still available to we the people are small group conversations, letters to the editors and the internet.

I have met several folks who believe that we cannot use web sites, letters and even our dinner table to criticize God's anointed one and still follow the command to pray for our leaders. In the time before the formation of this nation they might have had a valid point, but now according to our constitution we are the nations leaders. The three words, "we the people" placed in our constitution means that our government is of, by and for the people. The first amendment further clarifies and protects that concept. We not only have permission to speak out on bad policy, but we have the responsibility to do so.

The first step to doing our responsibilities it to pray for guidance and fully study the issues. The second step is to start talking. Coming soon to this web site will be some posts about my personal opinions of the Omama administration.

I lost!

2008-11-12T09:42:00.003-06:00

I could make excuses such as the third candidate split the vote, or the superintendent of education used county funds to campaign against me. I could say that I was running against a well entrenched former state legislator with inside connections. I could say I was out spent. I could cite the Governor Edwards affect which believes that the known crook on my side is better than the potential crook on the other side. All those are probably true, but the bottom line is that some one got more votes than I did.

I made some bad mistakes such as assuming that people who want true reform actually vote for anyone. It turns out that the people who have been hurt the most by the back scratching system believe voting is hopeless. I started too late to build a coalition. I tried to run a campaign and a business at the same time.

The fact that I raised some issues that would have otherwise been ignored may bring a little reform. The fact that I spent less than 19 cents per vote proves a valuable point about campaign financing. Overall what I did was good.

One final note before you think I am mad at the man who won. I and my family have known him for years. I believe him to be honest. It is the superintendent of education under investigation for misuse of county funds, and not any one on the school board.

I Am A Candidate

2008-08-27T11:06:00.003-05:00

I have turned in my petition with the required number of signatures. The signatures were verified and I am now officially a candidate for Rankin County school board. I do not know if any one else has qualified but I am assuming the man crowned by the powers in Brandon will qualify. I will keep you posted right here.

School Board

2008-08-14T15:44:00.004-05:00

Recently the president of the school boards in both Rankin and Simpson Counties resigned. I live in the Rankin County school district where there is a special election for the board. Several people, including some teachers, have asked if I will run and I have not yet said no.

Comments Are Back

2008-07-14T09:47:00.003-05:00

Free speech is in the name of this blog, but I have been forced to limit and delete comments. I provided a space for people to use their first amendment right to blow off steam, but two separate and unexpected things happened.

Some of the comments did get out of bounds and off subject. I do not know of any libel and slander laws that were broken, but since they began talking about people who are not public figures and saying things that were not totally true some of those comments came close.

The other thing that happened was just as bad if not worst. A small group of people reveled the thinness of their skins. I admit that some of the comments were over the line and may have been written to intentionally hurt people, but I also suspect most were written by children who just wanted to play. What really disgusted me most of all were the people who actually took it seriously. They began to call me late at night to whine. They even took their complaints to members of my family who had nothing to do with those comments. It was when my family began to suffer that I decided to pull the plug.

There is also a minor reason that went into my decision to stop speech. I was running for office at the time and I found out that several of my political opponents were using my blog against me. They spread the rumor that I had personally written every one of the comments even tho I believe some may have actually been written by my opponents. I called that a minor reason because by the time I saw what was happening, the Republican party had already thrown its full support for its rubber stamp. The only real purpose of my effort after the first month was to air the issues. When the issues were drowned out by the noise, the blog lost much of its purpose.

One of the issues I was trying to shout loudest about was the grocery to tobacco tax swap. Granted I would rather repeal the "temporary" sales tax increase with out off set. Reducing sales tax would increase sales enough to be its own off set. Since there was no politicians with guts, the only real option was to push the tobacco tax as an off set to cut the grocery tax. Considering what is going on now, it is even more of a tragedy that the swap got drowned out. If the tobacco tax was already up it would not be part of the excuse used by liberal Republicans who want to tax hospital beds.

I had envisioned a place where those and other important issues could have been openly discussed. It would also have been a place where true waste and political corruption could be exposed. It is clear that this is not the right type of forum to do that. This blog has been reduced to a few boring posts with out comments but I am just as bored as the readers. I am once again allowing limited comments. The comments will not be automatically placed on the blog but will go to my email. I will judge them fairly and put on all but the worst.

I'm a Grandfather

2008-07-10T11:19:00.003-05:00

I usually use this blog to rant about political issues, but now I must brag a little. I have three children named Dennis, Jessica and Johnny. Dennis Adams is my wife's son with her first husband but I still call him mine. He worked with us in the store for a long time and ran the Mendenhall location for a few years. Now Dennis is the father of a beautiful little girl.

Riley Agnes Adams was born 07-07-08 at St. Dominic's. Baby and mother are doing well and Dennis is taking photos by the hundreds. When he emails some I may post them.

Negro League Baseball

2008-07-07T10:31:00.004-05:00

Once upon a time, long before my birthday there was major league baseball, and there was also Negro league baseball. The managers of the all white major league teams were looking at those great black players and knew they would be good for major league baseball but the managers lacked the guts to hire one and break the "color barrier". They knew that the first black player would be have to be great on the field, in the locker room and at home. A failure any where would "prove" that blacks are not equal.

They watched and waited until they found Jackie Robinson, who was a great player, team mate and man. Of course there was resistance from predictable sources but overall the move worked. The greatest resistance was from Negro league managers who believed their game would end.

Now fast forward to 2008. All important color barriers in the USA are broken, but the "black managers" are creating the illusion that some still exist. The biggest is of course the oval office. Obama might break that illusion but I am watching close to see if race pimps like Sharpton, and Jackson will fight for or against him.

Yes, it is true that a few of Obama's supporters are true Marxists and believe in the Obama agenda. Most just want to be part of the first black movement. The reason Obama speaks of change without defining it is because change is a raciest code. The question to ask now is what will happen to the black movement if Obama wins and is proven to be a failure? Just something to ponder!

Second post in a day.

2008-06-05T09:51:00.003-05:00

Call it an after thought. Call it a dread. Call it worry out loud. I was just thinking about "Rev." Wright and started to sweat. After he said "God damn America" he said it is in the Bible. By his own logic I must predict what will happen if his student is elected, and say that is in the Bible too.

There would be 3 1/2 good years then 3 1/2 bad years, then to save the earth God will let an assassin take him at the start of the 8th year.

In the first half of the Obama, time half of the world will swell with pride because they see history before them. The world press will call him super man. There will be a time of temporary world peace threw compromise and treaty. There will be the allusion of a cooler earth because of world treaties. The economy will look good because of all the free bacon bought by borrowing from the future. The dollar will be strong because of false confidence. There will be an explosion of consumer tech. so high speed wireless will be nearly as common as phones now. Banks will use so much electronic transfer that currency will be seen as old fashion.

In the second half the bills will come due, and the treaties will fail. Universal health care will become health rationing. Electronic money will become a license to buy and sell. Those wonderful consumer electronics will become government spy devices. Global warming treaties will allow violators to be cut from the power grid.

I know that most readers of Revelation expect something similar to that to come some day, but think it is not now. Perhaps it really is later but think, pray and get ready now.

What happened?

2008-06-05T08:25:00.004-05:00

Lately, conservatives have been burning a lot of brain cells trying to decide between two bad candidates for POTUS. Some are thinking about the lessor of two evils. Some are thinking about the greater of two evils just to prove a point. Some are thinking about third parties and some are thinking about staying at home on election day. The only reason we are thinking so hard now is that we have not thought enough over the last several years. What is worst is that the few among us who were thinking were not in motion.

There are some very dangerous trends in the Republican Party. Our nominee for President is only a symptom of those trends. The main problem is local. In almost every local nation wide other than the Northeast, our party is made mostly of conservatives and moderates with a few liberal infiltrators in our midst. The moderates never rock the boat and believe their mission in life is peace threw compromise. The conservatives will not make a stand but the liberals will make stands loudly, so the moderates grease the only wheels they hear squeaking. Even when conservatives are in the clear majority the liberals rule most local areas. When they rule enough local areas in counties they rule counties. When they rule enough counties they rule states.

Why then do conservatives never stand up? It is almost by definition that conservatives have jobs. We are out there working 40, 50, 60 and up hours a week pushing the wheels of commerce. Until there is a real disaster we are too busy to worry about politics.

There is one more dangerous trend driven by moderates in our party and that is the need to "build the party". They are the ones spouting the nonsense of hand picking and grooming future candidates. They are the ones talking about big tent party unity. They are the ones who worry when cream naturally starts to rise in an area where they did not place it. To the masses that all sounds like they are keeping our party strong and pure, but in reality they are maintaining an invitation only closed power system. The only way to get an invitation is show up with a rubber stamp. People outside that loop are not motivated to do much other than vote.

I admit that this post does not make our voting decision easier this year, but it does give a way to avoid the same problem eight years from now.

McCain?

2008-05-22T15:37:00.003-05:00

It is not hard for a true conservative to find things about John McCain to disagree with. He is flat wrong on the Mexican border. He is timid about tax cuts. He has joined with leftists like Fiengold and Kennedy to craft his most famous bills. He has even been sucked into the Algore tree hugger church. Time permitting I could address many more issues where he has proven less than conservative. I really do not want to vote for him but the only other choice is Obama.

On every bad issue for McCain and more, Obama is worst, yet I have heard many say they would rather have a known liberal than a disguised one. At least we could then blame the fall of our nation on the democrats. There are at least two problems with that. First is that the affect of a president is not always felt until the next president is in office. The other is that even if Obama is a quick failure, his party and the press will cover for him.

The real question is not who can we blame but whose damage will be easier to correct. McCain will do much more harm to the Republican Party but not necessarily to the conservative movement. It may actually be an alarm clock to the conservatives. If it kills the GOP but we emerge with our own new party that is good.

Look issue by issue and you will see that on tax there is not a dimes worth of difference but every dime counts. On gun control, homosexual promotions, and ear marks, McCain may be less dangerous.

With the exception of one issue the affects of a president have a half life of about a decade. The issue that lasts longer is the appointment of judges. McCain will not appoint Clarence Thomas types but maybe not Thurgood Marshall types either. Obama will go for a slate of affirmative action judges. The greatest difference is the number of judges who will die or retire while each is president. McCain will likely be a four year president but Obama will likely appoint judges for eight years.

Every two years we will have a chance to elect a more conservative house and senate to balance the White House. McCain will not have the devotion of the press that Obama does. He may turn out easier to rally against. Even on issues that have nothing to do with race it may be imposable to rally against the first black president with out being labeled "raciest."

As much as it hurts to say this I may put a clothes pen on my nose and vote for McCain, if he picks a conservative running mate.

Where am I?

2008-04-08T09:16:00.003-05:00

Once upon a time I wrote a lot. I wrote in this blog, and in a thing called "On The Edge" and sometimes in letters to the editor. Suddenly I removed all the post in my blog and quit writing. People have begun to ask where I am.

Let me assure you that I am still here and am still writing. I am just not letting people read what I write. As readers may know I never said any thing bad to or about any one in my posts, but some of the people who made comments under my posts did cross the line. I had to pull the plug and mend some fences.

The comments on this blog are not the only things that caused trouble. Lies were told other places too. I have mended some of the fences and decided some of the fences are better left down. I am now back to posting a little but not to the extent as before and I will not allow comments like before.

People sometimes ask if I will ever get back into politics, so I ask them if it is possible to lose a true calling. I am not actively planning a new campaign and I doubt I will tangle with the same forces I did before, but I cannot rule out running for a different office.

I Deleted all the Posts and Comments

2007-09-04T11:19:00.000-05:00

In due time I will tell why I removed so much from this blog and why soon the whole blog may be gone, but I think most can figure it out.