From the following article:
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070227/NEWS01/70227062/1075

another democrat, Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, is being too politically correct. She wants to ban the phrase, “illegal alien” from the state’s official documents. She suggests that the term “alien” is offensive, and also would like to do away with the term, “illegal.”

I did a quick search on Google, and the first definition of “alien” was: “ a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country” Hmmm. Pretty straight forward, at least to me. As for the “illegal” part, well, if you aren’t here LEGALLY, then I guess you are in fact here ILLEGALLY. If you combine the two words, you get a perfect definition for someone who did not come to our country properly.

I think this country needs to start calling things as they are. We have bent over backwards to make sure we don’t hurt anyone’s feelings. In this situation, I believe that Senator Wilson can’t understand the basic definitions of these two fairly easy words in the English language… probably in the same manner these “illegal aliens” can’t understand either.
-Lander

I can’t believe that I’m going to say this… but for the first time i agree with Steve Jobs.

http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=hardware&articleId=9011590&taxonomyId=12&intsrc=kc_top

Unions promote medocrity. When you have no incentive to work harder, or be a better worker, or teacher, then of course there’s no reason to do that. I’ve had good teachers, who deserve more, and bad teachers who deserved less.

The good teachers should be in outrage because they aren’t getting as much as they should, all because of damn unions.

The total military dead in the Iraq war between 2003 and this month stands at about 3,133. This is tragic, as are all deaths due to war, and we are facing a cowardly enemy unlike any other in our past that hides behind innocent citizens. Each death is blazoned in the headlines of newspapers and Internet sites. What is never compared is the number of military deaths during the Clinton administration: 1,245 in 1993; 1,109 in 1994; 1,055 in 1995; 1,008 in 1996. That’s 4,417 deaths in peacetime but, of course, who’s counting?” — Alicia Colon

As I’ve said. Every lost life is bad, but when people don’t put things into perspective, they get lost in numbers. 3000 seems bad, but 4000 during ‘peace’-time?

And all the liberals who say we shouldn’t play numbers with deaths, comparing two administrations is just stupid, are hypocrits. They’re the ones keeping tally on Iraq deaths.

“I just don’t like homosexuals. If you ask me, they’re all homosexuals in the Pudding. Hey, I was glad when that Pudding homosexual got killed in Philadelphia.” (Mr. Franken, a 1973 graduate of Harvard, was referring to Harvard’s Hasty Pudding theatrical club).” -> http://washingtontimes.com/national/20070220-122224-6807r.htm

Hm… so why the outrage at Tim Hardaway?

* 57% believe “The Iraq War is a key part of the global war on terrorism.”

* 57% “support finishing the job in Iraq, that is, keeping the troops there until the Iraqi government can maintain control and provide security for its people.

* 50% want our troops should stay and “do whatever it takes to restore order until the Iraqis can govern and provide security to their country” while only 17% favor immediate withdrawal

* 56% believe “Even if they have concerns about his war policies, Americans should stand behind the President in Iraq because we are at war.”

* 53% believe “The Democrats are going too far, too fast in pressing the President to withdraw the troops from Iraq.”

-http://www.rasmussenreports.com/

So, only 17% of Americans want immediate withdrawl? Wow, I guess the media and democratic hopefuls are out of touch with America, like usual.

Mr. Knowledge

Choose the correct answer:

1 -A black candidate will destroy the Democrats’ chances of winning the presidency.

2 -Religion must be a determining factor in electing a President.

3 -“Everybody in politics does it (lies), but they (Bill and Hilary) do it with such ease, it’s troubling.”

And, the correct answer is # 3!

Legally, everyone is supposed to have the right of free speech, with a few obvious limitations, such as slander, etc.

However, this right does not exist today because we have a new, over-riding “law”. That law, promulgated by the politically correct police, is that we can say what we want to, so long as it is acceptable to everyone. Wow. What an unobtainable standard now exists.

Therefore, Indian mascots have to be discarded even though, for the most part, the Indian was perceived to be the ultimate warrior, capable of defeating any foe, and therefore, an excellent model of what every athlete wanted to be. An Indian mascot was our way of saying that we wanted to be as good as an Indian warrior. That was not an insult.

Religious symbols are no longer allowed, even if you only display it on your own desk top. And, cities which have long used a cross as their emblem now must remove these ancient forms of identification.

An NBA player is not allowed to admit that he is homophobic. As long as he does not act criminally against gays, why can’t he express himself?

Where do the strictures end? Who decides what is offensive and what is not? I myself find the “f” word so offensive that it makes me cringe to hear it thrown left and right, in every avenue. I dislike the sexual and violent nature of many commercials which air when children are watching tv, as during the Super Bowl. I resent being insulted for my political views. But, does that mean that others must stop doing those things because I am insulted? No. So, why would a man who admits to disliking gays be put under the media microscope and even prevented from attending a sporting event? Well, such stories help those making their living on scandals and bogus news stories.

Ultimately, whether you agree or disagree with Mr. Hardaway, he should have the right to speak freely. Otherwise, the next time someone disagrees with your viewpoint, the censor police might come knocking at my, or your, door!

http://cbs4.com/local/local_story_045205258.html

Call him whatever you want, but he has every right to say that. I’m proud of him. About time someone says something that people won’t take as PC. It’s the same with the Rush Limbaugh incident with Donovan McNabb a few years ago. He said that the only reason people really like him, is because he’s a black QB. Hey, he was right, but since you can’t say that, he got fired. Same thing with this, people claim free speech, but when someone doesn’t agree with them, they get their panties in an uproar.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1386812.ece

I think it’s about time we put those countries back in place. I just wish Bush would come out, like foreign leaders, and say, “Russia is bad for the world, and need to be taken care of.” Whoever you are, you cannot say that the US being the world power is a bad thing. If you disagree with individual decisions, that’s fine, but the overall picture and plan of the US is the best any other country could dream of.

http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/chronology.html

Note how no attacks after 9-11? Can’t deny those facts. So basically, our war on terror is working, right? I don’t think Peace solved that. So long as Bush is in office, they will not attack, because they know he’ll throw the kitchen sink, and then some against them.

I saw a lady loading groceries into her car today. There is nothing unusual in that; but, our interaction was slightly out of the norm. Upon seeing a decal with the “Semper Fi” motto in her back window, I stopped to ask if she were a Marine. She hesitated slightly and then said that her son was a Marine. When I thanked her for his service, she smiled and said that he was currently deployed in Iraq.

She was a young woman which meant her son had to be quite young, too…but, not too young to serve his country. I told her I would remember them all in my prayers and she told me, “Thank you”!!!! Shouldn’t the thanks all go the other way? How is it that a mother whose son serves his country is worried about someone’s reaction? Why is it acceptable to disdain our soldiers? This sad state of affairs is directly attributable to liberals who wanted to gain political power and the media who are the liberals’ lap dogs.

It is “the” thing to do nowadays…vent at the war and President Bush while pompously proclaiming that you support the soldiers. Well, a man cannot serve two masters. Those who think they can curse the war effort while pretending support for the military might be fooling themselves, but anyone with a modicum of intelligence understands that this is a political ploy.

I would like to thank the military once again. Thank you to that mother, — and all the mothers and fathers, husbands, wives, sisters and brothers, uncles, aunts, grandparents — of our servicemen. Thank you for keeping us safe. Thank you for all the sacrifices you make on our behalf. There are many of us who appreciate your service. So, to all the military, Semper Fi.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/254536,CST-NWS-sweet13.article

He really believes their lives are wasted. That’s why he said it. See, all the liberals do is say something outlandish. If no one calls them on it, they just keep saying it. If someone calls them, they say they misspoke, or didn’t mean what everyone else thinks they did.

Now, if Bush even says a word wrong, it’s all over CNN and other outlets, calling him a liar or something similar.

-Mr. Knowledge

Parades are fun. They draw attention whenever and wherever they go. There are dancing bears, clowns, a bandwagon….and, always a crowd!

Unfortunately today, in our combative, political climate, too many issues become part of a circus act and not serious issues to discuss. Global warming is one of the most controversial concepts around today and is rapidly dividing the American public into two camps. Do you believe that people are responsible for global warming? Or, do you believe that global warming is a product of continual, climate change?

Former Senator Gore has made a lot of political hay with his strident assertions that MAN is the ultimate defiler of our glorious ecosystem. His speeches thunder with accusations and dire warnings. If he had a couple of stone tablets and a long, white beard, many would consider him to be the second coming of Moses.

Today, another voice entered the fray. Henrik Svensmark, a Danish scientist, stated that the current warming of the globe is typical of climate change and is due mostly to a thinning cloud cover which, in turn, is due to a change in cosmic rays. And, there are other SCIENTISTS, such as John Cristy or Steven Hayward, who condemn the bastardization of science merely to influence people to believe in global warming.

Why would anyone propose global warming if it weren’t true? Well, consider the political accolades and the monetary rewards taking a controversial stand gives someone like Al Gore. Essentially, his political career was ended and yet, now he rises once more as a potential, presidential candidate! Far too many politicians utilize crowd hysteria for their own personal advantage and I believe that the fear of global warming is just such an issue. Environmentalists are rejoicing in the mass hysteria that has resulted from such claims. Global warming is being used to shape ideological and social thought so that one group or another will have the upper hand in decisions about our environment, our commercial entities and even our social framework.

However, regardless of why or how the issue is presented, the future depends on today’s decisions, so we must choose one of the two theories — either there is global warming or there is not. I choose to believe that there is not anything happening to the climate that has not happened over and over — including before humans were around.

My belief is based upon stories my father told me of his childhood. He lived in northern Wisconsin, almost in Michigan, and he still remembers his mother harvesting watermelons, squash, and muskmelons from their home garden. As far as he knew, his childhood was the only period when this was possible. When I grew up in the same locale, we could not even grow cucumbers or summer squash. Summers were far too cold and short. Although this is only one example, and might be an anomaly, there are other examples of severe weather during this same time. The Dust Bowl had many factors, but severe weather change was definitely one of the causes.

I wish the media would stop hyping these stories. I wish the media would begin to report the news, not attempt to create the news by overblowing certain stories and minimizing others.

For example, if you believe in global warming, then you also have to believe that the real story is in China and the underdeveloped countries who produce huge quantities of greenhouse gases and have no vested interest in stopping. After all, the United States, thanks to certain public figures, is assuming all the blame. In fact, we are developing alternate energies. We are trying to harness the escape of factory emissions. As a society, we are recycling and working on protecting our planet. Yet, as usual, we are being taught that we are the problem. For once, let’s realize that we must protect the Earth but it is a worldwide project. Please do not let a few pompous, public figures push us into a knee jerk reaction, especially when many of the problems they shout about do not exist.

Unfortunately, the parade doesn’t stop unless the applause ceases. So long as the media and public clowns keep the interest high, promoting the concept of global warming as they promote themselves, we are in danger of losing sight of even more significant dangers that loom in front of us.

And, if watermelons begin to grow again in northern Wisconsin, remember that this is not the first time for climate change, nor the last.

Recently, several comments have appeared regarding blogs on this site. Because I frequently write on this blog, I would like to respond to the comments and the way in which the comments were written.

1. Blogs work best when you respond to someone else’s opinion by stating your own opinion, whether dissenting or agreeing, and not when you merely attack the blogger’s opinion. If you disagree or agree, give your own reasons for your stance.

2. If you notice the name of this blog, Republican Banter, you could and should assume that the main writers are probably conservatives. As conservatives, our views will be, well, conservative!

3. However, do not make the assumption that one conservative is exactly like another unless you know the individual. One blogger complained that “people like us” hate Hillary C. I do not hate Hillary at all. She has been through many rough situations and managed to adapt or adopt to them all. I do disrespect her for many of her decisions which led her into compromising situations from which she used her political power to extricate herself.

4. Do not assume that because some of us voice opinions that we do not also contribute in other ways to society We have family members serving in a variety of locations. We are active in our communities. We have also put our money where our mouth is for years — in charities, business, schools, political campaigns, and in raising our children. Have you?

5. It is always easy to assail another with labels and names. If you wish to be a part of a genuine discussion, forget being angry. Discuss your ideas clearly and concisely without rancor.

Maybe we can all learn from one another, but false assumptions and name-calling are not going to advance anyone’s opionion nor are they to anyone’s advantage. This blog was meant to host a rational discussion of many issues, not just to be a dartboard for angry writers.