Which is to say, the Iowahawk way: “In our shared moment of grief, let us also celebrate his historic accomplishment in becoming the first astronaut eulogized by me, Barack Obama, our nation’s historic first African-American president.”
Celebrating Neil Armstrong, the Obama Way
August 28th, 2012Democrats Take the War on Catholics to the Next Level
August 28th, 2012Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Senior Catholic official in America, generously offered to lead a prayer at the Democratic National Convention.
The Democrats declined.
They decided that they would rather have a two hour Islamic prayer ceremony instead.
Given how heavily Catholics outnumber Muslims amidst the electorate, this is, at the very least, bad optics and worse politics. But it’s so ham-handed that it suggest Democrats are doing it out of conviction rather than political calculation.
Two thoughts:
- If Obama wanted to quash those “secret Muslim” rumors, this wasn’t the way to do it.
- The constant hostility Democrats have shown to Catholics during this Administration suggests yet again that forcing Catholics to fund abortion wasn’t a side issue for ObamaCare, but in fact the central issue. Every knee must bend.
Texas vs. California: Dog Days of August Edition
August 27th, 2012It’s late August, and California’s slide toward insolvency continues apace.
To Glock or Not To Glock, That Is The Question
August 23rd, 2012I got my CHL in the mail today. (When I have time I’ll try to do a post on the process of getting one for those who haven’t.) I currently have a Kimber .45, which I think is a bit heavy to use as a carry gun.
My instructor was big on the Glock, which I know a lot of people use as a carry gun and has some improvements over the M1911. So I thought I would ask my CHL-holding rreaders: 1. What concealed carry gun do you favor, and why, and 2. What experience (if any) have you had using a Glock?
And speaking of CHL classes, here’s Karl Rehn of KRTraining on what to bring to class to make your instructor happy.
The Second Most Important Race in Texas: CD23
August 22nd, 2012The most important Texas political race is obviously the Texas Senate race. Barring any unforeseen catastrophe, I fully expect Ted Cruz to soundly thump Paul Sadler in November.
The second most important Texas race is for the 23rd Congressional District, where Republican Francisco “Quico” Canseco eked out the second closest win over a Democratic congressional incumbent in 2010, beating Ciro Rodriguez by a little over 7,000 votes. Rep. Blake Farenthold’s win over Solomon Ortiz in the 27th congressional district was the closest Texas CD race that year, decided by a mere 799 votes, but the 27th was made considerably more Republican in redistricting, going from voting for Obama by 53% of the vote to a mere 40% of the vote under the new district lines.
The legislature was not able to reenforce Canseco’s sprawling district to nearly the same extent, and it was only made slightly more Republican, going from a 51% Obama district to a 50% Obama district. That, plus the power of incumbency and $1 million cash on hand (as of June 30) give Canseco a real fighting chance to hold the seat. His Democratic opponent, Pete Gallego, spent all his money to beat Rodriguez in the runoff, but this is still the only decent shot Texas Democrats have to defeat a incumbent Republican congressman this year, so expect the usual big Democratic donors (unions and trial lawyers) to come to his rescue.
Heritage ranks Canseco a solid (if not exceptional) conservative at 72%, higher than the (lamentably low) Republican House average of 65%, but 50 points better than even the best Texas Democratic representative (Henry Cuellar).
If you were looking for a Texas congressional race where your donations might help Republicans hold a tough seat, this is the one.
A few recent tidbits about the race:
Texas Beats EPA Again: Cross-State Pollution Rules Struck Down
August 21st, 2012“A federal court has struck down an Environmental Protection Agency rule that forces cuts in soot- and smog-forming power plant emissions that cross state lines, dealing a major blow to the White House’s air quality agenda. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.”
This is great news for Texas, as the original rules could have resulted in Texans dying during the height of summer due to shutting down existing Texas power plants before new ones had come online. Those rules had already been stayed early this year, but have now been struck down entirely.
From the news stories, it’s unclear whether the Obama Administration’s EPA will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
Edited to add: TPPF now has a memo up celebrating the ruling. For once I was ahead of them!
Texas Vs. California: August 16, 2012
August 16th, 2012Looks like California has done such a good dog of screwing the pooch that I may have to start doing these roundups weekly:
That’s a Hunka Hunka Hunka Blazing Steel
August 15th, 2012Quick followup to last week’s story on the auction of three of Elvis Presley’ guns, which went under the gavel yesterday. The results (all prices include buyer’s premium):
Texas Tax Free Weekend August 17-19
August 15th, 2012It’s that time of year again. Texas is having it’s annual tax free weekend this weekend, August 17-19, for back-to-school goods like clothing under $100, school supplies, etc. And this year, the previously tax-free but now-tax-covered Amazon is participating as well.