Uncommon Common Sense

I recently had an exchange on Facebook with a friend of mine. She is a good friend, a very kind lady and a pretty hardcore Democrat. This exchange was very enlightening and worthy of further consideration. She referenced the recording of Mitt Romney at a private fund-raiser, that created a kerfuffle a few weeks ago: My friend: "received an email this morning that I thought was spot-on!: 'Oh Mitt, what did you say? - Mitt said about the 47% of people who think that the government is supposed to support them. He might be right, and I'm sure some of those people feel that way. But what he didn't say verbally is the contrast of his actual statement is that 100% of the wealthy don't want to help (anybody who doesn't) pay taxes. He clearly stands for the rich and has no compassion for the poor.'" Me: "I have to disagree... He believes that the help should come, where possible, from other sources than the government. He has spoken specifical...

If you are not furious about the happenings of the last few days with our Middle Eastern embassies, you need to be. Our Libyan ambassador, Chris Stevens, and three other Americans were murdered in a pre-planned attack. This attack was loosely coordinated, but coordinated none-the-less with Egypt and intended to fall on 9-11 as we commemorated the events of that horrible day eleven years ago. (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/13/consulate-attack-planned-as-2-part-militant-assault-libyan-official-says/) The mobs in both countries violated the borders of our embassies, which in any other part of the world would be an act of war. Imagine if you can, Americans storming the Chinese embassy within our borders. First of all, it would never happen. Secondly, there would be international condemnation and outrage; appropriately so. Even in the coldest days of the Cold War, the USSR never violated our embassy in such a way. Worse though is that in Libya, the mob turned bloodthirsty. And eve...

"Democratic pundit Hilary Rosen, a political consultant who advises the Democratic National Committee, said on CNN Wednesday night that Ann Romney 'never worked a day in her life.'" (Washington Post, 4/12/12, Michael Katz) Ann Romney who has raised five boys who are all college graduates, gainfully employed, married fathers, "has never worked a day in her life." Wow, where to begin. Hilary Rosen has visited the White House over 30 times and works for the DNC. She has close ties to the Democratic party but was not speaking for the DNC. To their credit, many Democrats have distanced themselves from her comments. But her attitude towards stay-at-home mothers is indicative of how many liberals view us. It is one more glaring indication of their hypocrisy and general hatred towards the principles of conservatism, especially in the realm of women. Let us remember how Sarah Palin was treated by liberal women for NOT being a stay-at-home mom. Just one small exampl...

Fiction is Reality I started reading Ayn Rand's renowned book, "Atlas Shrugged" last week. I am almost finished and can't decide if it's good that I have opened this can of worms or not. Don't get me wrong, I think it's quite possibly one of the best books I have ever read. If you haven't read it, you should. Her book is a treatise on what happens when people surrender their agency to the government. It is enlightening and agonizing to read all at once. Every parent in this country should require their high school-aged children to read it (perhaps with a little editing--Mom and Dad should read it first). There was a time in the 60's or 70's when someone could have read her book and said, "Nah, that will never happen." And they would have slept comfortably that night. But, rather than reading a book written in 1957, I feel like I'm reading today's headlines or the headlines of the very near future. I'm not sleeping wel...

President Obama held a White House press conference on July 11, 2011. A reporter told him that polls showed that 69% of Americans opposed raising the debt ceiling and asked his response. Obama said,"Let me distinguish between professional politicans and the public at large. You know the public is not paying close attention to the ins and outs...We're paid to worry about it." Let me translate, for the stupid people (you and me): "The common people, the lesser people, you know, are worried about the kinds of things they can understand, like grubbing for food and digging ditches. We, Professional Politicians, are the only ones that can really understand this. The American people are too stupid to comprehend this stuff and so I will dismiss that poll completely because it doesn't fit with my agenda." The unflagging arrogance, in spite of the debacle that is his presidency, is utterly breathtaking. Among Barack's mulitudes of foolish statements, this one rank...

By now Osama Bin Ladin has figured out that there are no virgins. (If there are, they all weigh 600 lbs., have never shaved and have terrible B.O.) I suspect that he has discovered that the promises made in the brand of Islam he professed were, shall we say, "misleading." He has discovered once and for all that you cannot commit murder in the name of religion, or any other name, and escape the penalty for it. Life is not always just, but God is. For a brief moment, he understood that as he figured out he could not hide from the U.S. military forever. Perhaps the Islamists, the extreme violent part of the Muslim world, will realize that we are serious, that we will not be cowed and that we will not sink to that level. Perhaps not. But this is a great day for America and for the military. God is indeed good and the U.S. military is a close second. God's justice is eternal and inescapable, but thank goodness we have the U.S. military to speed up the process sometimes. Thank ...

Those of you who know me, know that I'm a HUGE BYU fan. (Not relative to my size, we'll save that discussion for another day, but relative to how much I love my alma mater.) This week was an emotional roller coaster for BYU basketball fans everywhere. Brandon Davies, a starting sophomore forward on the team, reported to the school an Honor Code violation. BYU, consistent as always, dismissed him from the team for the remainder of the season. The timing could not have been worse. With two regular season games left, carrying their highest national ranking ever, the chance to win the Conference title outright and get their potentially highest seed in the NCAA tournament ever, losing a starting player is a sucker punch to the gut. The team found out on Tuesday and got annihilated at home the following night by New Mexico. Obviously, that game was not so much about basketball X's and O's, but the emotion of losing a teammate and all the accompanying ramifications. This loss ...