As writing slumps go, this has been a pretty good one.  But thans to Colin Powell, I busted out of my funk and I am back.  Colin recently said the following:  [Republicans need to stop listening to Rush Limbaugh]. I’ve heard this argument before:

Modernize; listen to minority groups.  Republicans can’t win if they hold a hard line on immigration.  The world has changed and the republicans must change too.

Did I get that about right, Colin?

I wish I had an original thought on this, but Mark Levin and Sean Hannity, two conservative talk show hosts, have already debunked this.  So I’ll just regurgitate what they have already said and pepper it with my own comments.

*Cracks Knuckles* Okay, Colin, have a seat.  I’m going to try and explain this as directly as possible.  I’ll even use a cute little bulleted list to make it easier for you to follow:

• There is a difference between a conservative and a republican… Specifically, the republicans just ran your ideal candidate, John McCain.  Here’s a man who is pro amnesty for illegals, was part of limiting Free Speech in McCain - Feingold, and who’s known to be a “Maverick”.  Which is another way of saying: “unprincipled, a fly by the seat of my pants kind of guy”.  And he got killed on election day.  A lot of pundits, myself included felt that many obama votes were more accurately, “Votes against 4 more years of Bush policy”.  Heck, Obama himself even ran his campaign on that mantra, and rather effectively.  Bush abandoned conservative principles and increased spending while cutting taxes (***allow me to interject a little history… conservatives are typically know for fiscal responsibility, ergo, Bush acted liberal).  Further, Bush and his amnesty for illegals plan is also anti-conservative, pro-liberal.  Talk to any conservative, not republican, but conservative, and they are not thrilled with Bush either (I will note that Bush’s approval rating, low as it may be, is higher than the Pelosi/Reid democratic House/Senate).  And now we have Bush wanting to nationalize the auto industry in a move that bows to organized labor and interferes with the free market.  In summary, Bush and McCain are not conservative, they got screwed acting like libs.
• Next point, Obama ran on conservative principles and won.   What!?, you say?  Let me explain.  Obama ran his campaign against Bush by promising to balance the budget (conservative ideal).  Take the war to Afghanistan and find Osama wherever he may be (conservative ideal).  Interesting strategy, but it worked.  Meanwhile, McCain wanted to bail out bad loans with your money (liberal).
• Next, let’s look at leadership.  It’s not the ideals of the conservative party that need modernizing, it’s the leadership and communication of those ideals.  Do you really want McCain, Palin, or Bush being the front man for conservative in America.  Heck no!  Ronald Reagan slaughtered the incumbent Jim Carter and embarrassed Dukakis 4 years later on a very conservative platform.  Yes, that was 20 years ago, but let me argue, that Obama is the liberal version of Reagan.  He is likable, communicates well, stays on message, keeps it simple, and he relates effectively with the populus.  Not because of the percentage of melanin in his dermis, but his life experiences.  Never having met McCain, I look at him and just think dude smells like old people.
• And finally, Colin, as we near the end of our history lesson, let me point you to Ronald Regan’s address, “Let them go their own way.”  Now you knew this was coming, didn’t you.  What have you got to say now Colin?  For my readers who are less familiar with this speech, let me give you some historic perspective.  This was the 70’s.  Republicans got clobbered in Nov. 1974.  The world was changing faster than it is today (i.e. the world had just seen the 60’s and a very popular Kennedy].  The republicans, and conservatives by extension, never looked more dated.  Pundits, even conservative pundits, were calling for change in the party.  “A modernization.”  Regan eloquently stepped forward, and it my words said, [We already have a liberal party, why do we need two of them?  Anyone who wants to leave our party, "Let them go their own way."] Now, you really should follow the link and read/listen/watch this speech for yourself.  I really have more respect for democrats than I do for traitorous Republicans like Powell.  At least Obama, Reid, and Pelosi, hold to their liberal ideology.  They are swayed from their values because the man running for office looks like they do.  That’s right, Powell, you are a racist.

Watching obama’s marxomercial tonight I finally realized why Obama is winning. The losers love him. They see winners success and want a piece of it. And if you believe Obama, he just the socialist to distribute your wealth.

In the (very) mortal words of L.L. Cool J, “Don’t call it a comeback!”

I’m betting even General Colin Powell comes to his senses in the serenity of the poll booth.

When asked yesterday how he responds to Right Wing criticism that as Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has more Executive experience then him, Senator Obama responded, “Well, you see, errrr…, from what I understand, my tush is smaller and my legs are, well, from the hip, they are longer.”  Senator Joe Biden, Barack’s running mate quickly stepped in to save the floundering Obama,”It’s true, his legs are longer and his tush is smaller.”  Later in the same interview, Joe Biden was asked how he responds to criticism that he should not have called Sarah Palin, “good looking”.  Sparks flew in the interview when Barack lept from his chair and shouted, “You said what?!”.  Sources close to Barack Obama say he is quick to defend his tush and long legs from predatory women who would steal his running mate’s eye.

NBC, where did you put the 30 pieces of silver?

Never forget Tiananmen Square and the martyrs for freedom.  I’d like to see a vignette on this guy.  Do you think we’ll see it?  Can any athlete’s story be more compelling than his?  Congratulations to NBC and all the sponsors of the Olympics.  And no, we should not have gone to Munich in 1936, despite Jesse Owens performance.  For what do the olympics stand?  Or for what, did they stand?  Athens is dead.

What?  Are you serious?  Obama is apologizing to Germany on behalf of America because we failed to live up to the rule of law and equality?  Go visit the graves at Normandy or Bastogne and give that speech, Obama.

Background: Not sure if you heard it today, but Obama spoke in Berlin to a crowd of a couple hundred thousand people.  Mark Levin on his afternoon radio show blasted Obama for apologizing for America’s mistakes.  I love my country.  I spent three years of my life living in Germany because my dad, a US Serviceman was fighting the Cold War on behalf of American AND Germany.  I personally sacrificed along with many others to bring freedom to Europe.  And for what?  So this creep could deliver a pep rally to 21st century Marxists?  Rot in hell, Obama.

…Rodeo time in SLC as the 24th of July is here.  Thanks to my awesome neighbor Salazar, I got to take my wife and our two oldest daughters to the rodeo.  “There are horses inside?”, Emma asked as we walked into the Delta, whoops, the Energy Solutions Arena.  (*Interesting to note that gas has risen in price since that name change to the tune of about $1.50 per gallon.  Coincidence?*)  Anyway, there was a low turnout so security moved we upper bowl dwellers downstairs to get a closer look at where the expression hung like a…  So much for a family blog…  It was awesome.  I hate people kicking my chairs in public forums and especially at the Delta.. ES arena, where my knees are inevitably around the ears of the man sitting in front of my and I am giving him a chance to discover more about my wares than any man should ever know.   But alas, we threw our feet over the chairs in front of us, gobbled down those beef dogs, and sipped coke.  The rodeo is designed for the attention span of a 3 year old.  Which works for me, but bored my 5 year old.  My 3 year old freakin loved in.  She alterantely rose to her feet in glee and smiled from her chair.  We stay long enough to see a few Brahma’s shake Hoss and Bill like Raggedy Andy and Ann.  Those bros, rodeo cowboys, earned my respect.  A lot of losers slap a No Fear sticker on their car, but these bros live it.  And they pay a price for it…  I had a roommate in college that spent 7 days in a coma after a brahma bull crushed his brain on a PBR ride.  THough I never knew him prior to the severe brain injury, it was clear he was not right.  He walked and acted like a stroke victim.  As my dad used to say, guts and stupiditing are often mistaken.  Not sure where these bros land, but they get my vote.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv4s3fn8jDc

I am really enjoying the book Getting Things Done and the website 43Folders.com.  I previously commented on people saying “I am not good at math” as though it were their eye color.  I must admit I have felt the same way about organization skills.  I believed that to be organized is the anti-thesis of creative.  To adhere to a strict set of folders and files and calendars meant I would lose my creative problem solving.  Not so… these bros Merlin and David Allen teach you how to make the tools work for you instead of you working for the tools.  I am less than a week into my experiment, but so far so good.  Stay tuned for more…

My father-in-law just bought a 383 roadrunner. It is a head turner. We took it around the neighborhood tonight with the kids in the back. My daughter asked what the window knob was. Too funny. I guess I am officialy old. I will post photos soon. BTW, it is a ‘69.